Gospel Ambition

I. Introduction
A. Next week: Luke
B. Today, on behalf of the elders, I’m going to ask for your help with something weighty on our hearts. That’s a little heads-up as to where this sermon is going.
C. 2Corinthians 10:15b–18 But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
II. Explanation
A. During his third missionary journey, Paul has turned his attention away from other ministry and – through visits and writings – is focusing on issues which have arisen in the church he planted in Corinth, Greece.
B. In these verses, Paul is criticizing his detractors, even though that isn’t plain on the surface. But it’s clear in v.17-18, where refers to his detractors’ boasting in themselves, when he says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”
1. You see, Paul’s opponents, who had infiltrated the Corinthian church, were commending themselves over against Paul, boasting in their standing in that church, even though Paul had planted the church, & even though they themselves had brought no blessing/health to the church.
2. We talked about this last week. But today I would like to focus on what Paul says in v.15b-16.
C. 2Corinthians 10:15 “But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged.” This is a difficult sentence to translate from the Greek.
1. “Among you” doesn’t make much sense. But the preposition here (EN) can also mean “by means of” or even “because of,” which makes more sense in light of what follows in v.16 “so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you.”
2. So, that would have it read, “our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence because of you may be greatly enlarged.”
3. Somehow as the increase in the faith of the Corinthians would contribute to the mission of Paul being enlarged.
a. That leaves us with this question: Was the Corinthians’ lack of faith somehow holding back or interfering with Paul’s mission of the gospel to new areas?
D. What did Paul have in mind here when he connects the progress of the Corinthians’ faith with his own advancing of the gospel?
1. I think there’s an answer to this question here.
a. When Paul got involved in addressing the problems which had arisen in the Corinthian church, what had he been doing?
b. The fact is, dealing with this Corinthian problem had distracted him from his mission work.
2. You see, this in the way Paul got to Macedonia. He had been in Troas, in Easter Turkey. “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.” – 2Corinthians 2:12–13
3. But we also see this in Romans 15, which Paul wrote a little while after writing 2Corinthians. You see, in 2Corinthians, Paul kept telling the Corinthians he was soon to visit them. Well, he did visit, and while he was there, he wrote the letter to the Romans.
a. And in Romans 15:24–28, he says to the Roman Christians, “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem...28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.”
(1) Paul was soon to visit Corinth.
(2) Then he was planning to go to Jerusalem to deliver the money he had been collecting.
(3) Then he planned to stop by Rome, on his way to preach the gospel in Spain.
(4) (Of course, he got arrested in Jerusalem and after two years was transferred to Rome.)
4. So, Paul had an open door to preach the gospel in Troas, but he walked away from it in order to deal with the problems at Corinth.
5. And he has plans to go to Spain, which also are on hold as he tries to wrap things up in Corinth.
6. And here in v.15b-16, he is hoping that the necessary spiritual progress might be made in the congregation of Corinth so that he might be freed up to “preach the gospel in lands beyond” Corinth, namely in Spain.
E. You see, Paul aspired to expand his ministry to new territories. This was the passion God had put on his heart.
1. But he had now become preoccupied having to deal with the Corinthians, and so was unable to proceed to preaching Christ in new areas.
2. But in our passage he expresses hope that their faith will increase and they will get right by the time he visits them – so that he will be free to return to his ever-expanding ministry.
3. But Paul does not guilt-trip them. He is so polite and winsome and patient with them. He doesn’t want them to feel like he is reluctant to stop everything and help them with their problems.
III. But let’s ask one more question: in v.16b we see that Paul determined to minister beyond the realm of anyone else’s sphere of ministry, when he says, “so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you,” and not “in another’s area of influence.” Why was this? Why did Paul have such an ambition to extend his ministry to new peoples?
A. He repeats this ambition in Romans 15:20, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.”
1. Was this a special calling on Paul? I’m not so sure.
2. Not wanting to build on someone else’s foundation was definitely not a matter of pride.
a. Acts 19:1 tells us that Apollos came to minister in Corinth after Paul left. That was fine with Paul:
b. 1Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
3. It’s not that he was unwilling to do anything else. It’s not that he didn’t see the importance of anything else. He willingly came to deal with the Corinthians. And think about all the time and effort he put into gathering the offering for the poor in the Jerusalem church!
4. I’m not so sure that this ambition to minister to folks outside the bounds of those who had already been reached by the gospel was something peculiar to Paul’s calling.
