To Succeed Spiritually

11.18.11

2 Corinthians 13.10 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. NIV

For years I have read Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and ‘heard’ sternness in his voice (tone) in my mind as I’ve read. When I heard sternness, it seemed to give his letters more weight and validity. But I realized this time through that these letters came from a man with a broken heart and a real sense of compassion for those who’d veered from the path spiritually. Paul didn’t want to beat them up; he wanted to build them up. His desire was that they would succeed spiritually so that they could impact their world, and their society. I believe that is to be the goal of every church of Christ in the world.

Sometimes churches fail – sometimes people fail, but that is never an excuse to destroy them emotionally or drive them away as some kind of enemy. People need constantly to be reached out to and restored. Sometimes the tone to do so needs to be blunt, but never are people to be written off completely – that just isn’t how things are to be done in the Kingdom of Love and Light.

I believe Paul got frustrated with the Corinthians, but then I think he also got frustrated at himself that he could’ve or should’ve delivered his message better or fought a little harder or something like that. His bottom line for them was concern that they got the message in its entirety and live up to it earnestly. But I think Paul was smart enough to know that what got started in the Spirit was going to be attacked in the flesh and that by the enemies of God. From a distance (because he was traveling) Paul through his letters wanted to help them pull things back together in the Lord. Paul may have been blunt but he wasn’t a raging maniac. Paul may have come across passionate but he desired to see them succeed against the attack that they were under and to see him as on their side – not just as one to beat them up and criticize them.

I think it is easy to see someone’s failures and jump on the write-off bandwagon. I think it is easy to see someone struggling and say inside, they’re never gonna make it. I think it is much harder to see someone failing and come alongside, even at their worst and encourage them and help them to pull it together. The harder is worth every bit of energy it takes to do.

God has never once has expected me to fail in Christ. That thought has never been on His mind. And God knows how often I do. But God never writes me off and He always shows up at just the right time in just the right ways to let me know He hasn’t forgotten me or left me all on my own to fail. Since before the world was formed or before Adam did his thing, God has seen me and has loved me to build me up in Himself and not to tear me down because at times I just don’t seem to get it… Paul’s tone in his letters to the Corinthians may have been passionate but it was only for his reader’s success in Christ, nothing else.