From the Pastor’s Study

by Rev. Mr. R. Morales-Kuhn,

Reformed Episcopal Church, USA

The Light of the Gospel

2 Cor. 4: 1-5

2Co 4:1

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:

Did you know that every Christian is in ministry? No, not from a pulpit, or in the church, but on the street, on the job, at the grocery store, anywhere a person goes, you are ministering to the world. During this period of reflection and re-evaluation of self,{during Lent} we need to take a hard look at our own lives in how we reflect God’s love to the lost world. Do we reflect his love, that he shared with us in the life, death, and resurrection of his only Son, Christ Jesus; or are we just going through the motions of being his followers? This is why we should not step away from this ministry, we should “faint not”. This is what we are to do as believers everyday.but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. One of the most powerful ways we minister, is by what we do. People will always watch us to see what we do, to see how we react to something bad, to see if we are honest in our day to day dealings. As St. Paul wrote ” we should not walk in craftiness, [or ] handle the word of God deceitfully. By showing truth, by living truth we can show others our Christian faith. Others will see that we do what we say, they will see that we live what we preach, preach in the sense of our lives as a living gospel, this is important to our daily walk with the Lord.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: 2Co 4:4

So what about those who don’t care or don’t want to know God’s word ? We see that in that case, the “god of this world” has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. Does this mean that we do not present the gospel to those who don’t believe ? No, we continue to live our lives as believers, they have chosen to not believe, being blinded by their unbelief. This is especially true, because as St. Paul continues on this track, we see that it is not us, but Christ Jesus as Lord, we are his servants, we are to do his will according to the gospel. 2Co 4:5

in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. This aspect of our daily ministry is so important, we are not preaching ourselves, we are preaching Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as servants to the world for Jesus sake. So many people ask what they can get for free, or what’s in it for me. We need to be different from the world, showing ourselves to be selfless, to be self-sacrificing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.2Co 4:6

Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Finally it is the word of God that gave us the knowledge of his glory and that glory is in the face of Jesus Christ. We are God’s representatives on earth, manifesting his love by proclaiming the saving power of Christ the Lord to all; by our actions, our conduct at work, play, and day to day living. Let us reflect on this over the coming weeks as we prepare for the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ celebrated on Easter Sunday. AmenAmerican Standard Version. Pradis CD-ROM: 2Co 4:1. Copyright; Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. 2Co 4:3