"...one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."
John 9:25b NASB
As children of the risen God and as His appointed servants we can preach His Word; we can share the gospel; we can testify of all the incredible things He's done in our lives. But what we can't do is change hearts. We can be obedient to what He's called us to, but the changing of hearts is solely and completely up to God.
God doesn't need us to accomplish what He will; but He gives us the privilege and the pleasure of participating in His work. He has called us to serve Him in this life; to be His hands and feet and heart to those around us. But the changing of lives is 100% His doing.
One thing is certain though, when He shows up, lives are changed. The wounded are healed. The blind are given sight. The dead are raised to new life in Jesus Christ.... Part of our reward is having a front row seat from which to witness what only He can accomplish.
What a precious gift it is to serve alongside Him!
A Covenant of Transformation
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB
Transformation. Who of us upon having realized the futility of trying to overcome sin in our own strength and determination has not longed for transformation? Our intentions are good; our hearts are in the right place; yet there are those troubling issues in our lives that keep resurfacing. Like bumps in the carpet we trip over them repeatedly, even though we know they're there; even though we've known they've been there for some time. Still we trip. Sometimes we simply lose our balance momentarily. Sometimes we fall.
But the hopeful promise of the covenant God has given us through the Lord Jesus Christ is one of transformation. The word here is metamorphoo in the Greek language, meaning, "to transform" as a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly, an amazing process in its own right. The caterpillar does its part by gorging itself on food then crawling into the protective covering of the cocoon to digest and be transformed. Likewise, we must gorge ourselves on God's Word and His Spirit then crawl into His protective covering while He does the transforming in us.
 For the caterpillar, the transformation is not immediate.... It is a process. And the same is true of us. We must learn to crawl and to wait before we can be given wings to fly. And just as the butterfly can never be a caterpillar again, we can never be un-transformed. That caterpillar was chosen and created to become a butterfly. And we too have been chosen and created to be transformed by God for His purposes -- in order to be His ministers. We do our part (filling up on His Word and resting in Him); He does the transforming work...and day by day we are being changed so that we reflect His image more and more. We don't have to white-knuckle it. We don't have to sweat and strain. We must simply continually satisfy our appetites with Him and wait; He will do the rest...from glory to glory.
A Covenant of Liberty
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty." 2 Corinthians 3:17
Sin shackles. It binds people up; it weighs them down. It keeps them locked away in darkness. It sometimes embitters the lost causing them to lash out in hatred and cynicism, creating a chasm of mistrust toward those who bear the name of Christ.
For the Christian, the shame of a secret sin whispers condemnation over them convincing them they're a fraud if they attempt to serve God or a failure if they don't. Gifted Christians unwittingly squander their God-given gifts and talents under the weight of false guilt or already forgiven sin. Freedom is theirs for the taking, but they can't seem to lift their eyes from under the shame to find it.
Other Christians serve on every committee, volunteer for every function, attempt to fill every void, doing and working and striving as though that will somehow silence the shame of their sin. They serve until their marriages crumble or their health fails, working to pay off a debt that's already been paid. But in their shame is a sense of unrelenting unworthiness. Rest and relief and joy could be theirs but for the tireless voice of condemnation echoing through their wounded hearts.
Our lives, our ministries are the tools God uses to silence the voice of shame and the accusations of false guilt. Through us, God will gently lift the chins of those downcast faces enabling them to find freedom. And it is through us that He will build bridges across those chasms to the lost. That's what our ministry -- our service is all about. Together we can lock arms in the unity of Christ to minister to the hurting people in our midst.
This is the ministry to which we who have received mercy have been called, and no matter how tough the going gets, we must not lose heart.
"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy,
we do not lose heart...." 2 Corinthians 4:1 NASB
A Covenant of Hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...." 1 Peter 1:3 NASB
There is little in this world that is more devastating to the human heart than hopelessness. Those shrouded in hopelessness have difficulty climbing out of bed in the morning. Life loses all meaning in the face of hopelessness. Relationships die without the life-giving sustenance of hope. Material possessions become meaningless. Nothing seems worth the effort in the black abyss of hopelessness.
But because the glory of Jesus Christ is ever-increasing, never diminishing, we have an endless wellspring of hope. It's a hope that does not disappoint. It's a hope that will not fade. It's a hope that is certain. More than a hope for the future, the hope of Jesus is for today. The greatest losses of life are lessened in the light of hope. Hope of being reunited with loved ones. Hope that forgiveness follows repentance. Hope that though we do not understand the trials and tragedies of life, we are assured that each one has been sifted through our God's loving and merciful hands for a purpose... His purpose ... to further reflect His glory.
