A Series on Our Attitude Toward Serving God – Servanthood – and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”
2 Corinthians 2:14–16, ESV

In the previous parts of this series, we looked at two proofs that make an authentic Christian ministry evident: the proof of integrity and character, followed by the proof of transparency and openness. Paul conducted his ministry openly before God and the people he served, allowing for examination. He didn’t distort the Word or conceal his motives, nor did he rely upon underhanded methods to obtain results.

We now come to another proof, one that stands in direct opposition to the way the world usually measures effectiveness.

The Proof of Weakness and Inability.

Those who opposed Paul used his lack of personal stature to argue that his service was devoid of genuine authority. They wanted the Corinthians to believe that a genuine servant of God should appear impressive and self-sufficient, with enough personal strength and speaking ability to command the admiration of others.

Paul didn’t answer their accusation by pretending to be stronger than he was. Instead, he acknowledged his weakness and explained why it was one of the clearest demonstrations that the power working through him belonged to God.

Before Paul speaks directly about human weakness, however, he establishes the surpassing glory of the treasure entrusted to weak human vessels.

The Glory of the New Covenant

In 2 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul contrasts the glory of the Old Covenant with the far greater glory of the New Covenant.

“The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?”
2 Corinthians 3:7–8, NLT

The Old Covenant functioned as a ministry of condemnation because it effectively exposed the depth of human transgression. It held every soul accountable to the absolute standard of divine holiness, yet the failure did not reside within the law itself. Indeed, the law served as a reflection of God’s own righteous character; the crisis arose because fallen humanity lacked the capacity to satisfy its perfect requirements.

Yet even the covenant that exposed sin came with extraordinary glory. When Moses descended from the presence of God, his face reflected that glory so intensely that the people of Israel couldn’t bear to look at him.

Even then, the brightness was already beginning to fade.

Paul uses that fading glory to direct us toward something far greater. If a covenant that exposed sin and brought condemnation came with glory, how much greater must the glory be under the New Covenant, through which the Holy Spirit gives life?

Paul continues:

“Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”
2 Corinthians 3:16–18, NLT

The contrast between these two covenants is deliberate.

• Under the Old Covenant, the glory faded. Under the New Covenant, the glory continues to increase.

• The Old Covenant became a ministry of condemnation because it held people accountable for their sins. The New Covenant is the ministry of righteousness, possessing a glory that far exceeds what came before it.

• That which once possessed an extraordinary measure of brilliance now appears to have no glory at all, for a splendor that is far more profound has eclipsed it. The previous covenant possessed only a transitory glory, while the New Covenant features an enduring and eternal glory.

• Paul says that a veil remains over the hearts of those who continue to look to the Old Covenant without seeing its fulfillment in Christ. They can’t see that its glory was fading or that it pointed beyond itself to something greater.

• But when someone turns to the Lord, He removes that veil.

• Those who’ve had the veil taken away can now see the glory of the Lord. As the Holy Spirit works within them, they also reflect His glory and are increasingly conforming to the image of Christ.

• This transformation isn’t the product of human effort. It is the work of God.

God Shines His Light Into Our Hearts

Paul carries this thought directly into Chapter 4:

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT

Paul compares God’s act of speaking light into existence at creation with the light He causes to shine within the human heart.

In the beginning, darkness covered the earth until God spoke and declared, “Let there be light.” In the same way, spiritual darkness remains over the human heart until God acts sovereignly and causes the light of Christ to shine within us.

We didn’t produce that light, and we didn’t awaken ourselves from spiritual darkness. God shone the light of His glory into our hearts, revealing His glory in the face of Jesus Christ so we could know it.

It is a sovereign act of God that enables us to welcome and receive the good news of Christ. This knowledge of Christ is the rich deposit that dwells within every believer.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary explains Paul’s meaning:

“Paul now states the reason why he preached Christ and served the Corinthians. It was because God had dispelled his darkness by illuminating his heart and had given him a knowledge of Christ he wished to share (cf. Acts 9:15; 26:16, 18; Gal. 1:15, 16).

“In the second creation, as in the first, darkness is dispersed and light is created by divine intervention, but in one case it was a personal word: ‘Let there be light’ (Gen. 1:3, which is expanded by Paul on the basis of Gen. 1:2); in the other case it was a personal act: ‘God shone in our hearts’ (cf. 1 Peter 2:9).”1

Paul was undoubtedly alluding to his own experience on the road to Damascus. He had been walking in spiritual darkness, convinced that he was serving God while persecuting the followers of Jesus. Then the risen Christ revealed Himself, and the light of God broke through Paul’s darkness.

Paul knew from personal experience that spiritual illumination was the work of God.

After establishing the greatness of this divine work, Paul makes one of the most important statements in the letter.

This Treasure in Jars of Clay

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV

The New Living Translation puts it this way:

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.”
2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT

The Today’s English Version reads:

“Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7, TEV

Paul also uses the vessel analogy in his second letter to Timothy:

“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.”
2 Timothy 2:20, ESV

We have to allow the contrast in 2 Corinthians 4:7 to settle deeply within our hearts.

On the one hand, we’ve received a treasure of immeasurable value. We have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We have the message of the New Covenant, the gospel through which the Holy Spirit gives life.

Nevertheless, God has sovereignly deposited this priceless treasure within common jars of clay. The treasure is glorious, but the vessels are fragile.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary explains:

“‘Earthen’ or ‘clay’ jars, as opposed to bronze ones, were readily discarded; because clay was always available, such containers were cheap and disposable if they were broken or incurred ceremonial impurity—an odd container for a rich treasure.”2

A clay pot wasn’t impressive. It wasn’t rare or costly. Clay was readily available, and clay vessels were common household objects. If one broke, another could easily take its place. That made the clay jar an unusual container for something precious. Yet that is exactly Paul’s point.

God has deliberately placed His priceless treasure within ordinary human vessels that are easily broken. The Greek word translated “clay” speaks of something highly fragile.

The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament states that it may refer to:

“The weak and fragile body of the apostle as a ‘vessel’ of the new ministry of glory.”3

MacArthur further describes the image:

“The Greek word means ‘baked clay,’ and refers to clay pots. They were cheap, breakable, and replaceable, but they served necessary household functions.

“…Sometimes they were used as a vault to store valuables, such as money, jewelry, or important documents. But they were most often used for holding garbage and human waste. The latter is the use Paul had in mind, and it was how Paul viewed himself—as lowly, common, expendable, and replaceable.”4

Paul wasn’t attempting to elevate himself before the Corinthians. He wasn’t trying to prove that he was more impressive than his opponents. He saw himself as a common vessel carrying an incomparable treasure. The value was in what God had deposited within him, not in the vessel itself.

The Surpassing Power Belongs to God

Paul tells us exactly why God has placed this treasure in jars of clay: it is “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

The power that saves doesn’t originate with the preacher. Human eloquence can’t open blind eyes, and personality can’t produce spiritual life. The power belongs to God.

Our actions don’t contribute to this new life. We are breakable vessels with no ability to save ourselves. We couldn’t cause the light of God to shine into our own hearts, and we can’t cause it to shine into the hearts of others.

We carry the message faithfully, but God gives life.

That is why Paul asked:

“Who is sufficient for these things?”
2 Corinthians 2:16

• Who is adequate to carry the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ throughout the world?

• Who is sufficient to bear a message that becomes the fragrance of life to some and the fragrance of death to others?

• None of us can produce eternal life in another person.

• The weakness and limitation that belong to our common humanity ensure that the glory goes to God. He rules over all and deserves the honor for the creative work of salvation He brings about through His servants.

Paul heard the Lord tell him:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV

Paul did not find sufficiency within himself. It was found in the grace of Christ.

The Lord didn’t tell Paul that his weakness was imaginary or that he should disguise his limitations. He told him that divine grace was sufficient and that Christ’s power would be brought to its intended expression through weakness.

Therefore, Paul could acknowledge his weakness gladly because it became the setting in which the power of Christ rested upon him.

This was one of the clearest distinctions between Paul and his opponents.

Paul’s opponents boasted of their ability, while Paul openly acknowledged his inability. They brought letters of commendation to establish their authority. Paul pointed to the transformed lives of those he had led to Christ.

The false apostles presented themselves as strong and sufficient. Paul found his sufficiency in Christ.

They wanted the Corinthians to be impressed with the messenger. Paul wanted them to see the glory of the One whose message he carried.

This didn’t mean that Paul’s life was free from trouble. His weakness became especially apparent under the severe pressure he experienced while serving the Lord.

In 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, Paul gives four contrasting examples:

“We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8–9, TEV

Trouble had affected Paul, but it did not crush him. He had experienced doubt and perplexity without being driven to despair. Though surrounded by enemies and badly hurt, God had not abandoned him or allowed him to be destroyed.

