14 How To Confront With the Meekness of Christ (2 Corinthians 10)

Krisan Marotta: Welcome back to the Wednesday in the Word podcast. I'm Krisan Marotta, and this is my podcast about what the Bible means and how we know. Today is the 14th talk in my series on 2 Corinthians, and today we will be studying 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Imagine your church split between two voices. One is polished and persuasive, the other quiet and unimpressive. Which one do you trust? Well, in 2 Corinthians 10, we learn from Paul how to spot the difference between charisma that flatters and the truth that sets you free. I'm glad you joined us today. Thanks for listening. Well, today we start the very last section of the book of 2 Corinthians. In this section, Paul takes on his critics in Corinth. In these chapters, we find Paul making some of the sharpest criticisms of his enemies anywhere in the New Testament. He also makes the strongest defense of his own apostleship. The tone of these chapters is so confrontational that some scholars have argued that this section doesn't belong in the letter. Now, as review, let's think about that and think about where we are in the letter. Paul spent the first seven chapters defending himself. He insisted he acted with integrity and he pleaded with the Corinthians to view him that way. Then in chapters eight and nine, we had an appeal for money. This is the section where Paul talks about the Jerusalem collection, which we looked at in the last two podcasts. Paul spent two chapters encouraging them to follow through with the money they had promised to give to relieve the poor in Jerusalem. And now he insults the very people he's asking to give money. Now most people don't do that, so scholars argue this section doesn't belong in the letter. They suggest it's probably from one of the lost letters that Paul wrote, most likely the sorrowful one, and somehow it got grafted onto this letter. Well, I'm not convinced by that perspective. I think Second Corinthians is one unified whole, and this rather harsh conclusion to the letter actually does belong. Let me tell you why and give you a quick reminder what has led up to this. Paul began defending himself in chapter one. He insists he conducted himself with godly sincerity, probably because people were accusing him of not doing that. He defends himself against the charge of being unconcerned about the Corinthians or hypocritical toward them because he didn't visit them as he said he would. Paul defends his ministry by saying he is not like others who peddle the word of God. Instead, he speaks from sincerity. He reminds them he really shouldn't have to defend himself. The powerful changes that they see in their own lives should make it clear that he's preaching the true gospel. All they need to do is look at the changes in their own lives and they can see the results of his ministry. He says his ministry is more important than the ministry of Moses because the new covenant is all about the Spirit of God transforming us, which is far better than the old covenant. He admits that as a man he's inadequate to have such a powerful impact, and that God is the one behind him who made him an apostle of Christ and is causing the impact. Paula argues that God sees Paul's faithfulness very clearly, and he wishes that the Corinthians would see him clearly as well. He urges them not to receive the grace of God in vain. He insists his heart is open to them, but that they, the Corinthians, are withholding their affection from him. And he ends with one final emotional appeal, make room for me in your hearts. I've wronged no one, I corrupted no one, I took advantage of no one. Then he speaks to them about the collection of money for Jerusalem, but his concern is really that they follow through with what they had promised to do. And he's concerned that the reasons that they are not following through with this pledge of money is because they are also abandoning the gospel. And now we come to this last section, and it doesn't seem out of place to me. Throughout the letter, Paul has appealed to the Corinthians to listen to him. He has appealed to the Corinthians not to listen to those who would dismiss him and reject him. And now he turns his attention to that group of people, the ones who are actively opposing him, and he addresses them directly in chapters 10 through the end of the letter. There is some evidence that Paul's opponents have come from someplace else. They're not from Corinth, but they have come to Corinth and infiltrated the church. He will call them false apostles, suggesting that they are setting themselves up as true apostles opposing Paul. Now remember, up to this point Paul has been writing to a mixed group of people. Some are on his side, some are not, and some are just confused about the whole thing. But now he faces head on the criticisms that have been coming from his opposition, and I think that's why this section sounds so different from the rest of the letter. He's addressing a different group of people, and the tone gets more blunt as we go along, as he addresses them more directly. Many in Corinth are probably confused by this situation. They listen to Paul and they listen to these other teachers who reject and dismiss Paul, and they don't understand what's going on and why everyone's fighting and how they should sort it out. So in these last chapters, Paul takes the gloves off. Let's look at what he says. We are going to start in chapter 10 with verses 1 and 2. I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away, I beg of you that when I am present, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. As an aside, let me just point out as I have been arguing that Paul refers to himself in the first person plural, and notice in these two verses, we see him use both interchangeably. He starts I Paul and then he ends with suspect us. And I think that's one of the places that makes it clear that he is