Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Measuring Unit for Glory; 2 Corinthians 2-4

May the mumbling commence!
How does one measure glory?  In the Christian lifestyle, glory is measured in relationships.  Read from Second Corinthians chapter three:
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?  You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 
Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?  If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.  And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! (Verses 1-11)

Need a letter or recommendation?  Look to the people who you worship with.  If we can sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron, then we can read our letters of recommendation in our fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  Our letters of recommendation come especially from those who have come to Christ through our ministry.

And what are the building blocks of ministry in the name of Christ Jesus?  Relationships are the building blocks of ministry.  No ministry can happen in a relationship vacuum.

How are these letters written?  They are written through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  On what are these letters written?  They are written not with word processing programs.  They are written on human hearts.  These letters of recommendation will not come from the efforts of Facebook postings or Twittering.  These letters of recommendation come from personal contact.

By reaching out and developing personal relationships, we show the light of Christ to the world.  And Christ’s light outshines all the other lights of the world.  It is the glory that Moses once had to hide from the Israelite people.  That glory is now on display through all who minister in the name of Christ.

And let us make certain that we minister in the Spirit of Christ Jesus – the Spirit of love and compassion and forgiveness.  Anything less would dim the light of Christ in our lives.

Yes, this kind of glory is the greatest of all!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

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