The trials Paul experienced didn’t make him ineffective for the kingdom. They drove him into a deeper dependence upon Christ and became part of the process through which God strengthened His servant.

As we acknowledge our weaknesses, we learn to rely upon Christ’s strength. In that way, the glory goes to God.

The treasure remains secure, despite the damaged vessel. Human weakness can’t destroy the gospel or diminish the power of the One who placed it within us.

Paul’s Understanding of Weakness

The apostle uses the Greek word astheneia, along with other words from the same word group, fourteen times in 2 Corinthians. The word speaks of feebleness or frailty.

Paul understood weakness as a reality of human life.

When describing the contrast between the natural body and the resurrected body, he writes:

“It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”
1 Corinthians 15:43, ESV

Weakness marks our present bodies. They become tired, suffer illness, and eventually die. However, God will raise the resurrected body in power.

Paul also spoke openly about his own human frailty when he reminded the Corinthians of how he first ministered among them:

“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.”
1 Corinthians 2:3, ESV

Paul didn’t arrive in Corinth projecting an image of effortless confidence. He became conscious of his own weakness, feeling fear and trembling, yet he remained faithful in proclaiming Christ.

The power of his ministry did not reside in an impressive public image. His ministry's power came from the God who worked through him.

Paul even compared our human frailty and the weakness Christ experienced in His humanity:

“Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.”
2 Corinthians 13:4, NLT

Christ suffered crucifixion in weakness, yet He now lives by God's power.

Likewise, Paul acknowledged that he and his companions were weak. Nevertheless, they would live with Christ and minister through the power God supplied.

Weakness didn’t mean the absence of divine power. It became the place that revealed divine power.

Weakness as Proof of Genuine Ministry

When Paul spoke about his weakness and the frailty of human life, he was drawing a direct contrast between himself and his opponents.

In Paul’s absence, they had told the Corinthians that the apostle was weak and therefore ineffective in ministry. They claimed that his bodily presence was unimpressive and that his speaking ability was of little value.

• Paul could’ve responded by attempting to prove that he was stronger than they were. He didn’t.

• Rather than refuting their accusation, he expanded upon it and agreed with them.

In effect, Paul said, “Yes, they are right. I am weak, as we all are. Yet that weakness provides the setting in which the power of Christ works through my life. What you’re seeing isn’t my power. It is Christ working through me.”

That was one of the pieces of evidence that Paul’s ministry was genuine.

• The false apostles boasted in themselves, but Paul gloried in Christ. They directed attention toward their own sufficiency, while Paul asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?”

• They wanted others to admire the vessel. Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand the immeasurable value of the treasure God had placed within it.

We are all feeble. We are frail and weak, with no sufficiency in ourselves for the work God has entrusted to us.

Yet we aren’t to despair over these truths. We are to rejoice because it is God’s pleasure to accomplish His purposes through people who know they’re unable to accomplish those purposes apart from Him.

When that happens, God receives the glory.

A Shepherd’s Reflection

One of the greatest dangers we face is believing that God is waiting for us to become stronger before He can truly use us. We quietly imagine that if we possessed greater wisdom, more confidence, or more ability, then we would finally become useful in His kingdom. Yet Paul learned exactly the opposite.

The weakness of His servants has not limited the Lord. He has only been hindered by their unwillingness to depend upon Him.

That is both humbling and wonderfully encouraging.

It means that our usefulness in God’s Kingdom is not determined by the measure of our natural abilities but by the depth of our dependence upon Christ. The more we recognize that we can do nothing apart from Him, the more room there is for His grace to accomplish what we never could.

This truth ought to reshape the way we think about ministry.

Instead of asking, “Am I capable enough?” Perhaps we should ask, “Am I depending upon Christ enough?” Those are very different questions.

Servants eventually discover that God never intended for them to live the Christian life using only human strength. The Lord intentionally leads us into situations that remind us of our inability so that we will learn to lean more fully upon Him. He is not trying to discourage us. He is showing us where we can find true strength.

Perhaps today you feel like a fragile clay vessel. You see your weaknesses far more clearly than your strengths. You wonder whether the Lord could really accomplish anything through someone as ordinary as you.

Take courage.

The treasure has never depended on the vessel; it has always depended on the greatness of the One who placed it there.

Our weakness does not diminish His glory. When surrendered to Him, it becomes another opportunity for His power to be displayed.

That is why Paul could honestly ask, “Who is sufficient for these things?” and then quietly answer the question through the testimony of his own life.

We have never found our sufficiency in ourselves. Rather, our sufficiency is from God.

Scriptures for Further Study

One of the themes running throughout Paul’s ministry is that God delights in displaying His strength through those who recognize their complete dependence upon Him. The following passages continue to develop that truth.

2 Corinthians 3:4–6
Paul has already answered the question that forms the theme of this series. Through Christ, we direct our confidence toward God, and we have always found our sufficiency in Him, not in ourselves.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10
Later in this same letter, Paul explains that he learned to rejoice even in weakness because God’s grace proved sufficient and Christ’s power was perfected there.

1 Corinthians 1:26–31
God intentionally chooses what the world considers weak, foolish, and insignificant so that no one may boast before Him. Every servant is reminded that all glory belongs to God alone.

John 15:4–5
Jesus teaches that lasting spiritual fruit is never produced through human effort. Apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal value.

Philippians 3:3–9
Paul willingly abandoned every earthly credential because he discovered that knowing Christ was of infinitely greater value than trusting in himself.

Isaiah 40:28–31
Those who acknowledge their need and wait upon the Lord discover that He supplies strength they could never produce on their own.

Psalm 121:1–2
Our help has never come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Reflection Questions

As you spend time with the Lord, prayerfully consider the following questions.

1. Have you ever allowed your weaknesses to convince you that God could not use you? How does Paul’s teaching challenge that conclusion?

2. In what areas of your life are you most tempted to rely upon your own abilities rather than upon the grace of Christ?

3. How does the illustration of the treasure in jars of clay change the way you think about Christian ministry?

4. If someone observed your life, would they leave more impressed with your abilities, or with the greatness and faithfulness of Christ?

5. What practical steps can you take this week to cultivate greater dependence upon the Lord in your daily walk and service?

Next Time

Paul has shown us that genuine servants do not hide their weakness because they understand that God’s power is displayed most clearly through lives that are wholly dependent upon Him. In Part 8 of Who Is Sufficient for These Things?, we’ll continue following Paul’s defense of authentic ministry as he presents another evidence of a sincere servant’s heart and further exposes the vast difference between those who seek to exalt themselves and those who faithfully exalt Christ.

Join the Mission

Jesus Christ calls every believer to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Yet He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything that He Himself has not already endured—and infinitely more. His perfect obedience to the Father remains the pattern for every servant who desires to follow Him faithfully.

If this article has encouraged or challenged you, would you consider sharing it with someone who desires to know God’s Word more deeply? I also invite you to subscribe and continue with us through this series as together we seek to know Christ more deeply, faithfully handle His Word, and grow into mature disciples who bring glory to God.

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Through biblical leadership training, church planting, pastoral encouragement, theological instruction, and ministry among vulnerable communities, we seek to strengthen Christ’s Church through a faithful exposition of God’s Word. Our desire is to help form believers who firmly establish their lives upon Scripture. They will discern truth from error, endure suffering without abandoning their faith, and remain steadfast in Christ until the consummation of all things.

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Editorial Note

My own biblical studies, live seminars and teaching events, and years of pastoral ministry provided the basis for these articles. I use AI solely as an editorial and organizational assistant to help prepare these teachings for publication while preserving my voice and style. The biblical teaching, theological convictions, ministry experiences, and pastoral perspective expressed here are my own, and every article is personally reviewed, edited, and approved by me before publication. My desire in every article is to faithfully handle God’s Word, equip the Church, and point readers to Jesus Christ.

Faithful Witnesses remembers believers whose lives testified to the beauty, sufficiency, and worthiness of Jesus Christ. Calling another generation to worship deeply, endure faithfully, obey courageously, and follow Christ whatever the cost.

Forty-four years ago today, on July 28, 1982, a small airplane crashed shortly after taking off from a private airstrip in Texas. Among those who died were Christian musician Keith Green and two of his young children, Josiah, and Bethany.

Keith was only twenty-eight years old.

His years of public ministry were remarkably brief, yet the witness of his life and music still calls the Church toward worship, repentance, obedience, and wholehearted surrender to Jesus Christ.

This is why I have chosen Keith as the first person remembered in Faithful Witnesses.

This series will not be about creating Christian celebrities or glorifying human heroes. It will be about setting memorial stones—remembering believers whose lives point beyond themselves to the faithfulness, sufficiency, and worthiness of Christ.