referring to himself in the first person plural. He says us and we, but he means I Paul. All right, so let's move on and start with this strange way that Paul describes himself in this section. I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away. I agree with many of the commentators who think that Paul is being sarcastic here. This is how his opponents describe him. This is not how he sees himself. His critics say, Paul, you're hypocritical. When you're at a safe distance away from us, you write these really bold letters, but when you're face to face with us, you back down and act very meek. So basically, I think his opponents are accusing Paul of being a kind of paper tiger. When he's writing letters, he talks real big, but when he's there in person, he's very humble and unimpressive. And I understand Paul to be sarcastically echoing their language here, like, yeah, right, I'm the guy who's meek in person but bold in my letters. Now, why would they say that about Paul? How does Paul conduct himself when he's there? We don't have a lot of evidence to go on to sort this out, but we do have some. Paul visited Corinth twice before he wrote this letter. The first time was when he founded the church and he was there for a year and a half, and in first Corinthians, Paul tells us what he was like when he was there that first time. This is first Corinthians chapter two verses one through five. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now Paul describes that first visit as coming to them with weakness, fear, and trembling. Well, that doesn't sound like Paul was cutting a very impressive figure. He himself says it was not his intention to speak with what he calls superiority of speech in other places or the worldly wisdom, because he wants them to understand that his gospel comes from God and not from rhetorical flair. And as we've seen, that's a big issue for his critics. Even by his own testimony, it sounds like he was not the most impressive and imposive figure, and his critics really find that a problem. The second time he visited was the painful visit, and that visit went so badly that Paul left and dealt with the situation by letter. Rather than attacking it head on when he was there, he left and wrote an impassioned letter of appeal, which they responded to. Now looking at that, you could see how his critics might use that against him. They could claim, well, you know, Paul didn't have the guts to stand up and assert his authority when he was here. He had to leave and go home where he was safe and then write a big letter. And Paul sarcastically repeats that criticism and says, Yeah, that's right, that's me. So he starts chapter 10 saying he wants to entreat them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Now, what does he mean by that? What is the meekness and gentleness of Christ? Jesus described himself as meek and lowly in heart, and yet he was the Messiah, the Son of God and the King of Kings. He walked into the temple compound and threw over the tables of the money changers. And if you go through the gospels, in some ways it's hard to understand what he means when he says he's meek and lowly in heart. But if you look closer, if you examine the way Jesus did things and what he advocated, we can see that this is really true. He had great authority and he claimed that authority. He tells us all authority on heaven and earth has been given to him. But he did not use that authority to lord it over people, to throw his weight around or demand people treat him like a king. He used that authority to serve others. So he didn't put his own needs first, he didn't put his own importance above other people. I think Jesus describes this best in Matthew twenty, twenty five through twenty eight. But Jesus called them to him and said, You know the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Now he is referring to himself there as the Son of Man. Even though he had this incredible authority, he didn't come to rule over others and lord it over them, but to give his life for them. And Paul is seeking to follow Christ's example. Christ didn't assert himself or command others to follow him and do his bidding, instead, he sacrificed himself in service to others. And Paul wants to follow that example. He doesn't want to lord it over the Corinthians, even though he's an apostle. In fact, he used that language in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 24. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. So Paul conducted himself as a servant. He didn't order them around, he didn't say, You have to agree with me because I'm an apostle. He didn't expect them to treat him like a king. As an apostle, he makes an urgent appeal to them, but he appeals on the basis of servanthood. I think that's what he means when he says, I entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. He's trying to serve them, but his opponents throw that back on him and say, Oh, he's just a wimp. He's not a strong person. A strong person would exert his authority. So in the very pursuit of being Christ-like, Paul is giving fuel to those who would find fault with him. And so Paul talks about how he intends to act toward these opponents the next time he visits. These opponents regard Paul as though he walked according to the flesh. They evaluate Paul strictly on the basis of his personal external attributes. So they measure how impressive is he as a speaker? Does he have a high social status? Did he go to the right schools, study with the right rabbis? Does he have the right degrees after his name? They focus on the externals, so they look at him in the flesh by worldly external standards, and they say, Don't follow this guy. But they're missing that there's so much more to Paul than just his external attributes. Those critics who evaluate him in fleshly worldly terms have profoundly misunderstood him because, as he has claimed throughout this letter, he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. He