Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In this last message from our series on 2 Corinthians, Pastor Rich blushes out what it looks like to speak and act in truth and meekness. Just as our Lord displayed for us in His earthly life. Let's listen in. In the last four chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul has been dealing with the issue of authority.
The word is exousia. Our authority is the word of God. It is the gospel. And he challenged the idea of guarded authority, those who make ministry about themselves and therefore have to protect their ministry in ways that are not consistent with the character and purpose of Christ. But then he outlined for them through his example, and we looked at this, the elements of genuine authority. And as we come then to this last paragraph of Paul's second canonical letter to the Corinthian church, the title of today's message is gentle authority, and we will see Paul's gentle authority. I think it is very interesting to note that last week as we were concluding the looking at the elements of genuine authority, one of those elements obviously is strong exhortation. And there needs to be strong exhortation where there is genuine authority, but that strong exhortation is sandwiched between sincere love and gentle authority.
And that is what we find as we come to the end of Paul's letter to the Corinthian church. Gentle authority. Joel Bells writes this in his article entitled, Tender Toughness. The sentence still jumps out at me from the middle of an editorial in the Wall Street Journal.
It's been half a decade since I read it, but it was one of those electric expressions that you can't forget. People want to be lightly governed by strong governments, the writer said. People want to be lightly governed by strong governments. That's what you've wanted since you were a small child. You wanted your dad to be big and strong and able to do anything you could think of except that when he dealt with you it had to be with gentleness and tenderness. You wanted a policeman on the corner tough enough to handle any neighborhood bully, but who would also hoist you to his shoulders and help you find your parents when you got lost in a crowd.
Lots of muscle, lots of restraint. There's an innate yearning in almost all of us for that rare combination. When evil people rise up we want a government with a clout to back them down, yet we never want that clout turned on us. In the final analysis people want to be lightly governed by strong government because that's how God governs us. The omnipotent ruler of the universe is also the one who invites us tenderly. Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
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 for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. I want us to consider what gentle authority is from looking at Paul's example this morning in this closing paragraph to the church at Corinth. As we consider this and the whole issue of authority and exousia, you might be thinking this morning, well I'm not a pastor, I'm not an apostle, I'm really not in a position of leadership.
I want you to think about that for a moment as we've discussed before. Because for those of you who are in positions of authority or one day will be in positions of authority, this definitely needs to be in your thinking. However, for today also, I think we need to continually remind ourselves that if you are in Christ, you are a minister. If you are in Christ, you are a minister. Because if you are in Christ, you are a Christ follower and a significant part of following Christ is helping others follow Christ.
That's what ministry is, helping others follow Jesus and showing the love of Christ. So, you are a minister and there needs to be a necessary authority in the sense of believability with that ministry. And that believability needs to be a gentle believability, a gentle authority.
So what is that? What are the elements of this gentle authority from looking at Paul's example? The first one is gentle authority is prayerful. Gentle authority is prayerful. Two times in this closing paragraph, verse 7 and verse 9, he says, we pray.
Two times. Consider this. Who has the greatest authority of all? It is Christ. And yet when he walked on the earth in his ministry, did he not take great sums of time to pray? Can we think we can get along without it? Isn't that pretty arrogant on our part? Do we ever say, I'm just too busy, I don't have time to pray? The Lord Jesus never said that.
Gentle authority is prayerful. I think it was A.W. Tozer, correct me if I'm wrong on this.
Send me an email or give me a call, whatever, not right now. My belt will start vibrating. But I think it was A.W. Tozer who said, prayer is invoking the arm of omnipotence.
It's good, isn't it? You recognize that you're not the one in control. You recognize that this is God's work. Ministry is God's work. You are but an instrument in the master's hand and prayer is invoking the arm of omnipotence. So you are called then to stewardship of that work.
Be a good steward. And when you have been a good steward, then stand back and let God work. Prayer is invoking the arm of omnipotence.
Consider this thought. Prayer rescues us from having to be in control. Prayer rescues us from having to be in control. Let me address you this morning as a crowd of recovering control addicts because that's what we are.
Our problem was all the way back to that original rebellion where Adam and Eve thought they knew better and they would live life for themselves, by themselves. That's rebellion. That's control. We'll control our own lives. It's my life.
I will do with my life what I want to. And God, I'll let you in only where I think it's appropriate. That's a control addict and we're all born that way. Only Jesus can rescue us from that. And prayer rescues us from the need of having to be in control. Let me share with you a striking observation, if I may take this with you. If you yourself or you sense, it's never you, it's always somebody next to you, right? If you yourself sense that you're manifesting the need to be in control, anyone who is manifesting a controlling behavior, then I think it can be safely said that that person is not spending enough time in prayer.
Loved ones, heed that, please. Prayer rescues us from the need to be in control. You don't have to be in control when you find yourself in the presence and in the grip of the omnipotent sovereign redeemer who loves you. Gentle authority is prayerful authority. Gentle authority is also humble. We see that in Paul's words in verse 9, for we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.
This also we pray that you may be made complete. We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. What is the apostle Paul saying here? He's saying it's not about us.
This ministry, yes, we are in a position of influence, we are in a position of authority and we recognize that, but it's not about us. It's about what God is doing in you. It's about the work that God is doing in molding you into the image of his son. Paul is saying my purpose is not my vindication, but your sanctification. So criticize, complain if you will, but I want to see God's work done in you. And I don't have to be the one who stands up front and is recognized and is praised. I'm more interested in what God is doing in you. This is what the apostle Paul is saying to the Corinthian believers.
Gentle authority is prayerful and it is humble. I love it when I see examples of humility, humbleness. I like this time of year because football starts. I love the game of football, I love to watch it.
It's more exercise than watching golf. One of my favorite coaches, he's no longer a coach, but he was and he won the Super Bowl, was Tony Dungy, quality man in so many ways. Tony shares the following story about his father's Christian character manifesting a humble authority. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
