Some time ago, I read a book detailing the difficulties in ministry. It highlighted the many challenges people are faced with in sharing their faith, as well as the pitfalls that ordained ministers face in dealing with members of their congregation. These challenges of-course are nothing new… people have always had difficulty sharing their faith with others – whether it is fear of being ridiculed, or just general shyness, or even concern about not being educated well enough to present a good discussion.
These are the concerns that people share with me repeatedly. They genuinely want to be good witnesses for Christ, but they are hindered by their perceived shortcomings – and notice that I said perceived shortcomings. Because the truth, my dear friend, is that the Bible depicts a much better scenario. Like much everything else in the Gospel, man has complicated what God has made simple. We try to inject our own reasoning and self-effort into something which Jesus effortlessly supplies to us. Today in this study, we will be examining how to have an effortlessly ministry supplied by Jesus.
As we begin today, we must first lay the foundation from scripture that we actually need Jesus for everything. It is somewhat sad that this step needs to be done, but again human pride shows itself, because we do not actually believe the words of Jesus when He said in John 15:5 that without Him, we can do nothing. You see, even though we know this verse, we actually believe deep down in our soul that we can still do some things without Him, and we live our lives that way as well. We end up living the majority of our life on autopilot, handling things many times without giving them a second-thought and only really turn to God when we get stuck, or as a last resort, and this is true in ministry as well. You see, many times, we don’t rely on God to make decisions or lead us, but instead we just “think religiously”, and then we also have confidence in ourselves to accomplish the task we set out to do with our religious thinking, but in reality God was never involved in the decision and so is also not empowering or supplying for the endeavor… and then we find ourselves frustrated, confused and stuck – and that is when most people start to even entertain seeking help from God.
Turn with me to 2nd Corinthians 3:5-6:
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also has made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.”
The importance of verse 5 simply cannot be overstated. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. If I had learned this when I was first starting out, it would’ve saved me a lot of time and frustration. We are not sufficient in ourselves… it is not our job to go out into the world and convince anyone of the truth… that’s the job of the Holy Spirit, and He does it quite well. Notice that we are not sufficient of ourselves, to think of anything as of ourselves… that brilliant point of logic you made about Jesus… that didn’t come from you. That charisma you have that draws people to you, that’s not of yourself. Where does it come from? Our sufficiency is of God. Make no mistake, He is the one that enables us for ministry, in every sense of the word – as we will soon see. Look at verse 6:
Who also has made us able ministers… Remember that this is a continuation of verse 5, our sufficiency is of God, who has also made us able ministers. Being a minister is not really something that you do, or even something that you learn… it is what you are made to be, and this making does not come from schools, seminaries, study time or life experience, but it comes from God and Him alone.
This is an important detail because there are many ministers today who have gone to school, and studied, but again, they are doing these things because they are merely thinking religiously and they have determined that this is “the right thing to do.” but it is devoid of the Spirit – and so they find that every obstacle is frustrating and every challenge is draining on them and they become burnt-up, as mentioned in 1st Corinthians 3:13-15. Only what is built on Christ will stand, and not man’s efforts. This is true for the actual message being preached as well. There are many likable people, who seem to be very knowledgeable, have a good personality, but they aren’t actually preaching the Gospel. We studied several weeks ago, that God promises to remove such leaders and replace them – again only what is built on Christ will stand. This is why the second-half of verse 6 exists: He has made us able ministers of the new covenant, that is, the New Covenant of Grace; and not of the letter, that is the letter of the Law; but of the Spirit. Whether you are listening to a message, or you are the one giving it, it is always important to keep these words in mind. We are under a charge today, God has enabled us through His Spirit to be ministers of the New Covenant of Grace and not the Old Covenant of the Law. He wants to show forth His Grace, and you know what? That’s totally His right and His prerogative. Even so, people still ask the question of “why not the Law?” because again, we always want to mix in some Law with Grace and pollute it. We always want to intermingle some works with Grace and corrupt it. But God in both His wisdom and mercy actually tells us the reason why, and it’s actually for our benefit! For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
So how exactly does the Law kill? Whenever the Law is introduced and enforced, it does two things: It gets you focused on yourself and your obedience, and it puts all of the burden on you to perform. In other words, the Law makes you sin-conscious (Romans 3:20), and lines you up for God’s wrath. (Romans 4:15) Does anyone here want the wrath of God on their life? There’s one surefire way to get it… reject Jesus Christ, try to do things on your own and in your own strength. God doesn’t want that either, and that’s why He tells us so plainly in these verses, that the ministry which we are to embrace and share today, is not the ministry of the letter of the law, it is not the Old Covenant, but it is the ministry of Grace and it is by the Spirit. God has moved mountains, from Sinai, where the law was given, to Zion (the city of the Living God where Grace is. (Hebrews 12:18-22) It would greatly benefit us to move mountains along with God, and follow where He has led.
So now that we have established what our ministry is, and that it is God which enables us for it by His Spirit of life, let’s now examine how this actually happens. This is another area where most believers typically become confused, because frankly, they’ve never been taught about this. To be clear, what we will be taking a look at today is not a list of things that you must do to become a better believer or to share your faith more effectively… to look at these things in that way would be to totally miss the point and fall back into works. Instead, as we examine these things, keep in-mind what we have read from 2nd Corinthians 3, that we are not sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. It is the inner-working power of the Holy Spirit which accomplishes these things in us.
Now one of the main aspects of the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, which is very rarely talked about in churches today is just one chapter back, in 2nd Corinthians 2:14-16:
“Now thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the aroma of his knowledge by us in every place.
