If we have a chance to be superior, we want to take it. Yet, Paul points us to another way even when he had the authority and had been wronged by the people he was interacting with. It’s telling as we think about how we live and interact with others.
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Have you ever been in a soda room? That’s a question you probably didn’t think I’d start tonight’s Steadfast with. Hi, welcome to Steadfast. It’s so good to be with you, and if you would hit that like and that share button so others can join us, maybe we’d find out if they’ve been in a soda room. But have you been in one? That’s a question I bet you not only weren’t expecting but you probably will answer no to because it’s not a normal thing, especially if you talk about going over to someone’s house. You don’t expect to go in and find a soda room.
Years ago, I had a friend who had one. He had a lot of interesting, unusual things in his house. Not only a soda room but, with a slight grin, he opened a door and revealed he also had an elevator and all kinds of interesting things he had in his house that you never would have guessed would be in a person’s house. You see, he just seemed like a normal, average, everyday person. He happened to have done very well in his various business enterprises, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t flaunt it. He didn’t use it to overpower people. It was only if he could somehow bring joy to someone that he would point out one of these things, like if he knew that you were coming over and he could smirk and make you think he was pulling your leg by asking if you wanted to go into the soda room. But then once you realized he wasn’t joking, you’d go in. And yes, indeed, he had a room with a dedicated refrigerator and all kinds of different sodas and displays and a soda room that you could get to right by the elevator.
He didn’t use these things to lord it over but to bring joy. As the Apostle Paul writes the Corinthians in this letter and has been discussing his challenges in getting there and the challenges of the Corinthians listening to the message of the Gospel and all these different things, Paul could say, you don’t have a soda room, but I do. You don’t have an elevator, but I do. You don’t have successful businesses, but I do. You’re not an apostle, but I am. A lot of times we think that if we have authority, if we have success, if we have things, that we should use those to put ourselves in positions of power and to lord it over other people, to let other people know that we are the ones who have succeeded. But as Christians, our calling is not that at all. It’s exactly what my friend wanted to do with his soda room. Yes, he had it, but he wanted to delight people with it, not brag about it.
If we think about our own position and also Paul’s situation with the Corinthians, that’s what we’re going to dwell on tonight. How do we go from being those who, whatever we have that we think is an advantage, use it to our advantage over other people, to instead using it to bring joy?
Will you pray with me, please? Father, thank you for this evening. Thank you for your word. Would you help us to be people who bring joy? Lord, we want people to find joy in the things that we do because we find joy in you, and we want to reflect your joy. It’s so much better than what we think will bring us the satisfaction of lording it over somebody. Why do we do that, Lord? Help us to see the foolishness of those times we seek to lord it over people. We pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Well, we’re going to pick back up at the end of chapter 1. We’re going to look at verses 23 and 24 of 2 Corinthians. Take a look here. Verse 23 says, “But I call God to witness against me. It was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth, not that we lord it over your faith.”
Paul had the right to lord it over the people of Corinth. They were people who had come to faith because of his ministry and the ministry of Paul’s associates. And Paul was an apostle. He’d been called by Jesus himself. So if anyone had a right to lord it over them other than the Lord himself, well, Paul did. But even as Paul thinks about how he’s been correcting them on the things that are terribly wrong in their lives, note that he says that it was better they didn’t come because he didn’t want to lord it over them.
So Paul writes a letter, and it’s a painful letter. He talks about that in chapter 2 verse 1—a painful letter. But he sees the advantages of a letter. Because in a letter he’s not going to come and have to say harsh things directly to them, say harsh things to them and them see that his anger. To feel the tension and the discord in their relationship. But rather that he can help through the power of the Holy Spirit applying that letter to their hearts and then come and instead have a different sort of visit with them. He didn’t want the visit to be all about them being wrong. And he certainly didn’t want to just come and pull rank on them, even though he could.
I think sometimes we kind of enjoy correcting people. Yeah, a lot of times we don’t, right? Because it’s unpleasant. It’s uncomfortable. But if we kind of can get into the spirit of it, it’s also kind of oddly affirming to ourselves. Because when we’re pointing out how someone else is wrong, we’re also pointing out how, in our view, we’re right. Our human nature wants to lord it over people. And certainly Paul’s opponents, they were more than happy to come into the town and tell the town how they were wrong and how Paul was wrong and how they were right and how everyone should follow. That’s not what I want. It’s never been about making sure that you understand how important I am and that you say, yes chief, I’m listening to you, you are the one in charge. It was never that at all.