Keith Green is one of those witnesses.

The Worshiper

Keith was a worshiper.

Songs such as “O Lord, You’re Beautiful” expressed something deeper than musical ability. They revealed the longing of a man who wanted to behold the Lord, remain near Him, and preserve the fire of his first love.

Keith could lead people into a profound awareness of the beauty and presence of God. There was tenderness in his worship, but it was not sentimentality. He understood that truly beholding Christ must eventually change the way we live.

Worship cannot end with an emotional experience.

The Christ we behold is also the Lord we obey.

If we sing of His beauty but remain unwilling to follow Him, our songs have not yet produced the surrender that worship requires. Biblical worship places the entire life before God. It says, in effect, “You are worthy not only of my songs but of everything I am.”

Keith carried that conviction with unusual urgency.

The Call to Go

The same man who sang of the Lord’s beauty also wrote “Jesus Commands Us to Go!”

For Keith, worship and mission were inseparable. The beauty of Christ compelled obedience to Christ. If Jesus is truly Lord, then we must not reserve the Great Commission as a specialized calling for an unusually devoted few.

The command to make disciples belongs to the whole Church.

That does not mean every believer must cross an ocean or live among an unreached people. Going may mean crossing the street to speak with a neighbor.

It may mean serving the forgotten within our own community.

It may mean praying, giving, and supporting those who are being sent.

It may mean discipling someone God has placed in our lives.

For others, it will mean crossing cultures, learning another language, enduring hardship, and carrying the gospel to a remote tribe.

We are not all called to go to the same place, but none of us is exempt from participating.

The question is not simply, “Am I called to be a missionary?” The more searching question is, “How does my life participate in the mission Jesus entrusted to His Church?”

A Songbook in the Philippines

In 1995, during my first year of ministry in the Philippines, a pastor gave me a Keith Green songbook.

As I sat in my bamboo hut, reading its words, the spiritual urgency they carried struck me. They called the Church away from complacency and toward repentance, surrender, and obedience. I found myself wondering how the Church had already drifted so far from that vision of costly discipleship.

That was thirty-one years ago.

The Church now possesses communication tools, financial resources, media platforms, and opportunities Keith could scarcely have imagined. Yet greater resources have not produced deeper surrender. Many have increasingly presented Christianity in many places in terms of personal happiness, comfort, success, and fulfillment.

Keith’s witness confronts that shallowness.

He reminds us that Jesus did not call us merely to add Him to the life we have already chosen. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

That message was necessary in 1982. It was necessary when I received that songbook in 1995. It is even more urgent today.

Why We Remember

We do not remember Keith Green because he was perfect. He was a young believer, still growing, sometimes intense and undoubtedly imperfect—as every servant of Christ is.

Nor do we remember him merely because his music makes us nostalgic for another era.

We remember him because his life bore witness to something the Church must never forget:

Jesus Christ is worthy of MY whole life.

Keith’s worship called us to behold the beauty of the Lord. His preaching and music called us to respond to that beauty with obedience. His concern for the lost reminded us that worship which never moves toward mission remains incomplete.

The Christ we worship is the Christ who sends us.

Some will be sent to their neighbors. Some will be sent to the nations. Some will pray, some will give, some will teach, and some will go where the name of Jesus has scarcely been heard. But every believer has been called to place his or her life at the disposal of the King.

Questions for Reflection

Keith Green’s witness should lead us beyond remembering his life to examining our own. Not just yours but mine as well.

• Has my worship led me into greater surrender and obedience—or has it remained primarily an emotional experience?

• Is Jesus merely part of the life I have chosen, or have I placed my entire life at His disposal?

• How am I personally participating in the Great Commission?

• Who has God placed near me whom I can love, serve, disciple, or point toward Christ?

• What comfort, ambition, possession, or personal plan might I be unwilling to surrender if Christ asked it of me?

• If my life were to end far sooner than expected, what witness would it leave concerning the worthiness of Jesus?

Keith Green’s life was brief, but the stone of remembrance remains.

Christ was faithful here.
Christ was beautiful here.
Christ was worthy here.

Remember—and follow Him.

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

This series will continue every few weeks, remembering servants of Christ whose witness still speaks to the Church today.

_{Original photo: Last Days Ministries/Melody Green, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Watercolor adaptation and design by Risen Scepter Ministries International. Adapted image shared under CC BY-SA 3.0.}

Join the Mission:

Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything He has not already done Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will is the ultimate example for us to follow. If your heart is stirring to step away from man-centered religion and into a life of total surrender to the King, please share this post to challenge and encourage a fellow believer. Subscribe today to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for authentic service in the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International:

Risen Scepter Ministries International (RSMI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to “Expressing the Kingdom of God in the Earth”. Our core vision is to equip pastors in developing nations so that they might in turn equip their people to do the work of the ministry, fulfilling the mandate of Ephesians 4:11-13.

Through biblical training centers, pastor support programs, and initiatives for at-risk children, we bring hope and resources to leaders serving Christ in non-industrialized nations—many of whom minister faithfully in the face of extreme poverty or persecution. We firmly believe that the Word of God and the correct application of biblical principles have the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and entire nations.

Visit us on the web at RisenScepter.org

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?“ 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going

As we continue our journey through the marks of authentic Christian ministry, we come to another unmistakable evidence of a sincere servant’s heart: transparency and openness.

In the previous article, we considered the importance of integrity and Christlike character. Integrity speaks of wholeness—a life in which the private person and the public servant are not fundamentally different. Transparency is the visible expression of that integrity. It allows others to see that there is no hidden machinery behind the ministry, no concealed agenda beneath the message, and no secret method being used to manipulate the people of God.

Something transparent allows light to pass through it so that what lies behind it may be clearly seen. In the same way, a transparent ministry does not depend upon concealment. It welcomes honest examination because it has determined to walk before God and people without deception.

The apostle did not claim perfection. Paul, however, insisted that he could bring his ministry into the light.

He had nothing to gain from hiding the truth, and nothing to protect through manipulation.

Ministry Conducted in the Sight of God

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:2

Paul conducted his ministry with the continual awareness that he lived and served in the presence of God.

That conviction shaped everything.

He did not merely ask whether his methods would produce results. He asked whether they could withstand the examination of God. He did not measure faithfulness by popularity, influence, financial success, or the response of an audience. His concern was whether his words, motives, and methods were acceptable before the One who had called him.

Paul wrote:

“By the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

That final phrase is essential: in the sight of God.

Paul was not performing transparency as a public-relations strategy. He was not attempting to appear sincere in order to gain the trust of the Corinthians. The deeper reality that God already observed his entire ministry caused his openness.

He perceives all; nothing remains hidden from Him.

God sees the motives beneath our words. He sees the ambition beneath our service. He sees whether we are preaching Christ or quietly building our own names. He sees whether we are protecting His people or using them to satisfy our need for significance, control, recognition, or financial gain.

A servant who genuinely lives before God does not need to manufacture an appearance of sincerity. The fear of the Lord produces honesty from within.

Renouncing Disgraceful and Underhanded Ways

Paul declared that he and his companions had “renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways.”

To renounce something is not merely to avoid it temporarily. It is to reject it decisively. Paul had turned away from the hidden practices that so often accompany human attempts to gain power and influence.

He refused cunning.

He refused manipulation.

He refused to handle the Word of God dishonestly.

When Paul came to Christ, he laid the methods of worldly advancement at the foot of the cross. He would not build the kingdom of God through the techniques of fallen humanity. He would not use deception in the service of truth. He would not distort Scripture in order to attract followers, protect his reputation, or produce the response he desired.

This remains one of the great temptations of ministry.

A leader may begin with a sincere desire to serve God, yet gradually become convinced that the desired outcome justifies questionable methods. People may exaggerate scripture to create excitement. They might embellish testimonies to provoke an emotional response. Financial needs may be presented in a way that pressures or frightens people. Prophetic claims may be used to control decisions. Discouraging questions protects the ministry’s carefully constructed image, as honest examination threatens it.

But truth does not require deception to support it.

God does not need manipulation to accomplish His purposes.

The servant of Christ must never believe that dishonesty becomes holy merely because it is practiced in the name of ministry.

The Open Statement of the Truth

Paul placed his confidence in “the open statement of the truth.”

He did not depend on hidden meanings, secret knowledge, calculated flattery, or carefully concealed motives. He spoke the truth plainly and entrusted the results to God.

This does not mean Paul’s teaching was shallow or simplistic. His letters contain some of the most profound theological reasoning found in scripture. Yet even when his teaching was deep, he did not conceal his purpose. He wanted people to know Christ, understand the gospel, grow into maturity, and live faithfully before God.

There was no second message beneath the first.

There was no private agenda concealed behind the public ministry.