For we are to God a sweet smell of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
To the one we are the smell of death to death; and to the other the smell of life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
Verse 14 starts off with something amazing: Now thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ… Now that word “triumph” used there is from a root-word which means to sing in victory over your enemies. For example, it carries a picture of rejoicing over the defeat of your adversary. It is only used twice in the Bible – the other place being Colossians 2:15, where it also speaks of how Christ has publicly defeated and triumphed over all evil forces and powers. I want you to pause for a moment and just meditate on this truth. Look at what the verse is saying, take it in and read it for what it is saying… God always causes us to triumph in Christ. That word “always” means exactly what it sounds like: at all times.
Now it may not always seem as though we are triumphing… sometimes it may even seem like the enemy is triumphing over us. It may seem like things are going poorly – but even in those times and in those circumstances, this word is still true. This is a promise directly from God to you, sealed by the body and blood of Jesus Christ and by the promise of His Spirit. And think about it… Since we know from our verse in Colossians 2:15 that Jesus made a public spectacle of His utter triumph over all evil forces, and we are called to be His Ambassadors on the earth, the same must also be true for us as well. Receive this truth, because it is for you.
Notice also that it tells you where this triumphing occurs… it is in Christ. Abiding in Him. Remember that abiding means to live in as a house. The storms may be raging outside, but as long as you are in the house, you are safe and secure from the storms. Likewise, the storms of life may be raging at times, but when you are safe inside the finished work of Jesus Christ, the storms of life will not be able to touch you. Do you need a further example of this? In John 6:56, Jesus says that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood abides in Him and He in them. Now this of course is the context of communion… but remember what communion represents… it represents the broken body of Christ for your body, and the shed blood of Christ for the remission of your sins and sealing you into the New Covenant of Grace by His Spirit. Remain in these truths and you are abiding in Christ. So whenever something comes along that seems to suggest that you are somehow vulnerable, weak, or in need – remember who you are in Christ. Your protection, strength and provision has been bought by the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies these things over you. (Romans 8:15-18)
As we continue on this just gets more awesome! Look at the rest of verse 14: and also makes manifest the aroma of His knowledge by us in every place. Child of God, I want you to see the amazing truth that is being said here. In Christ, you carry with you a perpetual spiritual aroma, a fragrance of the knowledge of God. Now this “knowledge of God” is not speaking of knowing things about God… no, anyone can have that – anyone can learn facts and trivia about God with enough time and study. This, instead is something deeper, more personal, more intimate, and much more wonderful. This is actually knowledge of God; this is knowing Jesus – personally! When you know Jesus personally, this scripture says that there is a wonderful spiritual fragrance that is present with you… not a physical scent like a perfume or cologne, but a spiritual essence that is on you. The Holy Spirit anoints you with it, and causes it to travel with you in every place. That means wherever you go, whether it is the deepest, darkest slums, or the highest palaces, the aroma of Christ is on you.
Verse 15 continues to tell us another amazing detail about this fragrance: it says We are to God a sweet smell of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. Now it is extremely interesting to me, that this fragrance of Christ upon us is first enjoyed by God. Natural reasoning would assume that this fragrance would be for the unsaved, that they would come to Christ. However we see here that the unsaved are actually last on the list! God gets the first pleasure of the aroma of Christ which we carry. It is a sweet aroma to Him because it reminds Him of His Son, Jesus. You see, as you are abiding in Christ – the Holy Spirit endows you with the spiritual fragrance of Christ, and you become a continual incense offering to the LORD.
It is then mentioned that the fragrance on you is also to them that are saved. You have probably experienced this at some point without even realizing what it was. Have you ever been in the presence of another believer that seemed to lift up everyone in the room, including yourself? Their presence just gave off such an uplifting and spiritually edifying spirit that encouraged you towards the LORD, because you wanted to have what they had spiritually? That’s how the fragrance of Christ affects others believers, and it is on you as well.
Then, completing our list, we see at the end of verse 15, and then further explanation contained in verse 16: and in them that perish. The fragrance of Christ on you, also is noticed by unbelievers. Now there are two types of unbelievers: Those who are totally closed currently and want nothing to do with Christ, and those who are genuinely looking for salvation, and this is the reason for the detail in verse 16: To the one we are the smell of death to death; and to the other the smell of life to life.
People who are totally closed to Christ and want nothing to do with God will find you repulsive.. they just will. It will be to them spiritually like a bad stench. They won’t be able to get away from you fast enough. They are perishing, and the aroma of Christ on you will be a further reminder on the inside of them that they are continuing to perish all the way to eternity. That is the meaning of “death to death”.
The other side of this is there are some who are genuinely seeking salvation… they may not even know that it is God or Jesus that they are looking for, but when they come into contact with that sweet aroma of Christ, they will be drawn to it all the more, and you will find doors opening that you had not even dreamed of. They are seeking life, and the sweet aroma of Christ will encourage that life all the way to eternal life… just as it also strengthens and encourages the life of fellow believers.
Verse 16 then ends with a reminder for us: And who is sufficient for these things?
The answer is not us. When amazing ministry doors open, you cannot pat yourself on the back and say it was because of your charm, personality, good looks, or your intellect in your studies. As we read in the beginning of our study today, in 2nd Corinthians 3:5, we are not sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
Remember that what we have seen today in scripture is not things that we must do to be good witnesses, but the scriptures are telling us where our sufficiency comes from, and that this is the work of the Holy Spirit in us; bought by the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
So I encourage you today in Christ, you have total sufficiency in Him. The more that we try to force things to happen, the more we actually impede the flow of the Spirit. You do not have to work hard to demonstrate Christ, simply abide in Him and let the fragrance of Christ work by the Spirit. All sufficiency is His.