2 Corinthians 4:11-15 (Speak Up)

¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. ¹² So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
¹³ But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” ¹⁴ We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. ¹⁵ All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.


 ¹¹ Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus  Okay, we may not live like our Chinese brothers and sisters, and countless others around the world, who might actually die for their faith today, but what about the death of other things?  Have you had a family member or friend turn their back on you because you chose to trust in Christ?  That's the death of a relationship.  Have you had to change the course of your occupation or perhaps struggled at work because of your relationship with Christ, ending in the death of a job?  How about the death of a dream?  The death we experience as a result of trusting Christ may not always be in the form of physical death.

So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.  We may face deaths and persecution, but it's because of these beliefs that we are receiving eternal life.  And though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we never are.  Christ has victory over ALL deaths -- all our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us, for us, and to the watching world.  We know how it ends -- those who trust in Christ receive Heaven!

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.  Paul faced more hardship because of his desire to preach about Christ than any of us can say; yet, he continued to speak the truth of Jesus Christ because of the importance of salvation, and knowing that one day he would obtain God's rest and rewards.  Look at the cause and effect there:  I believed, so I spoke.  We believe, but how often do we speak of it to others -- believers and non-believers?  Is speaking about God something you do on a daily basis?  I'd wonder if it's fair to say that we speak about what we think about most, and if that's true, am I speaking about God to the people around me?  Am I telling others (Christian and non-) about my hardships and my trust, what I'm doing at church this weekend, and who Jesus is to me?  I want God to be part of my everyday speech!

And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.  How hard is it to not think about ourselves?  Umm...very.  Yet I see that Paul's goal here is toward others -- that more and more people would come to know Christ and that God would receive more and more glory.  I feel convicted today that so often what I do is for myself, and yet everything I do should be for God's glory, not my own!  I know my heart, and 95% of the time it is concerned about me.  But if I'm concerned about God, people knowing God, and God receiving all the praise for everything good, then I will have the perspective and passion to keep speaking the Word, even in the face of hardship.  It's amazing to me how quickly things that are solely about me can lose their steam, but when the focus of my work is about God and others, that's when I have the supernatural, God-given motivation, desire, and strength to press on!

But there's one little but big phrase we skipped...And all this for your benefit (vs 15).  All what?!  All the death, trial, hardship, persecution.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again, God does His greatest works in our lives during our trials and hardships and anguish.  It's true!  I am a living testament to that!  It is in these times that we will stretched beyond our own capacity to a place where we know we've become a little more like Christ, we will question in ways we never have before to a place where we have a little more faith than we did before, and we will have a compassion for others that is deeper and more meaningful than any word that ever passed our lips or any action that graced our fingertips before.  All I can tell you, my dear friend, is that whatever trial you may be facing right now, keep your feet planted where you are, because God is doing something good in your life.  You may not see it now because all you see is darkness ahead, but I promise you, and these verses promise you, the light is coming!  God doesn't use us up like a pen and then throw us away when we have completed a task and are no longer useful to Him -- no!!  He sees you, and He's with you, and He promises if you stick it out with Him, you will come out more complete on the other side.  He is not wasting your pain.  There is purpose in it if you will hold on long enough to catch a glimpse of it.  He loves you, and He only works for your good (Romans 8:28).  Only for your good.

And when you do catch a glimpse of the benefits...speak up!