It was about helping them to know who Jesus is and what God’s done for them and to then live in that. Even his correction was targeted at serving them, not having dominion over them. That’s so important. Do we think of correction as serving people? One of the challenges that churches often struggle with when there’s a need for correction in the church is, are we trying to vindicate ourselves and make ourselves feel important? Or are we actually trying to help someone who may indeed have gone astray to come back into the fold, to be able to fully enjoy fellowship with us and with the Lord again?
Now the second one’s what we’re going to say we’re going to do. But the simple fact is, if you look at how often it goes very badly, an awful lot of the time that’s because it’s really the first one. We want to show how we’re right and you’re wrong. Maybe you’ve experienced that. Paul says that’s not what I’m about. My goal is not to come and show you up, to embarrass you, to make you feel inferior. My goal is to actually help you know the truth. And so if that means I don’t come for a visit because that visit would either be just crushing to all of us, and on top of that, would actually just be more unpleasant and painful to you. My goal isn’t to come and bring you pain. My goal is to bring you to where you need to be in knowing Jesus.
It takes no joy in having to point out where they’re wrong and he certainly doesn’t want to come and feel the brokenness of that relationship. Now it wasn’t that Paul was afraid to come and confront people. He did that at times. He was bold at times. This is in the context of his relationship in particular with the Corinthians. But the key thing that we can see here is Paul is opting, for the particular people he’s ministering to, to take the path that leads to the least pain to them and to himself that will actually accomplish the important goal of bringing them back into the fold, in solving the problems that exist. He doesn’t want to inflict pain upon them. And so it’s not that he says on the one hand that the letter is completely pain-free or that he’s just taking the easy way out but rather how can he bring as little pain as necessary to accomplish the good that is necessary?
So different than often what our society likes to do. We enjoy seeing people get hurt. I know that sounds harsh, but if you think about our society, a lot of things that go viral, or if you rewind a couple of decades, I remember I’ve never been a reality TV kind of guy, but I remember right when it came on and seeing a few episodes of The Fear Factor. Do you remember that? I’m not sure if it’s still on or not, but what was Fear Factor really about? It was about people having to do awful things to try to win a prize. And at least part of that, I think, why it appealed to people, why it appeals to us as human beings, is we see someone else going through all this humiliating, uncomfortable, maybe downright painful stuff and we’re not doing it. We get to gasp or chuckle or think how stupid are they or whatever it is, but it allows us to see someone going through something awful and it’s not us.
And that same sense that shows up when we’re watching something that is someone else suffering is what can be so dangerous when there is a need for correction. We think about, well, what will make me feel the best? Well, maybe it’s inflicting pain on the person. Or at least I’ll feel like I’ve gotten off my chest. I’ve gotten to say whatever I wanted to say and now I feel better because I don’t have to say it, regardless of what I’ve done to the other person.
Paul says, yes, I’m saying things you wish I weren’t saying, but I want you to understand very, very clearly I’m not saying them because I want to humiliate you. I’m not saying them because I feel better when you feel pain. Quite the opposite. I’m saying it because we can’t get where we all need to be, where you need to be. I’m saying this because I need you to get to where you need to be so you can experience the fullness of fellowship in Jesus. And so I’m going to do it in the way that gets you there without causing any more pain than necessary.
When we think about it, do we seek to minimize pain even when we bring about correction? Or do we just think about how we feel? Paul says, that’s not what I’m doing. Because he has something else in view, something far better than that momentary satisfaction of being the one who’s right and the other person being wrong. Something far better, which is rejoicing in the Lord together.
Take a look at the second half of verse 24. “Not that we lord it over your faith, but listen to this, but we work with you for your joy. For you stand firm in your faith.” Paul recognizes they have faith and he wants to have the joy of standing with them in their faith. It’s all about having joy. It’s exactly what we were talking about last night. John had joy. That’s why he wanted to share. He wanted to share the contagiousness of the joy of who Jesus is and the false teachers, the people who were distracting the Corinthians and leading them down wrong paths that weren’t really the Gospel. The sins that were ensnaring them and pulling them away from a faithful walk with Jesus, these were things that were getting in the way of joy.