Paul could essentially say to the Corinthians, “Look carefully. Examine our conduct. Listen to our message. You can see for yourselves that we are not operating through trickery or deceit.”

An authentic servant does not fear reasonable examination. Questions may sometimes be uncomfortable, and accusations may be unfair, as they certainly were in Paul’s life. Nevertheless, the genuine servant does not depend upon darkness for survival.

An authentic servant welcomes honest examination because their trust rests not in a manufactured appearance, but in the steadfast pursuit of walking before the Lord with sincerity.

The Shadows of the Super-Apostles

The openness of Paul’s ministry becomes even clearer when contrasted with the false apostles who were influencing the Corinthian church.

These men presented themselves as impressive spiritual leaders. They were polished, persuasive, confident, and outwardly successful. They boasted in their credentials and promoted themselves as superior to Paul. Yet beneath the appearance was deception.

Later in the letter, Paul described them plainly:

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:13

Their ministry depended upon disguise.

They needed the people to see the mask rather than the person behind it. Their influence depended upon the shadows, for they knew that bringing their true intentions into the light would only demonstrate that their labor did not have Christ at its center. Their influence depended upon the Corinthians being impressed by the appearance and never examining what lay beneath it.

This is why false ministry often resists accountability.

Questions are interpreted as rebellion. Examination is portrayed as persecution. Leaders surround themselves with those who will protect their image rather than confront their conduct. Information is tightly controlled. Failures are concealed. Those who raise legitimate concerns may be silenced, discredited, or removed.

When a ministry must continually suppress the truth in order to preserve itself, it is no longer being preserved by God. It is being maintained through darkness.

The contrast could not be greater.

Paul brought his ministry into the light.

The false apostles required shadows.

Transparency Is Not the Absence of Wisdom

There is an important distinction we must make.

Authentic transparency does not demand that every intimate particular of a servant’s existence be broadcast for public consumption. It does not require leaders to violate confidences, expose their families, disclose matters that belong in private counsel, or share every thought and emotion with everyone.

Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself equally to all people. Paul sometimes withheld details when wisdom, safety, or the protection of others required it. Scripture honors discretion, confidentiality, and appropriate boundaries.

Transparency is not the abandonment of wisdom.

Rather, transparency means that what we do reveal is truthful. It means that we do not create false impressions, conceal wrongdoing, manipulate facts, or present ourselves as something we are not. It means that private boundaries are not used as hiding places for unrepentant sin, financial misconduct, spiritual abuse, or deception.

• A servant may rightly say, “That matter is private.”

• A servant must never use privacy to mean, “This must remain hidden because exposure would reveal dishonesty.”

• There is a difference between confidentiality and concealment.

  • Confidentiality protects people.

  • Concealment protects deception.

Accountability as a Gift

True openness welcomes appropriate accountability.

This is not because faithful servants are incapable of failure. It is because they know they are capable of it.

No leader is beyond temptation. No calling eliminates human weakness. No spiritual gift makes accountability unnecessary. The greater the influence entrusted to a servant, the greater the need for relationships and structures that permit honest questions and correction.

Rather than resisting scrutiny, we should recognize that godly accountability serves as a vital safeguard for the servant of Christ. It is one of God’s protections for ministry.

Wise accountability can help guard doctrine, finances, personal conduct, relationships, and the use of authority. It can identify dangers before they become disasters. It can protect both the servant and the people entrusted to that servant’s care.

A leader who refuses all examinations is not demonstrating strength. He may create the very environment in which weakness can grow unchecked.

The transparent servant understands that correction is not always an attack, and questions are not always accusations. Sometimes they are instruments of God’s mercy.

Transparency in the Handling of Scripture

The apostle further insisted that this hallmark of transparency must extend beyond one’s behavior to the very manner in which the Word of God is handled.

He wrote:

“We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word.”

The phrase translated “tamper with” carries the idea of adulterating, corrupting, or handling something deceitfully. Paul would not dilute the truth, alter its meaning, or blend it with error in order to make it more acceptable.

This is one of the clearest tests of spiritual integrity.

10 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Ac 17:10–11 LSB

• Does the teacher allow Scripture to speak according to its context and intended meaning, or is the Bible used as raw material to support a predetermined message?

• Are difficult passages taught honestly, or quietly avoided?

• Are promises presented without their context?

• Are emotional stories used to overpower careful examination of the text?

• Does the preacher invite people to know the Word for themselves, or create dependence upon his supposed insight and authority?

Transparent teaching does not fear an open Bible.

It does not ask people to accept a claim merely because a respected leader has made it. It encourages believers to search the Scriptures, examine the context, and test what they hear.

The faithful teacher does not stand above the Word of God.

He stands beneath it.

When the Vessel Does Not Obstruct the Light

The imagery of transparency fits beautifully within Paul’s larger argument in 2 Corinthians.

In the following verses, Paul speaks of the light of the gospel and the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. He then describes believers as fragile jars of clay carrying an immeasurable treasure.

The vessel is not the source of the light.

Christ is.

The servant’s responsibility is not to draw attention to the clay pot but to avoid obstructing the treasure within it. When ministry becomes consumed with the preservation of reputation, platform, personality, or image, the vessel begins to compete with the glory it was meant to carry.

But when a servant walks in humility, honesty, and openness, the light of Christ may be seen more clearly.

The purpose of transparency is not to place the servant at the center. It is to remove the coverings that prevent people from seeing Jesus.

We are not transparent so that everyone will admire our honesty.

We are transparent so that the surpassing power may be seen to belong to God and not to us.

The Danger of a Carefully Constructed Image

Modern ministry provides more opportunities than ever to create and manage a public image.

Through websites, social media, video, carefully selected photographs, testimonies, and promotional materials, a leader can present a version of ministry that appears far more successful, fruitful, or spiritually powerful than reality would support.

Communication and media are not inherently wrong. They can serve the gospel and help people understand what God is doing. The danger arises when presentation replaces truth.

• It is possible to show crowds without showing disciples.

• It is possible to report decisions without demonstrating lasting fruit.

• It is possible to display generosity while concealing financial irresponsibility.

• It is possible to speak constantly about humility while carefully cultivating personal celebrity.

• It is possible to preach transparency while surrounding oneself with people who may never ask troublesome questions.

The temptation to construct an image is not limited to well-known ministries. It can enter a local church, a small organization, an online platform, or the heart of an individual believer. Wherever we become more concerned with how we appear than with who we are before God, deception has already begun its work.

The answer is not to withdraw from public ministry.

The answer is to remain deeply rooted in the presence of God, where the image we project can never hide the person we truly are.

A Ministry That Can Withstand the Light

The timeless lesson for the Church is not that every ministry should disclose everything to everyone. It is that no ministry should depend upon deception, manipulation, or concealed corruption.

• A faithful ministry should be able to withstand the light.

• Its doctrine should withstand biblical examination.

• Its finances should withstand responsible accountability.

• Its leaders should withstand honest questions.

• Its methods should withstand moral scrutiny.

• Its claims should withstand verification.

• Its treatment of people should reflect the character of Christ.

Where failures occur, as they inevitably will among imperfect people, transparency includes confession, repentance, correction, and a willingness to make matters right.

The authentic servant does not claim never to have failed.

Rather than retreating into the shadows of dishonesty when shortcomings are revealed, the genuine minister remains steadfast in the light.

Final Pastoral Reflection

Every one of us must ask whether there are areas of our lives that we are trying to keep in the shadows.

Perhaps it is not public scandal. It may be a hidden motive, an exaggerated story, a carefully maintained appearance, an unwillingness to receive correction, or a habit of using spiritual language to conceal personal ambition.

We may successfully hide these things from people for a time.

We cannot hide them from God.

Yet the light of God is not given merely to expose and condemn. For those who come honestly before Him, His light also cleanses, restores, and makes us whole.

The answer to hiddenness is not the creation of a better mask.

It is repentance.

It is stepping into the light of God’s presence and allowing Him to bring our private lives, public words, ministry methods, and inward motives into agreement with the truth.

The genuine servant has no need to fear that light.

He knows that his sufficiency does not come from maintaining the appearance of perfection. His sufficiency comes from Christ.

Therefore, he can renounce disgraceful and underhanded ways. He can refuse cunning. He can handle God’s Word honestly. He can welcome godly accountability. He can speak the truth openly and entrust his life and ministry to the judgment of God.

A transparent ministry does not proclaim that the vessel is flawless.

It allows the world to see that the treasure belongs to God.

Next Time

In Part 7 of Who Is Sufficient for These Things?, we will continue examining the marks of authentic Christian ministry and the qualities that distinguish the genuine servant of Christ from those who misuse spiritual authority.