Because of the promises of His Word, we know God never wastes our pain. Because of His sovereignty we know no situation is beyond His ability to redeem it for His glory. Because of His sacrifice we can rest assured there is no sin debt that exceeds the price He paid. There is purpose in pain. There is resolution in redemption. There is freedom in forgiveness. We have hope. Hope to hold onto. Hope to share. It is what makes all the difference.
A Covenant of Glory
"But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory." 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 NASB
Second Corinthians 3:7 speaks of the glory revealed on Moses' face when he received the Law engraved on stone tablets. Paul refers to that ministry as the "ministry of death" and the "ministry of condemnation." He goes on to say in verse 9 that if the Law that leads to death and condemnation has such glory -- a glory that faded from Moses' face over time -- how much more does the "ministry of righteousness" found through Christ abound in His ever-increasing glory!
The surpassing glory he speaks of here is not ours. We can't produce it. We don't own it. We can't control it or dole it out as we see fit. It simply is. This ministry of glory belongs to God and is expressed through Jesus Christ as His Holy Spirit dwells within us. As we minister the life of Christ to those around us, His glory will radiate from us as light reflects off a mirror. It's what we were created for ... to reflect the light of His ever-increasing glory into the darkened lives around us. What a privilege to share in His glory!
A Covenant of Adequacy
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant... 2 Corinthians 3:5, 6a NASB
We see ourselves in the mirror every day. We know our flaws and our faults better than anyone. As such, is there anyone among us that never feels inadequate? We lose our tempers. We honk our horns at that slowpoke in front of us while hurrying to church on Sunday morning. We allow our godly concern for another to seep over the line into gossip. Not a day goes by that we don't "blow it" to some degree. Adequate? Us?
God's promise to us is one of adequacy -- not in ourselves, but in Him. Second Corinthians 3:6 says He "also made us adequate as servants." Not servants of self or servants of the flesh, but servants of the new covenant -- the promise of the exchanged life: filthy rags exchanged for radiant robes.
If we try to fulfill this ministry on our own merit, we will fail and we will fall short. But His promise to us is not to make us adequate, but to be our adequacy.... Only in Him -- by His Spirit, in His strength -- will we be able to serve others as He has called us to do.
A Covenant of Confidence
"Such confidence we have through Christ toward God."
2 Corinthians 3:4 NASB
This verse speaks of "such confidence" we have in God because of Jesus. In Ephesians chapter 3 Paul speaks of the boldness and confident access we have through faith in the Lord Jesus. Is God ignorant of the gravity of our sin? Does He not know what we've done? how we've failed?
He knows.
He knew before we ever did it, whatever "it" was. Whether it was envying our neighbor's new car or aborting our first child, He knew and He chose us to bear His name anyway. And "in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11) He paid for our sin. The sinless one bore the burden and the blame. He bore our sorrow and our shame so we could stand before the God of the universe confidently. And that is how we should share it with those who so desperately need it...confidently.
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy,
we do not lose heart.... 2 Corinthians 4:1 NASB
So what is this ministry we have? The ministry to which we have been assigned? What does the word ministry even mean? Over the next few days we will be taking a look at 2 Corinthians Chapter 3 and its message regarding ministry.
Ministry in this passage quite simply refers to service. As ministers we are servants, set apart to administer the truth of God's promise (covenant) fulfilled in Jesus Christ to those who need hope, forgiveness, truth, and life. It is...
A Covenant of Life
Second Corinthians 3:6 says the letter (of the law -- as written on tablets of stone) kills. The letter of the law is legalism resulting in guilt and condemnation, both which "kill" the heart and wound the spirit. But the Spirit of the Living God we serve, the One who gave us the promise of life in Jesus, is life. And as Jesus said in John 10:10, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." When Jesus is involved, no ordinary life will do.... And no ordinary ministry or service will do either. We cannot pick and choose who we will serve in His name. God does the choosing. We simply obey.
The life Jesus gives is an abundant one, inscribed in His own blood on hearts of flesh. The price He paid was a high one indeed. What a privilege to be His ministers.
We are delighted you are here! This ministry has been born out of a deep desire to follow God in faith and obedience to that which He has called us -- specifically...
"...for the equipping of the saints for the work of service,
to the building up of the body of Christ..." Ephesians 4:12 NASB
Please browse the articles and other resources we've made available here. They are for you. You'll want to visit often as we will be adding new articles and features in the coming weeks and months. Ask us questions. Send us your comments. Voice your concerns. We are here to partner with you as you minister to those in your midst who've been hurt by abortion and other sexual sin. It is because of the love, grace, mercy and the healing touch of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we are here, and our desire is to provide you with the best resources available in this area of ministry.
May God richly bless you as you serve Him by bearing the burdens of those in your midst.
"We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention
of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work
of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father..."
1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3 NASB
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