MINISTERING WITH TRUTH AND AUTHORITY, From 2 Corinthians 10

Corinthans 10:

7 You are judging by appearances.[a] If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

MINISTERING WITH TRUTH AND AUTHORITY, From 2 Corinthians 10




GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART

LORD OF THE HARVEST, by Your grace Your servants are to be humble and gentle as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who said:



Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29



Even, so Your servants must not strive, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Your servants are sometimes wrongfully accused by the church that they are living by the world's standards.

It is tempting to use harshness in defence.



WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.

On the contrary, these weapons have DIVINE POWER to demolish strongholds.

You have enabled Your servants to demolish arguments

and every pretension that sets itself up against Your word of knowledge.

You want for us to take captive every thiought and to make it obedient to Christ.



SEVER FALSE TEACHERS/TEACHINGS

Father God, Peter the apostle warns:

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. -2 Peter 2:1

Therefore, the Apostle Paul exhorted by Your Spirit that the faithful are to be obedient,

and that there will be a readiness to punish every act of disobedience by the incorrigible.



THE AUTHORITY OF GOD'S MINISTERS

Our Father, the Berean Jews were of noble character for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Thus we ought not to be confident to judge a person if they belong to Christ by their appearance.

May people and our lost loved ones, and the church not look at the ministers You appoint as unimpressive and their speaking as amounting to nothing,

May people not be frightened by those that write/speak Your Word in truth.

May You reveal to those that think the words that seem weighty and forceful come from You and not man.

The Lord Jesus taught with real authority--quite unlike the teachers of religious law.

You have given us Your children the authority for evil spirits to submit to us, but we rejoice that our names are written in heaven.

You also have appointed ministers with authority for building up, rather than tearing down, and there is no shame that comes with it.

We depend on Your Spirit of grace to not be only speakers/hearers of the word, but doers also.

We proclaim Your saving Gospel to the people and to our lost loved ones and pray

they will know You,

and glorify You as God

and give You thanks.

Deliver them from wrong thinking and bring light to their hearts.



PRIDE

Father, deliver our ministers from foolish pride, that they not get puffed up in importance, comparing themselves with other ministers,

using themselves as the standard of measurement.

Also, that they take not credit for the work others have done.

This is ignorance.



But,

“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 You the Lord commends.



Thus, may Your servants instead boast of You, of what You've done in their lives and in their ministry.

You use Your servants as Your chosen instruments in service that You have personally assigned to build up Your church and win the lost.



OUR HOPE

Father, our hope is that our faith continues to grow, and our sphere of activity in the church will greatly expand.

We pray the preaching of the gospel will reach beyond the regions already reached. Also, reach our lost loved ones, LORD!


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