If you have been around MIE for any length of time, you’ll have heard me talk about the ‘line’ we draw when it comes to evangelism. We do it instinctively, and simply assume its legitimacy. In any given situation or relationship, we are adept at recognising what we can say... and what we can’t. My own experience is that we often get it wrong. We can usually say far more than we think we can without people getting particularly angry, or even annoyed. But that aside, our working model of evangelism is that we first ascertain what we think we can get away with saying (if anything) without upsetting people, and then we go to that line, but not over it.
We do this in our own personal life and circumstances, but we also do it in the mission of the Church. Even in projects run by the Church, we find the ‘line’, worried that if we say too much about Jesus, people will stop coming. Churches regularly run projects where Jesus is never mentioned...
Paul’s thinking is radically different. He is committed to preaching the Gospel of Christ, irrespective of their response. Speaking of Jesus is not an option, as if we could demonstrate the love of Christ without declaring it. When he is warned by the Spirit that ‘prison and hardship’ await him, he doesn’t interpret that as a reason to not speak of Christ, but as an opportunity to prepare for what will follow when he does (Acts 20:22-24). This is authentic Christian mission. The Bible’s model is not for us to seek to speak of Jesus only when we think we can do it without provoking opposition or suffering discomfort. It is to ‘set forth the truth plainly’ (II Cor.4:2), to deal with whatever comes as a result, to ‘not lose heart (II Cor.4:1), and to trust that even in our weakness and suffering, God is at work bringing others to share in an ‘eternal glory’ (II Cor.4:17) from which they would otherwise be shut out.
Questions:
What is ‘this ministry’ that Paul and others have (4:1)? How does it contrast with the ‘ministry’ of the super-apostles that Paul has been critiquing in Chapter 3? How should that ministry find expression in the life of Church like MIE?
Who is the ‘god of this age’ (4:4)? How does he blind the minds of unbelievers? How does Paul say we can give sight to such blinded minds? in the light of what Paul teaches, how should we envisage the outreach of the Church?
What is Paul teaching when he speaks of Christ as the ‘image of God’ (4:4)? What is the connection with Gen.1:3 (which Paul cites in II Cor.4:6? How does the act of creation help us to understand what happens when someone becomes a Christian? What do this two things have in common?
In 4:7, Paul likens the Gospel to ‘treasure’ and us to ‘jars of clay’? How do these analogies demonstrate that ‘this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us? How have you experienced that all-surpassing power in your own experience of telling others about Jesus?
Why does Paul seem to revel in listing his experience of suffering (vv.8-12)? Can you explain the link he is making between his experience of suffering and his effectiveness as an evangelist (so v.15)? Can we see spiritual fruit without experiencing suffering?
What does Paul mean when he says ‘death is at work in us’? How does that result in ‘life’ being at work in others? Where have you experienced this in your own involvement in Church and mission?
Why do you think so many Christians are so timid in speaking about Jesus? If someone says they are a Christian, but never speaks to others about Christ, would you say they ‘have that same Spirit of faith’ that compels Paul to speak (v.13)?
What is your experience of being inwardly ... renewed day by day’ (4:16)? How do you cultivate that spiritual dynamic?
How compelling is your vision of the New Creation? Does it shape your willingness and ability to suffer for the Gospel, and in sharing the Gospel here and now (so 4:17-18)? Can you share how with the group?