Scriptures for Further Study

1 John 1:5–9
God is light, and in Him there is no darkness. John connects fellowship with God to walking in the light, practicing the truth, confessing sin, and receiving cleansing.

Ephesians 5:8–14
Believers were once darkness but are now light in the Lord. Paul calls them to walk as children of light and to expose the unfruitful works of darkness.

Matthew 5:14–16
Jesus calls His followers the light of the world. Their lives are to be visible in such a way that others glorify the Father rather than the servant.

Romans 13:11–14
Paul urges believers to cast off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

2 Corinthians 1:12
Paul appeals to the testimony of his conscience that he conducted himself with simplicity and godly sincerity rather than earthly wisdom.

2 Corinthians 2:17
Paul distinguishes his ministry from those who peddle the Word of God for profit, declaring that he speaks sincerely as one commissioned by God and standing in His presence.

2 Corinthians 4:1–7
The immediate context of this article: ministry received through mercy, the renunciation of hidden practices, the light of the gospel, and the treasure carried in jars of clay.

2 Corinthians 6:3–10
Paul describes the openness of his life and the endurance through which he commended himself as a servant of God.

2 Corinthians 7:2
Paul appeals to the Corinthians to open their hearts, declaring that he had wronged, corrupted, and taken advantage of no one.

2 Corinthians 8:20–21
Paul took deliberate precautions in administering financial gifts, seeking to do what was honorable not only before the Lord but also before people.

In 2 Corinthians 11:13–15
Paul identifies false apostles as deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ, mirroring Satan’s appearance as an angel of light.

Luke 12:1–3
Jesus warns against hypocrisy and declares that what is concealed will ultimately be revealed.

John 3:19–21
Those who practice evil avoid the light, while those who practice the truth come into the light so that it may be seen that their works have been carried out in God.

Hebrews 4:12–13
Nothing in creation is hidden from God. All things are exposed before the eyes of the One to whom we must give account.

James 3:1
Those who teach will be judged with greater strictness, making honesty and accountability especially important in Christian ministry.

1 Timothy 3:1–7
The qualifications for overseers emphasize observable character, maturity, self-control, faithfulness, and a good reputation.

1 Peter 5:1–4
Church leaders are commanded to shepherd willingly, without shameful gain or domineering conduct, becoming examples to the flock.

Reflection Questions

1. Is there any difference between the person I present publicly and the person I am privately before God?

2. Are there areas of my life or ministry in which I resist honest examination or godly accountability?

3. Do I ever exaggerate, omit important facts, or create a misleading impression in order to protect my reputation or produce a desired response?

4. When someone asks a sincere question about my teaching, decisions, or conduct, do I respond with humility or defensiveness?

5. Am I handling Scripture openly and honestly, allowing its context and meaning to govern my teaching?

6. Are the structures surrounding my ministry designed to provide genuine accountability, or merely to protect leadership from scrutiny?

7. Do I confuse appropriate privacy with the concealment of matters that should be confessed, corrected, or brought into the light?

8. Is there anything God is asking me to renounce so that the light of Christ may shine more clearly through my life?

9. When failure occurs, am I willing to confess, repent, and make matters right, or am I tempted to manage appearances?

10. Does my life direct attention toward Christ and the treasure of the gospel, or toward the image I have created of myself?

Join the Mission:
Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything He has not already done Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will is the ultimate example for us to follow. If your heart is stirring to step away from man-centered religion and into a life of total surrender to the King, please share this post to challenge and encourage a fellow believer. Subscribe today to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for authentic service in the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International:
Risen Scepter Ministries International (RSMI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to “Expressing the Kingdom of God in the Earth”. Our core vision is to equip pastors in developing nations so that they might in turn equip their people to do the work of the ministry, fulfilling the mandate of Ephesians 4:11-13.
Through biblical training centers, pastor support programs, and initiatives for at-risk children, we bring hope and resources to leaders serving Christ in non-industrialized nations—many of whom minister faithfully in the face of extreme poverty or persecution. We firmly believe that the Word of God and the correct application of biblical principles have the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and entire nations.

Visit us on the web at RisenScepter.org

The Servant: The Ongoing Story of Christ’s People Through Every Generation

Today I’m beginning a new video series called The Servant: The Ongoing Story of Christ’s People Through Every Generation.

While my current article series follows the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Corinth, The Servant will travel much further.

Together we’ll follow th…

Read more

A Series on Our Attitude Toward Serving God – Servanthood – and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Passage: 2 Corinthians 2:15–16

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” — 2 Corinthians 2:15–16, ESV

Introduction

Every generation of the Church must answer an important question:

How do we discern an authentic servant of Jesus Christ?

That question is just as relevant today as it was in the city of Corinth.

Throughout this series, we have watched Paul patiently build his argument. He began by reminding us that no servant is sufficient in himself for the work of the gospel. We are simple clay vessels entrusted with an immeasurable treasure.

Our sufficiency is not found in our personality, ability, education, experience, or influence. Our sufficiency is found in Christ alone.

We then examined the troubled condition of the Corinthian church. Surrounded by a culture that celebrated eloquence, social standing, public recognition, and self-promotion, many of the Corinthian believers had begun evaluating spiritual leaders according to the standards of the world.

Into that environment came the men Paul sarcastically called the “super-apostles.” They impressed people with polished speech, persuasive personalities, impressive credentials, and claims of superior spiritual authority. Yet behind the outward display were hearts driven by pride, ambition, self-interest, and a desire for recognition.

The Corinthians had become fascinated by what was visible. Paul wanted them to learn how to discern what was genuine.

That is where the next movement of his argument begins.

Rather than defending himself through impressive accomplishments or carefully cultivated appearances, Paul points to something the false apostles could never manufacture for very long.

He points to Integrity and Character.

God’s Standard Is Different

One of the great dangers facing every generation of believers is the temptation to evaluate ministry in the same way the world evaluates success.

We naturally notice gifted communicators, strong personalities, impressive résumés, growing ministries, large audiences, and visible accomplishments. None of those things are necessarily wrong in themselves, but none of them prove that a servant is walking faithfully with Christ.

God measures differently.

Throughout Scripture, He consistently looks beyond outward appearance and examines the heart. While people are often captivated by charisma, God is concerned with character. While the world rewards image, God values integrity. Long before He entrusts someone with greater influence, He works within that person to form the inner life.

This was the great difference between Paul and the super-apostles. The false teachers carefully cultivated an image because they desired admiration, influence, and personal advantage. Paul sought something entirely different. He desired to be found faithful before God.

He understood that ministry is never performed merely before an audience. It is always lived before the face of God.

The Proof of Integrity

Integrity is commonly understood as honesty, adherence to strong moral principles, and the condition of being whole or undivided. That final description deserves careful reflection.

Biblical integrity is much more than simply telling the truth. It is the consistency of a life that is becoming increasingly whole under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is becoming the same person in private that we are in public, and the same person before God that we present ourselves to be before others.

A life of integrity becomes marked by reliability, truthfulness, honor, uprightness, and sincerity. These are not isolated qualities that can be separated from one another. They are visible expressions of a heart that desires to please God rather than impress people.

This is precisely how Paul describes his own ministry:

“For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 2:17, ESV

Notice how often Paul directs attention away from himself and toward God. He reminds the Corinthians that he has been commissioned by God, that he speaks in Christ, and that he carries out his ministry in the sight of God.

His greatest concern was not whether people applauded him, admired him, or recognized his authority. His concern was whether he remained faithful to the One who had called him.

That perspective changes everything.

A servant who lives before the face of God has little need to manufacture an image before people. He does not have to pretend to be someone he is not, because his life is already open before the Lord. His confidence does not rest in maintaining the approval of others, but in walking faithfully before God.

The super-apostles sought the approval of men. Paul sought the approval of Christ.

Ministry Received by Mercy

Paul continues this thought with one of the most beautiful statements in the letter:

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” — 2 Corinthians 4:1, ESV

Paul never viewed ministry as a position he had earned or an honor he deserved. He understood that every opportunity to serve Christ was an undeserved gift of divine mercy.

That truth leaves no room for pride.

If ministry is received by mercy, then no servant can boast in his own accomplishments. Everything entrusted to us has first been given by the gracious hand of God. Our calling is not proof of our superiority. It is evidence of His mercy.

This understanding also explains Paul’s remarkable perseverance. The expression “lose heart” conveys the idea of becoming discouraged, shrinking back, or giving up in the face of opposition. Paul experienced rejection, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment, physical suffering, and false accusation throughout his ministry. Yet he refused to abandon the calling God had entrusted to him.

Why?

Because his confidence did not rest in his own strength, nor was it sustained by the approval of others. His confidence rested in the mercy of the God who had called him. The One who graciously entrusted him with the ministry would also faithfully sustain him through every trial.

Paul did not continue because ministry was always rewarding. He continued because Christ was worthy.