5. I think that Paul just got something we don’t get. I think Paul lived with an understanding of the priority of the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20).
6. I think Paul just got that the Christian faith is supposed to move, to travel, not to stay put.
B. I think it’s because Paul knew that just as Jesus came from heaven to earth, the gospel of Christ compels people to carry the light of Christ into the darkness.
1. Jesus didn’t stay where He had been, He came, He moved, He walked, He traveled. He got His feet dirty on the dusty roads of this earth.
a. The gift was given in Israel but it was not to remain in Israel.
b. The gift was given to the disciples but it was not to remain merely within that circle.
c. The gift was given to the church, but it was not to remain merely within the church.
d. It is to be carried out into the world and lived out and proclaimed to all who will hear it.
2. Jesus came into this world. He walked among sinners. He rubbed shoulders with dirty, evil people. He reached out to them; He developed relationships with them; He went to their homes, the righteous with the unrighteous.
3. Jesus didn’t come just to instruct the faithful. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives & recovery of sight to the blind (Luke 4:18-19).
4. And this aspect of Christ’s calling continues today through us, His people, His church. He began it by His life here on earth in human flesh, and continues it then by pouring out His Spirit upon His people to move them to carry on His mission.
5. He’s called us not to be of the world, but certainly to be in the world!
6. God so loved the world that He sent His Son. And He wants us to so love the world that we share His Son with those who don’t know Him.
C. I think it was because Paul knew that our job is not to be self-protectors, but to be overcomers (Rev.2:7,11,17,26-28; 3:5,12,21).
1. Christ overcame sin by His grace, and now He calls us to be overcomers by His power .
2. God has not called us to merely be survivors, but to be overcomers - the gospel overcomes the powers of darkness in this age.
3. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21
4. This is what the gospel is all about. The gospel overcomes the evil of sin with the grace of Christ.
5. It’s not merely that Jesus did something; Jesus started something.
a. His coming was the inauguration of a new era. This is the day of salvation.
b. This is the era when Satan has been bound so that he can no longer prevent the gospel from liberating the nations from their deception (Revelation 20:1-6).
6. Of course, Satan opposes the progress of the gospel at every turn. He doesn’t give up territory without a fight. But the One who is in us is far greater. This give us reason for boldness.
a. Pessimism is a sin — it’s a failure of confidence in the power of God, assuming God won’t work.
b. "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2Tim.1:7
c. Some will oppose us and ridicule us, but we keep loving them and praying for them.
7. When I see non-believers, it is a sin to assume they won’t be saved. And of course it’s a sin to not really care. It is a failure of love to not long for it and pray for it to happen, and it’s a failure of faith if we think God wouldn’t really do something like that. After all, God saved us, didn’t He!
8. We should live by faith in the expectation that God will change the world through us His people.
D. I think it’s because he understood that we are called to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).
1. Jesus catches people as fish and then turns them into fishermen.
2. This is not a calling only for some. There is no special continuing office of catching fish. There is no gift of missionary in the list of spiritual gifts. Evangelism is the job of the whole church, just like love, encouragement, confrontation. They must be done by all of us.
3. Being a fisher of men takes zeal and commitment. It takes time and persistence.
4. And joy is also needed. The concept of others coming to Christ ought to bring us such joy that we are eager to be involved in the attempt. How can we be an active/effective evangelist without joy?
5. It takes effort and it takes being there with non-believers. You have to be there to have an opportunity.
6. And it takes a love that cares more about the person’s eternal destiny than their acceptance of me.
a. Paul was compelled by the love of Christ (2Cor.5:13-16).
b. Christ’s love in Paul moved him to eagerly look for opportunities to win people to Christ.
c. (If you have love, you look for opportunities; if you don't have love, you look for excuses.)
IV. Conclusion
A. The task of the church is the gathering and perfecting of the elect (WCF 25:3, BCO 1:2).
1. And working to perfect the church is important. But it’s not the only thing which is important.
2. And part of perfecting the church is teaching them to gather the elect who are outside the church.
B. Of course, when the house is on fire, that must take precedence over reaching out to the neighbors.
1. You can see this in how Paul reacts to the problem in Corinth. He really makes a big deal about it.
2. Why? Why is it such a big deal if these Corinthians want a different leader than Paul? He’s not even serving in Corinth anymore.
a. Why does Paul have to be their leader? Why can’t he just let them choose their own leaders?
b. Well, Paul was happy for others to provide leadership in the Corinthian church. Apollos came to Corinth after Paul – and Paul was very happy with that, for Apollos preached the same Christ Paul had preached (1Cor.3:6).
c. And when there were groups in Corinth pledging allegiance to one leader or another: “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ,” he didn’t insist on his own superiority over the others but diminished himself when he said, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” – 1Corinthians 1:11–13
d. But now it was different. These men may have been using the same words, but they weren’t preaching the same gospel or the same Christ. Paul makes that clear in 2Cor.11:2-6.