And if your goal is to have joy with the people that you’re having to correct, it changes how you correct them. Because the goal isn’t, I want them to just know how wrong they are and how right I am. I want them to know that I’m superior over them because I got it right and they didn’t. I want to have said my piece. It goes from that to I want our end destination. We’re believers together. We’re brothers and sisters in Christ and I want to be where we’re going. We’re going to be at the banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb and having joy together. And if we can get there sooner, if we can actually have joy in the present because we’re walking with Jesus and doing what he’s called us to do and we’re in fellowship together, that’s wonderful and far better than the people recognizing I’m an apostle and I’m really important. That’s what Paul says.
Listen to what we looked at last night. First John, verse 3: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that you too may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” We talked about John’s joy isn’t they got to write these things. It’s they got to share them with people who were going to believe that and be a part of that and have that fellowship with John. That’s exactly what Paul’s talking about here too.
A lot of times when we want to correct, when we want to lord it over, when we have the soda room in the elevator, what we want to do is say, look, well do you have a soda room? Do you have an elevator? The answer is no. Well, it seems to be you, right? That’s not what Paul’s trying to do here. It’s not about how much he knows. It’s not about his authority. It’s about helping people. Do we understand the difference between knowing stuff and helping people with stuff? Because helping people with stuff is exactly what we’re called to do. Our commission is not to impress people with impressive resumes of how much more we know than they know. Our calling, our goal, is that people know Jesus and that we enjoy the fellowship that he’s intended for us.
I think sometimes we think the hardships are too big, the barriers are too great, those broken parts of the relationship are too strong, and we can’t get past it. And because we can’t get past it, we might as well at least soak up what we can in the moment, because we’ll say what we want to say, and we’ll make them feel bad, but we’ll feel better for having said it. And isn’t that enough? Because we’re not going to get anywhere.
I said, don’t forget the prize. And Paul writes to the Corinthians. He’s clear on this. I haven’t forgotten the prize. I don’t want you to either. Even when it feels hard, I want you to know where we’re going. I want you to know what the true goal is, and it’s not to prove me right. It’s to prove Jesus right, because when we’re right with Jesus, all of us have joy together. There’s a better prize ahead. We can’t lose sight of that, because if we lose sight of that, we miss out on the joy of it. There’s joy to be had, not just the momentary superior satisfaction of being right.
Think back to 2011. I say 2011, and at least for those of us here in St. Louis, but many of you probably, I say 2011, and you already know where I’m going, because here we are in October. And disappointingly, Busch Stadium is quiet in October yet again this year.
But you think back to 2011, you think of, think back to that incredible World Series, particularly, you know where I’m going, Game 6, right? You may have already written that in the chat before I even got the words out of my mouth. Why? Because it was, well, just one of the greatest baseball games in history. But you think about that game and the emotional rollercoaster it was, where Cardinals would finally get ahead, and then they’d lose the lead again, get ahead, and there’d be a spectacular play and lose it again. And even when I’ve heard it on replay, when they do the rain delay theater nowadays on the radio, and they can’t play the current game, and so they’ll play it over again, you still can’t help but feel kind of the pain in some of those moments, where the lead’s blown again.
I think about how hard it would have been for the players in that not to lose sight of what the prize was, because in this moment, well, maybe I’ll just get really mad, and I’ll yell at the umpire and get ejected from the game, because it’s over anyway. At least I get to let off some steam before this is over, because it’s just over.
What’d they do? They kept playing, kept helping each other. Maybe internally, some of them were frustrated, some of their teammates, because they missed a play, something didn’t go quite right. But they kept playing together, because they knew there was a greater joy if they could actually get through this. And what did they do? They got through it. They won. They were world champions. They went down in the history of baseball in one of the most spectacular series of all time. And they did it because they didn’t lose sight of where they were really going, for that momentary satisfaction.
So often, we go for the momentary satisfaction. Paul knows that that’s what the Corinthians have seen from other people, and that’s what you and I have often seen from people. And oftentimes, we’ve also been the people, unfortunately. That’s not our calling as Christians. Our calling is not self-satisfaction. It’s not being proven right. It’s not inflicting pain on others so that we can at least equalize the pain. They hurt, so now we’ll, or we’ve been hurt, so we’ll bring hurt. It’s not about being right. It’s not about any of that stuff. Paul could do all that. He’s been hurt by the Corinthians. They’ve followed other teachers. They’ve doubted his credentials. They’ve questioned him over and over. They’ve listened to him teach, and then gone and done the opposite thing over and over and over again. But Paul says, I know there’s something better coming. This isn’t… the fulfillment is not that you say, we know that you are the greatest apostle. We know that you are the authority over us. We know that you are really important, Paul. The joy is being together in Jesus and having fellowship together. That’s what he holds on to, even as he corrects them.