Integrity Is Revealed in the Storm

It is relatively easy to appear faithful when life is comfortable, people are supportive, and ministry seems fruitful. The true measure of integrity becomes visible when obedience is costly.

The super-apostles remained as long as ministry advanced their own ambitions. Paul remained because Jesus Christ was worthy of his obedience regardless of the cost.

Paul endured criticism, hardship, rejection, false accusations, persecution, and imprisonment. Yet none of these things persuaded him to abandon the work God had given him to do. His steadfastness was not the result of extraordinary human determination. It was the fruit of a settled confidence in the character and faithfulness of God.

As Paul later encouraged the Galatian believers:

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9, ESV

Storms do not create integrity. They reveal it.

Just as a deeply rooted tree demonstrates its strength when fierce winds arise, so the character of a servant becomes visible when faithfulness is tested. Long before steadfastness is seen publicly, it has been cultivated privately through years of walking with the Lord.

Trials reveal where our roots have grown. They expose whether our confidence rests in visible results, public approval, personal comfort, or the faithfulness of God.

The Proof of Character

If integrity describes the consistency of our lives, character speaks to the kind of people we are becoming.

Character is the inward reality from which our words, attitudes, decisions, and actions continually flow. It cannot be sustained by appearance alone because, sooner or later, the true condition of the heart becomes visible.

This is why the attacks of the super-apostles were directed toward Paul’s character. If they could persuade the Corinthians that Paul’s motives were selfish, deceptive, or corrupt, they could undermine the credibility of the gospel he proclaimed.

Paul understood a timeless biblical principle: our lives eventually reveal our nature.

Jesus taught this same truth:

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” — Luke 6:45, ESV

The words we speak, the decisions we make, and the lives we live all flow from the condition of our hearts. A healthy tree naturally bears healthy fruit because its life is healthy at the root. In the same way, a servant whose heart has been transformed by the grace of God will increasingly display the fruit of integrity and Christlike character.

No amount of giftedness can substitute for that.

No amount of public success can replace it.

No carefully constructed image can hide its absence forever.

Giftedness may attract attention, but character determines whether a person can faithfully carry the responsibility that comes with influence. A person may possess remarkable ability and yet lack the inner formation necessary to use that ability for the glory of God.

This is why God’s work within us must never be separated from the work He accomplishes through us. The Lord is not merely concerned with what we do in His name. He is also concerned with who we are becoming while we do it.

The Genuine Servant

Paul does not present integrity and character as evidence of human perfection. He does not claim that a genuine servant never struggles, never fails, or never needs correction.

Paul knew his own weakness.

The authentic servant is not the person who has never stumbled. He is the person who walks honestly before God, responds to correction, repents when necessary, and continues to yield his life to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

Integrity is not sinlessness. It is an undivided commitment to live truthfully before God.

Character is not something we manufacture through human effort. It is formed as the Word of God renews our minds, the Spirit of God transforms our hearts, and the grace of God teaches us to walk in obedience.

The genuine servant does not merely proclaim truth. By the grace of God, he increasingly seeks to live in agreement with the truth he proclaims.

A Final Pastoral Reflection

Paul begins the first proof of a sincere servant’s heart with integrity and character because everything else in ministry rests upon this foundation.

Before God entrusts us with greater opportunities to serve Him, He is concerned with the kind of people we are becoming. The greatest testimony of our lives will never be the size of our audience, the extent of our influence, or the number of our accomplishments. It will be the quiet consistency of walking faithfully with Christ when no one is watching.

Perhaps the most searching question raised by this passage is not simply whether we are serving Christ, but how and why we are serving Him.

Are we seeking the approval of people, or are we content to live before the face of God?

Are we cultivating an image, or are we allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our character?

Do we view ministry as something we have earned, or as a mercy we have received?

Will we continue to serve when obedience becomes costly and applause disappears?

May our desire never be merely to appear useful in the Kingdom of God. May our greatest ambition be to become men and women whose lives bear unmistakable evidence that we have walked with Jesus.

Reference Scriptures for Further Study

The theme of integrity and character runs throughout Scripture. Consider reading and reflecting upon the following passages:

Genesis 6:9 — Noah is described as a righteous and blameless man who walked with God in the midst of a corrupt generation.

Genesis 17:1 — God calls Abraham to walk before Him and to be blameless.

Job 1:1; 2:3 — Job’s integrity is revealed and tested through severe suffering.

Psalm 15:1–5 — David describes the character of the person who may dwell in the presence of God.

Psalm 26:1–3 — David appeals to the Lord concerning the integrity of his walk.

Proverbs 10:9 — The one who walks in integrity walks securely.

Proverbs 11:3 — The integrity of the upright guides them.

Proverbs 20:7 — The righteous person walks in integrity and leaves a blessing to those who follow.

Matthew 7:15–20 — Jesus teaches that a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Matthew 12:33–37 — Jesus connects the condition of the heart with the words that proceed from it.

Luke 6:43–45 — Good fruit flows from good treasure within the heart.

2 Corinthians 1:12 — Paul appeals to the testimony of his conscience and his conduct in godly sincerity.

2 Corinthians 2:17 — Paul contrasts sincere ministry with those who peddle the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 4:1–2 — Paul describes ministry received by mercy and rejects hidden and disgraceful practices.

Galatians 6:9 — Believers are encouraged not to grow weary in doing good.

1 Timothy 1:5 — Love flows from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

Titus 2:7–8 — Paul calls for integrity, dignity, and sound speech in teaching.

1 Peter 5:1–4 — Spiritual leaders are called to serve willingly, eagerly, and by example rather than for dishonest gain.

Reflection Questions

1. When I compare my public life with my private life, do I see increasing wholeness and consistency, or are there divided areas that I have kept hidden from others?

2. Am I primarily motivated by faithfulness before God, or by recognition, influence, approval, and visible success?

3. Do I view every opportunity to serve Christ as an undeserved gift of mercy, or have I begun to think of ministry as something I have earned?

4. What do seasons of hardship, disappointment, or opposition reveal about the depth of my spiritual roots?

5. Would those who know me most closely describe my life as reliable, truthful, honorable, upright, and sincere?

6. Am I more concerned with appearing useful in the Kingdom of God, or with becoming a person whose character reflects Jesus Christ?

7. What is the Holy Spirit presently revealing about my motives, my character, and the way I serve?

Next Time

In the next article, we will examine the second proof of a sincere servant’s heart:

The Proof of Transparency and Openness

If integrity asks whether our lives are whole and undivided, transparency asks another searching question:

Do we have anything to hide?

Join the Mission

Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything that He has not already endured Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will remain the ultimate example for every servant of God.

If this article has strengthened or challenged you, please consider sharing it with someone who desires to know God’s Word more deeply. Subscribe to continue with us through this series as we examine the marks of sincere Christian service and seek to become believers who can stand faithfully in every season.

Your prayers, encouragement, and support also help Risen Scepter Ministries International continue equipping pastors, strengthening churches, and serving vulnerable communities in developing nations.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International

Risen Scepter Ministries International exists to express the Kingdom of God in the earth by equipping pastors in developing nations so that they, in turn, may equip their people for the work of the ministry, according to Ephesians 4:11–13.

Through biblical leadership training, church planting, pastoral encouragement, theological instruction, and ministry among vulnerable communities, we seek to strengthen the Church with faithful biblical teaching. Our desire is to help form believers whose lives are firmly established upon the Word of God, who can discern truth from error, endure suffering without abandoning their faith, and remain steadfast in Christ until the consummation of all things.

“Who is sufficient for these things?”

This 13-part series explores the stark contrast between the slick, self-promoting "super-apostles" of Paul's day and the authentic, broken "clay pots" God actually uses to build His Kingdom.

Below is the roadmap for our journey. You can click any of the linked titles to read the published articles and follow along as we uncover the nine undeniable proofs of a sincere servant's heart.

Introduction & The Threat

Part 1: The Myth of the Super-Apostle and the Power of the Clay Pot

• Explores why God chooses to house the glorious treasure of the Gospel in frail, broken vessels (clay pots) to prove that the surpassing power belongs to Him and not to us.

• Sets the stage for the conflict between the Apostle Paul and those who judged ministry by worldly standards rather than authentic spiritual power. (Read Here)

Part 2: A Heart Laid Down (Why Do We Serve God?)

• Challenges us to examine our true motives for ministry, asking the hard question: Are we serving God for what we expect to receive from Him, or simply because He is worthy?.

• Explores what it means to minister with a completely surrendered heart, laying down our own agendas and expectations for the sake of the Gospel (Read Here)

Part 3: A Church in Chaos

• Details the specific chaos and spiritual immaturity that plagued the Corinthian believers, including severe divisions, immorality, and abuses at the Lord’s Supper.