has been supernaturally prepared by God to proclaim the truth of the gospel. And Paul says the next time he's there, he's going to be bold and courageous in dealing with his opponents. Let me read you verse two again. I beg of you that when I am present, when I visit you again, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. So there he's speaking to the church at large, and he's saying, When I next visit you, I will be bold to those who are challenging me. I will be bold to those who are judging me by externals, and I don't want to have to be bold toward all of you that way. Some of you, my critics, don't recognize what God is doing through my ministry. They're evaluating me by wrong standards. And when I come, I intend to deal with them boldly, and I don't want the rest of you to be on the receiving end of what I'm going to give them. One way to view this is Paul is a good shepherd. A good shepherd doesn't strut for the sheep. He's quiet and steady and protective. But when a wolf sneaks into the flock, that same shepherd will pick up the staff and become very bold and proactive. His gentleness among his flock mirrors Christ, and his firmness with the wolves protects the flock. Let me give you a paraphrase of these first two verses. It's important that we understand them because they set up what we're going to see in the next four chapters. Now I, Paul, have a powerful warning to give you, but I am seeking to emulate the meekness of Christ in the way he sought to serve others. I am not seeking to lord it over you or promote my own importance over you. I know how some of you think I'm meek and wimpy when I'm there in person, but when I'm safely at a distance, I talk big in a letter. Despite that reputation, when I next visit, I am going to deal with these opponents of mine very boldly. And my warning to you is don't join them. I don't want to deal with you the way I'm going to deal with them. All right, now Paul goes on to talk about the real issue. He says, Let me tell you what's really true about me. Let's look at verses three through six. And again, let me remind you that this is Paul speaking in the plural. He says we, but in this section he means I, Paul. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. So Paul acknowledges that in many ways he's just like anyone else. He walks in the flesh like any other human being. He's a man, he has his strength and his weaknesses, but on his own, he's no big deal. And that should sound familiar because Paul has been saying that throughout the letter. But he is now going to war with his critics, and in this war he is not relying merely on the resources of his flesh, and if they think that they underestimate him. The power of God is at work in Paul's ministry, and most importantly, God gave Paul a supernaturally empowered understanding of the truth of the gospel. He's not superman, he doesn't knock his enemies to the ground through strength, but he has a profound, deep understanding of the truth, and in this war, truth is going to win. Now Paul pursues a metaphor here of a military conquest. He uses language that describes a general and his army laying siege to a fortress. And here's what happens when a general does that. In step one, the general destroys the fortress, breaks in, and destroys its walls so the people are no longer protected. Now, in Paul's case, what fortress is he going to destroy? It is the speculations and every lofty argument raised against the knowledge of God. This word speculations can mean reckonings, thoughts, arguments. It's all the thinking, the rationalizing of his opponents that convinces them that they understand the gospel better than Paul does. In many ways, Paul's opponents seem formidable. They have raised up lofty ideas. They have fine-sounding reasoning for their position, and they're very charismatic and rhetorical. But in the end, all the thinking that opposes the knowledge of God will not stand against the truth. So the fortress Paul is attacking is the reasoning and high-sounding philosophical opinions of those who oppose his gospel. They may sound impressive, but they lack content and they lack a sturdy foundation. In step two, the general takes captives. So after he breaks down the fortress walls, he takes prisoners. And in this case, he is taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. In the end, everyone will submit in obedience to the gospel of Christ. They will agree with Paul and his gospel and not the empty words of his opponents. And then finally, in step three, a general punishes those who do not surrender. And as Paul says, we are ready to punish all disobedience whenever your obedience is complete. Now that sounds a bit confusing at first glance. I think he's saying, when the majority of the church in Corinth has finally committed itself to obedience to the gospel of Christ, then I will meet out punishment to those who continue to oppose the gospel. So he's making the distinction between the majority of the church for which he has hope, and he thinks they will come and join his side, and his opponents that he doubts will ever repent. So if we step out of this military metaphor, what exactly is Paul saying? I think he's saying, well, look, some in Corinth find me unimpressive, they think I'm wrong, but God has supernaturally empowered me with the truth of the gospel. When I return to Corinth, I will confront my opponents directly, and he will oppose their ideas with the truth. And when that happens, everyone has a choice. They can either repent and embrace the gospel, or they can reject the gospel and be dealt with. Now Paul doesn't say what the punishment will be. Most likely they will be removed from the church and treated as unbelievers. But I think he's deliberately using this language of war. He's tried to act with a gentle servant's heart, but now he wants them to understand when he comes again he's going to be on the war path. He's going to confront his opponents, reject their ideas, and deal with them in a decisive way. Now he goes on in seven and eight. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ, so also are we. Plural, he's talking about himself. Okay, Paul wants the Corinthians to see him as he truly is. He doesn't want them to be taken in by the lies of his opponents. And I think he has his opponents in mind here when he says, if anyone is confident in himself that he belongs to Christ. Now, I don't think he's talking about the average church person who considers himself or herself a believer. He's talking about someone who claims to speak for Christ the way Paul speaks for Christ. Paul is saying, some of you may be very confident that you are speaking for Christ as an apostle. Well, if you think that Christ would claim you, let me tell you, he will certainly claim me. So whatever you critics think your relationship is to Christ, make no mistake, I, Paul, have the authority to speak for Christ. And that's going to become clear in the next verse when he immediately talks about his authority. He's not talking here in this section about being a believer in general. He's not saying if you think you're a believer, he's talking about if you think you have the authority to speak for Christ. So if Paul should boast about his authority, he's not going to be put to shame. Now Paul could say a lot more about his authority, and he's going to in later chapters. And he could throw his credentials around, and if he did, it would all be true. He would not be put to shame. He would not later be shown to be exaggerating or lying. Now, as he says, he's not heavy-handed in his authority. He was given his authority to build the Corinthians up, not tear them down, and he tries to be their servant, working to build up their faith, but his authority is nonetheless real. And he's saying, if I were to go on and boast about it, I wouldn't be lying. And now Paul speaks specifically to the charge that he is different in person than he is when he writes letters. This is nine through eleven. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters, for they say his letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech of no account. Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Here he quotes his opponents directly, and I think he's a bit sarcastic again. I don't wish to terrify you by my letters, you know, because they say I'm very bold in my letters, and I have this reputation that I'm a wimp in person, but in my letters I'm real scary. Well, don't let me scare you or anything, but I'm gonna do what I write about. Again, he's sort of mocking this criticism that others are throwing at him. And he's saying, Let me remind you what I say by letter, I'm going to say when I'm present. Now I've always found this particular statement to be very helpful in understanding the Corinthian letters because Paul tells us what his opponents are saying, and he rarely does that. But here he tells us directly, they say that in person he is unimpressive and his speech is contemptible. And that is really helpful in understanding the first chapters of 1 Corinthians, where Paul gives a defense of the way he speaks. Paul's opponents had a very Greek admiration for impressive, powerful debaters like the sophist. They wanted to be able to bring their friends to hear Paul talk and have their friends go, wow, that guy's impressive. I've never seen a speaker so dominate and destroy his opposition. And Paul says in 1 Corinthians and in 2 Corinthians 2 that he relies on the content of his speech, not on his rhetorical manipulation of speech. He insists that his letters and his actions in person are consistent. And reading the Corinthian letters, I think we can see what he means. Both his letters and his actions are motivated by his desire to serve the Corinthians, teach them the gospel, and build them up in faith. Yes, he's an apostle of Christ with all the authority that implies, and with all the wisdom and the profound understanding of the gospel that that implies, but that's never been his concern. He's never sought to throw his weight around or prove how impressive he is in worldly standards. But if you look at his letters and his actions from the perspective that he is an ambassador for Christ, that he is seeking to serve the Corinthians, that he is seeking to develop their faith, then you see that his letters and his actions are totally consistent. And here he's giving them fair warning. If they really want to see an impressive Paul, that's exactly what they're going to see when he visits them again. Let's go on with verses 12 through 18. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you, for we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others, but our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord, for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. This section reveals to us that Paul's opponents are rival teachers. They are commending themselves. They say people should stop listening to Paul and start listening to us. I think that's what he means by commending themselves. They are measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves. And they are making their reputations by showing how superior they are to Paul. They're better speakers, they're more impressive rhetorically, charismatically, and that means they know what they're talking about, and Paul doesn't. Well, my understanding is that the Greek sophists were known for this sort of thing. A sophist would attract followers by making clever, powerful speeches, proving that he was better than other teachers. And sophists generally made their reputations by tearing others down. So whoever was king of the hill, they would knock that person down and thus become king of the hill. And apparently this is what they have been doing to Paul. And Paul is saying, I am not so bold as to do what they're doing. I am not measuring myself by their worldly standards. If I'm going to boast, it will be in the