2 Corinthians 4:13-5:12
Corinthians 4:7-12
Hebrews 11:1-3
Romans 10:17
We must be like Paul. Even when everything looked like it was falling apart, Paul knew that God creates new life among the chaos. Paul was willing to face suffering and even death for Jesus and to bring others to Jesus. But see, he didn’t just want people to come to Christ; he wanted believers to then disciple others and bring them to Christ. And, he wanted that with every fiber of his being. Nothing else mattered. He got frustrated, and his frustration came through in his letters, but if someone came to Christ and began living as a disciple, he really didn’t care if they liked him personally or not.
Sometimes, Paul can sound rather self-grandiose in much of his writing. He sounds like he thinks Paul is the cat and that things should be the way he said simply because Paul said it.
And, yeah, at times – such as when he wrote Galatians 6:17 (NIV)
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
That is what he said. “Y’all quit arguing with me on this and just do as I say because I bear the marks of Jesus.”
But he wasn’t claiming the power because of who Paul was; he was claiming the power because of who Jesus is.
And if anyone ever had the right to claim the power of Christ, it was Paul. He was willing to go anywhere and endure anything if it brought glory to God and good to the churches. His faith told him that it wasn’t about the clay jar; it was about what was in the clay jar, and what was in the clay jar will last far longer than the jar.