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2
Cor. 9:1-5 Whose
covetousness would it be?
It was
the Corinthians who would be guilty of coveting… coveting
something they already had. Something
they possessed that they were slow to give away, and only did so
when for shame they could not keep it any longer.
That is the property of a covetous heart.
It is with this concept, then, that we translate from the
temporal to the intangible. 2
Cor. 2:14-16 – What
fragrance are you? Are
you fragrant? Are you
odorous? I fear that
in some aspects both individually and collectively we have become
muted to the outside world. There
is no odor about us at all. 2
Cor. 2:17 –
“peddling the word of God?
We are to strive to be different from the other religions,
denominations and corruptions around us.
If we take away the option of visiting with us, how do we
stand out from them? (Fall Focus Card) Does
a postcard alone convey the delineation? 2
Cor. 4:13 – We
MUST speak because we believe. We cannot
do the work of the church without evangelism as a part of it.
Do I stand before you in purity and a clean conscience
about this matter… I
do not, and God help me. I
stand together with you in this same fault, if it be yours.
But if we (collectively) are not fragrant, if we do not
speak; then we must heed the warning of the letter to the
Laodiceans that because we are neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm,
God will spew us out of His mouth. Zeal is
not the issue (2
Cor. 9:2).
The zeal for us is there as it was for the Corinthians, and
yet the task was still unperformed.
Why? From what
I can read in the text the promise was made, it was known among
the brethren, and they were zealous for it. It just had not been done.
It seems it was a simple case of procrastination.
Let it not be said that the Franklin church of Christ
coveted the word of God in this way.
That the duty was known and we were zealous for it, but it
was not done. The real
world strays from the example a little with respect to the
willingness of the receiving party.
Often times we are met with rejection.
Ask yourself, “How frequently have I taken the Gospel to
someone?” Has it been within the last week? Two weeks? The
last month? Over a
month? “Who have I
taken the Gospel to?” Who,
more frequently than others?
As Christians we are to be blind to social standing,
nationality, race, etc., but
for the sake of discussion I must make a distinction. I would venture to say that most of us are Middle to Upper
Class citizens. Perhaps
it is a lack of effort. Perhaps
we have not been successful because we have not realized the need
for a change of focus. Luke
14: 16-24 –
Parable of the Dinner Acts
13:46 –
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first;
since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal
life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.” Look around you brethren… If we were a business, what would our equal opportunity scorecard look like? Possessions and a lack of want are powerfully prohibitive against acceptance of the Gospel, and Satan uses them to his advantage. If our peers judge themselves unworthy of eternal life, then we must not discontinue speaking, but take the word outside our immediate sphere of influence. This would mean change within our own congregation – comfort levels tested; language barriers to overcome. You are not human if you are not apprehensive about change. Do you want growth? Real growth? Then we must take the word to those who are willing to receive it. Muster the courage, learn the language, do what it takes, but do not covet the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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