authority that the Lord has given me, but I am not going to commend myself in the way my opponents commend themselves. I think that's what he means when he says he will not boast beyond his measure. God appointed Paul the task of being apostle to the Gentiles. His assignment included going to Gentile towns like Corinth and preaching the gospel to them. And he can legitimately boast, God gave me the assignment of authoritatively bringing the gospel to the Gentiles like you, Corinthians, and I did that. I'm not boasting in another man's labors. I'm not boasting because I knocked someone else off the king of the hill. I'm not taking credit for a church someone else founded. God gave me the task of founding the church in Corinth, and I, Paul, have faithfully done that task. I'm not like my opponents who are coming in after me and trying to take over the church I founded. So his opponents are poachers. They've come to Corinth and claimed Paul's work. They came in, knocked Paul off the hill, and said, You guys need to listen to us. And so they are taking credit as teachers for showing the Corinthians the true light. And I think Paul's purpose in 12 through 18 here is to differentiate his sort of boasting from the kind of boasting that his critics are doing. His opponents use worldly standards to measure themselves by other people. His opponents boast beyond their measure. They exaggerate their importance. They talk as if they were the true apostles and the true founders of the church in Corinth. Well, Paul's not like them. He doesn't compare himself to worldly standards. He doesn't boast in his rhetorical speech and flair. He boasts in faithfully doing what God has called him to do. As long as he keeps boasting to that area, which is the truth, this is his actual calling, he's not commending himself. God appointed him to be the apostle to the Gentiles, and Paul has faithfully been the apostle to the Gentiles, including the church in Corinth. That's why he concludes, letting the one who boasts boasts in the Lord. Let him boast in what the Lord asked him to do. Let him boast in his faithful service to the Lord. And then, for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. So Paul's saying, look, I'm not commending myself in the way that my opponents commend themselves. I have been given my authoritative position by God, and so God is the one commending me. My opponents can't claim that. They can't claim that Jesus appeared to them on the road to Damascus and made them an apostle. They can only commend themselves by their own external skills. All right, let me sum up what we've seen in chapter 10. In chapter 10, Paul goes to war with his opponents. Some of these opponents are outsiders who have come to Corinth to oppose Paul. They have told the Corinthians, we're the true apostles, we have the true gospel, don't listen to Paul. And some of the Corinthians are listening to them. So Paul's critics see Paul as a fraud. They say he can write a strong letter, but in person he lacks the qualities that make someone truly impressive. He's kind of a poor speaker by our Greek standards, and we have much more rhetorical flair. So Paul responds to this situation. He says, Yes, I know that my opponents say I am meek and unimpressive, but I warn you not to join them because the next time I come, the gloves will be off. And my weapons are divinely empowered. God has given me my ministry. God has given me a supernatural understanding of the truth, and I will fight their errors with truth. I will charge people to change their thinking, to be in line with that truth, and I will deal harshly with those who oppose it. So Paul is quite willing to boast in what is truly significant, his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ. But he won't boast as his opponents do, he will not boast on how fluent he is in rhetorical flair and sophistry, who's the better speaker, who has a larger following, and he will not step in and take credit for another person's work. Instead, he will boast appropriately. Has he done what God has called him to do? He has. God has given him the assignment of being an apostle to the Corinthians, and Paul will boast in what God is doing in Corinth through Paul, and his boast will be true. Alright, what do we take away from this? What strikes me here is Paul's style of leadership. He is committed to being a humble servant and a teacher of the truth, and he seeks to emulate the servanthood of Christ, what he calls the meekness and gentleness of Christ. But he's so committed to being a humble servant that his opponents mistake him for being unimpressive. They charge him with being nobody of particular significance because he doesn't act big. He doesn't puff himself up or try to make himself look good through manipulative rhetoric. Instead, he's patiently waiting for the Corinthians to grow up and realize the content of his message is true. Now I think he can do this because he's very strong in the Lord. He doesn't care about his reputation among men. He only cares about the progress of the gospel that he preaches. And he cares way more about what God thinks about him and how he's doing his ministry than what his peers think. That does include defending his reputation as an apostle. He wants them to realize that God gave him his message and they need to pay attention to it. And he thinks the best way to teach the gospel is patiently and humbly and clearly and straightforwardly teaching the truth. If Paul tried to impress people by the worldly standards his critics are using, the rhetoric and so on, he would be portraying the gospel so he doesn't do it. He's patient and humble. But now we see Paul's patience has limits. He's willing to go to battle when the enemies of the gospel try to mislead the Corinthians. And I find that really impressive. He has the strength and humility to patiently teach the truth without concern for his reputation, and he also has the strength to stand up and fight for