Yes, they need it. Sometimes we need it. Sometimes we’re in the uncomfortable position of needing to give it. But may we keep our eyes on the prize, on the true prize. Because we think there’s all those destinations that are going to at least make us happy in the moment. But if we understand that the destination, the road that we’re really traveling is a road to joy together in Jesus, that road looks very, very different from the road that we’d otherwise pick. That’s what Paul remembered here. That’s what he was teaching the Corinthians here. And we’ve been taught in every generation afterwards when we reflect on what he’s saying here.
And let our prayer tonight be that we be those who seek to bring joy, not pain, even in painful situations. Pray with me, please. Father, thank you for this evening. Lord, we thank you for your word. Would you help us to be those who bring joy? Lord, sometimes we need to be those giving correction, sometimes those receiving it. And it’s hard to have joy in any of that. It’s almost shocking if we have to be correct on something, but someone takes the time to avoid bringing unnecessary pain. That’s not what we usually see. But Lord, help us to see that’s your way. And help us then when we are the ones who have the opportunity to choose bringing pain or nudging someone towards fellowship and joy, that we would nudge towards fellowship and joy. Not that we’re loose on what’s important. Not that we lose sight of how we ought to be. Paul didn’t hear. It’s all about that attitude. Just as your Son, our Savior Jesus, did as he taught. He was, of course, always right. He is always right. The point wasn’t to make people feel bad, but to bring people into fellowship. And would you help us to hold on to that and to live in that and to spread that joy?
We pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen. I hope this has been an encouragement for you today. It’s always great to have you. Of course, you can hit like or share. It’s great when you do to get the word out. But if there’s any questions, any concerns you have, any place you’re trying to work through this, I’d love to hear from you.
You can text us at our texting line. That’s 833-356-4032. That’s 833-356-4032. Or you can leave a comment in the comments below. Either way, our prayer team would love to pray with you. Or you can just share with church family. It’s always good when we get to do this together because it is about that joy of fellowship together.
Speaking of which, Thursday 8 a.m. Central, all the way to the end of the night, we are having our online community prayer walk. It is late in coming, but it’s our Faithtober prayer walk. And I am so excited to share this with you. And it’s this week. Maybe you’ve never experienced a prayer walk before and you’re thinking, what is this? It’s a continual video loop. You can go on to the live stream at any time of the day. There isn’t a point where you’re like, you have to be on at 8 a.m. or you’ll miss it. No, it’s just going to be looping all day long. Pick when you can come. You stay for as little or as long of time as you can.
There are different prayer prompts to pray for our world. Wonderful, encouraging devotionals from members of our church family here at Little Hills and our friends throughout Faithtree, our missionaries. It’s just a wonderful time to pray and soak in God’s Word together. And then, of course, since others are on the journey together with us, we have that joy of fellowship. And throughout the day, the chat and the live stream will be busy. And it’s a great place to ask for prayer and to be praying for people and encouraging people.
So Thursday, just make it a point to be there at least for part of it. Even if it’s five minutes, even if it’s one minute, turn it on and experience a little bit of it. And of course, especially if you’ve been to it before and you already know how excited you are about it, please do share and invite. Let’s not hold this in for ourselves, but as we’ve been seeing these last two nights, the point of us as Christians is to bring that joy and to spread it and allow more people to experience that joy with you and me. And so part of that is saying, hey, let’s get together for this. It’s something special.
Just send a link. Maybe if you have the opportunity, say, I’m going to be on it this time. If you want to walk through the prayer walk with me and we’ll pray together in the chat as we go. It’s a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. And I hope to see you there starting at 8 a.m. Central on the Faith Tree page. We’ll be sharing it on our Little Hills page too, but we’ll be streaming through the Faith Tree channels 8 a.m. Central on Thursday, this Thursday.
So I hope to see you there. And I’ll see you back here next week as we continue to think about Paul’s struggles and joys with the Corinthians. So have a wonderful and blessed week, and I’ll see you again very soon.
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