3. The reason Paul made such a big deal about being their apostle was because the Corinthian rejection of Paul as apostle involved the rejection of the Christ Paul represented and the gospel he preached.
4. This isn’t about a mere difference of opinion. If it was, then Paul’s reaction wouldn’t make sense.
5. The reason Paul is willing to bare his soul and engage in an embarrassing game of boasting is because he is fighting for the gospel and for the survival of the church in Corinth and for the souls of the Corinthians.
6. The gospel of Christ is worth dying for. People’s souls are worth fighting for. A church is worth pouring out your life for.
7. For the gospel is the basis of salvation. And people’s souls are eternal. And a church is the household of God (1Timothy 3:15).
8. But caring about perfecting the church of God is not enough. We also have the responsibility to gather God’s elect into the church of God.
C. But there are many times when the house shouldn’t be on fire, when the fire is not from lightning or a short circuit, but from human carelessness, or irresponsibility.
1. The problem in Corinth should not have happened. (Now obviously the Lord had a purpose for allowing this problem, including having Paul’s handling of it written in His word.)
2. This happens to churches often, where they become preoccupied with problems which shouldn’t even exist.
3. Satan gets people focusing on a lot of stuff which distracts from the work of the kingdom.
D. Now let’s talk about GPC, and our need for your help.
1. GPC has had a weakness in outreach for 35 years.
2. I admit that I am the main problem. I’m not here to blame anyone but myself.
a. Fourth Presb. Church, the church where I met Christ and learned how to do ministry, had a number of weaknesses, like all churches. But there was a constant awareness of reaching out to people with the gospel.
b. When I worked there in the youth ministry, I didn’t need to provide impetus for outreach. It was a part of the culture. So, there was not a big need for that. They needed more perfecting the saints.
3. But when I became the pastor at GPC, outreach was not in the church culture. I was more oriented toward perfecting the saints, and there were only a few whose vision included much outreach.
a. (And I thank the Lord for them — those who were more outreach-oriented!)
4. When I began to wake up to this as a real problem in our church, I began to make attempts.
a. E.g. 18 or 19 sermons in 2003-2004
b. But a culture is hard to change — a culture often includes common idols.
c. Honestly, it felt like every attempt was a failure.
5. And so, when we ordained new elders last year, they came into office zealous to help the church become more zealous about outreach.
a. But other things have taken center stage, as they often do. Outreach ended up on the back burner.
6. Last month we had a special session meeting to evaluate where we are.
a. As a church, we are weak in outreach. It is not a part of everything we do.
b. We committed ourselves to pray and to ask for prayer.
7. And this is where we need to ask you for your help. Would you join with us?
a. It’s obvious that I don’t have the wisdom or strength to make this happen. I don’t think the other elders do either. Only God can make it happen.
b. But I want this to happen. The other elders want this to happen. Do you want this to happen?
c. Then please join us in crying out to the Lord for His help in this.
d. Pray for boldness for yourself and others.
e. Pray for individuals you know who you want to see come to Christ.
f. Pray for opportunities.
g. Pray for our church. We have committed to praying about this Sundays in the intercessory prayer.
h. Pray for the Spirit of God to move in us and transform us into the image of Christ in this way!
i. In my remaining time here as pastor, let’s seek the Lord to help us turn this around.
j. Christ is too good to be hid under a bushel! (Matthew 5:14-16)
8. Right now we’re just asking for prayer. We’re asking you to pray with us: Thy Kingdom come!
a. But prayer isn’t an easy thing, because prayer is rebellion against the status quo.
9. Those around us who don’t know Christ are not the only ones missing out.
a. To be healthy, growing followers of Christ, we need to see the power of the gospel at work.
b. We need to see the gospel transforming lives, rescuing people from the dominion of darkness and filling them with light.
c. We need to see the joy of new believers experiencing Christ for the first time.