• Examines the Apostle Paul’s “severe letter” and the deep pastoral anguish he experienced over the rebellion, demonstrating the absolute necessity of biblical church discipline to lead believers to genuine repentance (Read Here)

Part 4: The Tactics of the "Super-Apostles"

• Breaks down exactly how spiritual hucksters infiltrated the early church by peddling God's Word for profit, relying on earthly wisdom, and using false letters of commendation.

• Provides a timeless warning on how to spot slick, man-centered performers who preach "another Jesus" and disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. (Read Here)

The 9 Proofs of a Sincere Servant's Heart

To counter the deceit of the false teachers, Paul didn't respond with a louder performance. Rather, he presented undeniable proof of an authentic Christian ministry.

Part 5: The Proof of Integrity and Character

• Explores how a genuine ministry operates with complete honesty and directness, renouncing secret thoughts, trickery, or the adulteration of God’s Word.

• Contrasts Paul’s open statement of truth with the “super-apostles” who operated in darkness and disguised their true motives to deceive the flock

Walking with an undivided heart and unwavering moral principles before God. (Read Here)

Part 6: The Proof of Transparency and Openness

• Explores how a genuine ministry operates with complete honesty and directness, renouncing secret thoughts, trickery, or the adulteration of God’s Word.

• Contrasts Paul’s open statement of truth with the “super-apostles” who operated in darkness and disguised their true motives to deceive the flock

Living an honest, accessible life with absolutely nothing to hide. (Read Here)

Part 7: The Proof of Weakness and Inability

• Examines why God places the glorious treasure of the Gospel into frail, breakable “clay jars”—to prove that the surpassing power belongs entirely to Him and not to us.

• Shows how true ministers boast in their human weakness and inability, knowing that Christ’s strength is perfected in their frailty

Boasting in our frailty so that the surpassing power of Christ may rest upon us. (Read Here)

Part 8: The Proof of Persecution and Hardship

• Reveals how enduring trials, beatings, and afflictions with patience serves as a divine seal of an authentic apostolic calling.

• Demonstrates that God is sovereign over our suffering, using our hardships to bring comfort to others and proving we rely on Him rather than ourselves

Enduring trials and afflictions as a living testimony of a genuine calling. (Coming Soon)

Part 9: The Proof of a Willingness to Serve—Receiving Nothing in Return

• Highlights Paul’s decision to preach the Gospel humbly and free of charge, completely contrary to the culture of Greek professionals and the “super-apostles” who demanded fees.

• Explains why a true servant will gladly sacrifice their biblical right to financial support rather than place any obstacle in the way of the Gospel

Ministering the Gospel freely without demanding earthly compensation. (Coming Soon)

Part 10: The Proof of a Clean Conscience

• Details what it means to behave in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, relying on God’s grace rather than worldly wisdom.

• Shows how a reverential fear of the Lord—and the knowledge that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ—motivates a minister to maintain a clear conscience before God and men

Behaving with simplicity and godly sincerity before both God and men (Coming Soon)

Part 11: The Proof of Sound Doctrine

• Emphasizes the vital necessity of preaching “Christocentric” (Christ-centered) doctrine rather than “anthropocentric” (man-centered) messages that focus on wealth or human passions.

• Instructs leaders on their duty to protect the flock from false teachings and “unhealthy” doctrine by holding firmly to the apostolic truths entrusted to them

Faithfully preaching the truth to protect, nourish, and mature the flock. (Coming Soon)

Part 12: The Proof of a Heart for God’s People

• Explores the deep, unbreakable love and “godly jealousy” a true shepherd holds for their congregation, akin to a father’s love or Christ’s love for His Bride.

• Illustrates the pastoral anguish of watching a spiritually immature flock succumb to a “different gospel,” and the commitment to never abandon them.

Loving the body of Christ deeply and unconditionally, even in the face of rebellion. (Coming Soon)

Part 13: The Proof of Servanthood and Humility

• Contrasts the self-promoting “super-apostles” with Paul, who viewed himself as an “under-rower” (the lowest galley slave) and the “scum of the earth” for the sake of Christ.

• Concludes that an authentic minister claims no glory for themselves, seeking only the Lord’s commendation as a simple, expendable clay pot bearing a priceless treasure

Proclaiming Christ alone as Lord, and ourselves merely as servants for His sake. (Coming Soon)

A Series on Our Attitude Toward Serving God - Servanthood - and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?“ — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

In our last post, we looked at the chaos and spiritual immaturity that plagued the Corinthian church. Yet, as dark as that situation was, a more sinister threat had crept in. A group of arrogant men had arrived, attempting to steal the hearts of the people by claiming eminent authority and tearing down the Apostle Paul’s foundational ministry.

Pau’s Sarcastic Label

Paul used a term laced with heavy sarcasm to describe his opponents: he called them “super-apostles”. They may have considered themselves “super” or “above” everyone else, but in the eyes of Paul, they were dangerous frauds.

In reality, Paul warned the church that these men were “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13).

Paul’s greatest fear was that the Corinthian believers were being led astray by a counterfeit message that would corrupt their pure devotion to Christ.

These false teachers were proclaiming “another Jesus... a different spirit... a different gospel”.

How did these “super-apostles” operate, and what were their chief characteristics? Paul exposes their tactics clearly:

• They used earthly wisdom: Instead of relying on the grace of God; they built their ministries on the philosophies and wisdom of the world.

• They were preachers for hire: Paul called them “peddlers of God’s word”. They were spiritual hucksters who sold the Word of God to the highest bidder for personal profit.

• They used false credentials: Because they had no true spiritual authority; they brought forged letters of commendation to gain entrance into the community and deceive the people.

• They elevated themselves by crushing others: They constantly boasted about their own accomplishments while viciously condemning Paul’s ministry.

• They attacked Paul’s physical presence: To destroy the church’s confidence; they claimed Paul’s bodily presence was weak and his speaking abilities were of no account.

• They were slick performers with no power: They were highly skilled in the philosophical speaking styles prized by the Greeks, yet their arguments contained no true spiritual power.

These men claimed to be the most eminent and celebrated of all leaders. Yet, they were merely servants of Satan, disguising themselves as servants of righteousness to build their own empires.

This is exactly why Paul wrote so passionately. The authentic gospel was at stake.

Have you ever know someone that claimed to be a servant of Christ, yet, in fact, they exhibited the characteristics of a “Super-Apostle”?

Reference Scriptures for Further Study:

• The danger of false shepherds and deceitful teachers is a consistent theme throughout Scripture. For further study on Old Testament warnings against leaders who scatter the flock and feed themselves rather than the sheep, see the prophetic indictments in Ezekiel 34:1-10, Jeremiah 2:8, Jeremiah 10:21, and Jeremiah 23:1-2. For the Apostle Paul’s warnings to other churches regarding false teachers and spiritual wolves, see his tearful address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28-31, his fierce defense against a distorted gospel in Galatians 1:6-10, his warnings about teachers seeking “shameful gain” in Titus 1:10-11, and his prophetic caution about people accumulating teachers to suit their own passions in 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Reflection Questions:

1. Personal Assessment: Are we drawn to modern “super-apostles” who rely on slick presentation and worldly wisdom, or do we value genuine spiritual power and biblical truth?

2. Spiritual Application: How can a church guard itself against spiritual “hucksters” who attempt to peddle God’s Word for shameful gain and personal profit?

Next Time: How do we tell the difference between a true shepherd and a false apostle? In Part 5, we will begin looking at the proofs of a sincere servant’s heart, starting with Proof #1: Integrity and Character.

Join the Mission: Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything He has not already done Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will is the ultimate example for us to follow. If your heart is stirring to step away from man-centered religion and into a life of total surrender to the King, please share this post to challenge and encourage a fellow believer. Subscribe today to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for authentic service in the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International: Risen Scepter Ministries International (RSMI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to “Expressing the Kingdom of God in the Earth”. Our core vision is to equip pastors in developing nations so that they might equip their people to do the work of the ministry, fulfilling the mandate of Ephesians 4:11-13. Through biblical training centers, pastor support programs, and initiatives for at-risk children, we bring hope and resources to leaders serving Christ in non-industrialized nations—many of whom minister faithfully in the face of extreme poverty or persecution. We firmly believe that the Word of God and the correct application of biblical principles have the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and entire nations.

A Series on Our Attitude toward serving God-Servanthood and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?“ — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

In our last post, we paused to examine our hearts and asked ourselves why we truly serve God. Now that we have set our posture toward ministry, we must turn to the historical context of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.

To truly understand why the Apostle Paul wrote so passionately about being a “simple clay pot,” we first have to understand the heartbreak and chaos he experienced with the church in Corinth.