truth when it needs to be done. And it just strikes me as I think about our modern world that we need more Christian teachers like that. Many Christian teachers today have built empires based on their charismatic speaking skills and attractive charismatic personalities. I had one pastor tell me once that all pastors today secretly want to be rock stars, and if a pastor denied he wanted to be a rock star, he was lying. Well, I think this passage serves as a warning to pastors and leaders who want to be rock stars. Think again. Think about who your real boss is and make sure you're pleasing him. Now, on the congregational side, I think this passage reminds us as the flock to think about how are we measuring and evaluating our leaders? How are we choosing the people we listen to? And I think we share a lot of blame for pushing our pastors to be rock stars. We push them down that road with our expectations. And instead, I think we need to take a lesson from Paul and evaluate the people we listen to using the standards Paul argues for. Faithfulness to the truth should be more important to us than an entertaining, charismatic, persuasive multimedia show that can attract a huge following. True, God has gifted some people with both persuasive rhetoric and a solid understanding of the truth. I'm not denying that. There are people out there with both. But we sitting in the pews on Sunday morning should want to hear the truth more than we want to be entertained and have our ears tickled. And we should applaud and cheer on the pastors who teach us the truth regardless of their presentation. When there's a choice to be made, choose the truth. One more thing I think we can learn from Paul's example is I think we need leaders and teachers who are strong enough not to care about their own reputation in pursuit of proclaiming the truth, and yet strong enough to deal with the lies and deceptions when they arise. I'm just struck by the example Paul gives his here. His opponents think he's too weak to be any good, he doesn't assert himself enough, he's not speaking with the sort of power that would commend him as a great speaker, and Paul has to say to them, Don't mistake my pursuit of meekness and service with a lack of will to deal with error. And when he sees error, he deals with it as evidenced by him opposing Peter to his face. Now we teachers and leaders, I think, need to be willing to sacrifice our own reputations in pursuit of the truth and being strong enough to deal with falsehood when it arises. And it's a hard line to walk. It's hard to stand up and make a fuss when you see the truth on the line. I debated whether or not to tell the story. I rarely tell stories from personal experience, but I did learn this lesson firsthand once when I was serving on the women's ministry team of our church. An older woman moved to town, joined our church, and joined the women's ministry team. And she had all the credentials. She'd been running women's ministries while I was still in grade school. And she came in like a tornado and started making all kinds of changes to our teams and our programs and the way we did things. And she kept telling us, but I've been doing this for decades, and these methods are proven they work. And for the most part, we let her have her way. She was very charismatic and talked an impressive game, and a lot of her changes were great. I didn't say anything because from my perspective, most of her changes are what I would consider window dressing. They were externals, but they did bring in more numbers. But then she crossed a line, and I won't go into the details, but I felt the issue went right to the heart of the gospel. I knew others on our team were uncomfortable and had misgivings. And because I was the only other Bible teacher on the team, everybody looked for me to stand up and say something. And I was young and inexperienced, and it was terrifying. But by the grace of God, I somehow found the courage to oppose this woman at our next meeting, and she was shocked. She kept saying, But you've always been so compliant. And some people came after me for creating a scene, told me I was being disrespectful, disagreeable, and making too much out of nothing. And it was pretty hard. But I am happy to say, in the end, we resolved the situation with the help of two of our elders who incidentally agreed with me that a line had been crossed. And to her credit, once we finally talked it through without emotion, she also saw the error of her plan and saw why it crossed the line, and she apologized and changed her ways. We did something else. Now it was a very small scuffle on a very small battleground, but it taught me a very valuable lesson that I'm grateful to have learned. And I know there are other leaders on bigger stages out there who have to take much tougher stands and face much harder consequences than I had to face. But this is the calling God may ask us. He asks us to stand up for the truth when necessary, and we would do well to follow Paul's example in following Christ. Use our authority for service, but stand firmly for truth when necessary. Thank you for listening to Wednesday in the Word, a podcast that explains not only what a passage means, but also shows you how to figure it out. The blog version of this podcast is on wednesdayintheword.com slash 2 Corinthians 1.4. You can find all previous episodes in this series on my website, wednesdayintheword.com. There's no charge, no spam, and no ads. Just a lot of resources to help you understand scripture better. If you've been blessed by this podcast, please follow it, rate it, and give it a positive review on your favorite podcast platform. But most importantly, tell a friend what you learned and where you learned it. Our theme music is graciously provided by Reggie Coates. You can find Reggie's music on heartfeltmusic.org. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Krisan Marotta, and I'll see you next week at Wednesday in the Word.