Paul and the Corinthian Church

Paul actually founded the Corinthian church around 51-52 A.D., working as a tentmaker alongside Aquila and Priscilla. He faced intense threats from both Jews and Gentiles in the city, but the Lord came to him in a vision to encourage His servant:

“And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.’ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” — Acts 18:9-11 (ESV)

Despite this divine protection and the church’s initial growth, a severe problem arose: spiritual immaturity

To understand this immaturity, we must look at the cultural climate of the city. The worship of false gods and false powers was sown into the very fabric of the everyday lives of the Corinthian people. Most of the believers in the Corinthian church had come directly out of this pagan, idol-worshipping background.

Furthermore, the city was known for extreme wickedness; the inhabitants worshipped at the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan goddess, where thousands of prostitutes plied their trade.

It was a culture steeped in sexual immorality and the pursuit of “earthly wisdom,” where people highly prized slick philosophical speaking skills over genuine truth.

Because of their lack of spiritual maturity, the believers allowed this toxic culture to bleed directly into the church.

By the time Paul wrote his first letter to them, the congregation was plagued with chaos. Instead of unity, there were bitter divisions and factions, with people claiming, “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos”. The situation was so dire that Paul had to address:

• A shocking case of incest

• Believers dragging each other into court and suing one another

• Rampant sexual immorality

• Confusion and questions concerning marriage and divorce

• Disorder during worship services

• Severe abuses taking place during the Lord’s Supper

Yet the apostle loved the people of the church of Corinth to the extent that is caused him untold anguish.

“For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.” — 2 Corinthians 2:4 (ESV)

Paul was so troubled about how they would receive his rebuke that his spirit was not at rest. Eventually, however, Titus returned to him with the joyous news that the Corinthian believers had sincerely repented of their grievous spiritual and moral compromises, flooding the Apostle’s heart with profound consolation.

Yet, a dark cloud still hung over Corinth

An additional threat had crept in, and this one struck at the very foundation of the Gospel.

A group of arrogant men had arrived, attempting to steal the hearts of the people by tearing down Paul’s authority and promoting a man-centered, counterfeit message.

Stay Tuned

Reference Scriptures for Further Study:

• The chaos in Corinth was multifaceted. For further study on the specific issues born of their spiritual immaturity, see Paul’s first letter addressing: divisions (1 Cor. 1:10-17), incest (1 Cor. 5), lawsuits among believers (1 Cor. 6:1-11), sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:12-20), questions on marriage and divorce (1 Cor. 7:1-24), disorder during worship (1 Cor. 11:2-16), and abuses at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-34).

Reflection Questions:

1. Personal Assessment: When you face conflict or spiritual immaturity within your own community, do you respond with “anguish of heart and many tears” out of abundant love, as Paul did, or with frustration and anger?

2. Spiritual Application: Why is a foundation of spiritual maturity so vital for protecting the church against the chaos of division and false teaching?

Next Time: How do we recognize false leaders who seek to tear down authentic ministry? In Part 4, we will expose the specific tactics of Paul’s opponents in “The Tactics of the Super-Apostles”.

Join the Mission Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything He has not already done Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will is the ultimate example for us to follow. If your heart is stirring to step away from man-centered religion and into a life of total surrender to the King, please share this post to challenge and encourage a fellow believer. Subscribe today to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for authentic service in the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International Risen Scepter Ministries International (RSMI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to “Expressing the Kingdom of God in the Earth”. Our core vision is to equip pastors in developing nations so that they might in turn equip their people to do the work of the ministry, fulfilling the mandate of Ephesians 4:11-13. Through biblical training centers, pastor support programs, and initiatives for at-risk children, we bring hope and resources to leaders serving Christ in non-industrialized nations—many of whom minister faithfully in the face of extreme poverty or persecution. We firmly believe that the Word of God and the correct application of biblical principles has the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and entire nations.

Visit us on the web at RisenScepter.org

A Series On Our Attitude toward Serving God—Servanthood and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

In our first post, we established a foundational truth: if you are serving God, you are a “simple clay pot” carrying an eternal King. But this realization demands that we stop and examine our own hearts before we go any further.

The overarching theme of this series is our attitude toward ministry, service, and our own personal growth. Before we can look at the chaos in the ancient church of Corinth, or examine the proofs of a sincere servant’s heart, we must ask ourselves some very pointed, very strong questions about why we do what we do.

Why do we serve God?

Whether you have a formal leadership title or are simply seeking to serve the Lord in your daily life, I want you to ask yourself honestly, “Why do I desire to serve God?”

• Is it truly to serve Him, or to serve ourselves?

• If we serve simply because we feel we have a “call”—what does being “called” actually mean?

• How is that call worked out in the everyday experience of our lives?

• What do we expect to receive from God for serving Him?

• Does God owe us anything?

A heart laid down

To understand what a heart laid down looks like, we have to look at the very essence of worship. True worship is not about playing songs or bodily posture; it is an attitude of total surrender to the Father’s will.

We see the perfect picture of this total surrender in the story of Abraham and Isaac. When God tested Abraham, asking him to sacrifice his beloved son, Abraham rose early, saddled his donkey, and traveled to the place God had told him. Notice the specific word Abraham used when speaking to his servants before they walked up the mountain:

“Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” — Genesis 22:5 (NASU)

Abraham’s worship was not a song. It was a heart laid down. He exhibited a heart that was willing to give up everything, even a beloved son, for the sake of obedience to the Father. He was willing to give up the very promise of God for God Himself! True worship is a life lived in surrender to the Father’s will, for the purpose of His glory.

The Apostle Peter perfectly outlined the attitude we must have when serving the body of Christ:

“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” — 1 Peter 5:2-3 (ESV)

If we serve out of compulsion, for shameful gain, or to domineer over others, we are building our own kingdoms rather than God’s. Furthermore, if our goal as the body of Christ is to help one another grow, we face another stark reality: How can we lead people to spiritual maturity if we ourselves are not mature?

The Apostle Paul took these questions incredibly seriously. He knew that everything we do flows directly out of our internal character. Therefore, if we cannot answer these questions with a pure heart, our foundation is already cracking.

Respectfully submitted,

Reflection Questions:

1. Personal Assessment: Look at the story of Abraham’s total surrender. Are you willing to give up the very promises of God for God Himself, or is your service tied entirely to what you expect Him to give you?

2. Spiritual Application: In what ways might an immature, man-centered attitude toward serving God actually harm the people around you?

Next Time: To see how dangerous the wrong attitude toward service can be, we have to look at history. In Part 3, we will uncover Corinth: A Church in Chaos, setting the stage for Paul’s greatest defense of the Gospel.

Join the Mission

Jesus Christ calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, He never asks us to endure or sacrifice anything He has not already done Himself—and infinitely more. Christ’s perfect faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will is the ultimate example for us to follow. If your heart is stirring to step away from man-centered religion and into a life of total surrender to the King, please share this post to challenge and encourage a fellow believer. Subscribe today to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for authentic service in the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International Risen Scepter Ministries International fulfills the Great Commission by equipping native pastors in developing nations. These pastors then equip and release God’s people to transform their own communities. Our mission is to provide these spiritual leaders with the biblical depth, resources, and training necessary to establish self-sustaining churches and training centers. We envision a global network of empowered “equippers” who stand firmly on eternal biblical truth while effectively reaching their unique cultures for the glory of God.

RisenScepter.org

A Series On Our Attitude toward Serving God—Servanthood and Personal Growth

(Check out the rest of the series. You can find the series index here)

Primary Series Passage

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

Who is to be lifted up - us or Him?

We live in a culture that loves to put leaders on a pedestal. Even within the church, it is easy to be drawn to the polished, the perfect, and the powerful. But when we look at the life of the Apostle Paul, we see a different picture of what it means to carry the power of God. It seems contrary to all logic but that power exists in our weakness.

The Super Apostles

During his ministry, Paul faced a group of opponents in the Corinthian church that he satirically labeled the "super-apostles". These men were the celebrities of their day. They boasted about their own accomplishments, relied on earthly wisdom born of the Greeks, and used slick, persuasive speaking skills to draw a crowd.

To elevate themselves, these "super-apostles" attacked Paul. They claimed his bodily presence was weak and his speaking ability was lacking. They tried to prove that because Paul suffered and lacked polish, his ministry could not possibly be genuine.

Turning the Tables

How did Paul respond? He didn't fight back by trying to prove how strong, eloquent, or impressive he was. Instead, he agreed with them. He pointed directly to his own frailty and wrote these profound words:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians 4:7).

So what's the deal with the clay pots?

To fully understand this, we have to look at what a clay pot was in the ancient world. Clay pots were not fine china. They were cheap, highly breakable, and completely replaceable. In fact, while they were sometimes used to store valuables, they were most often used to hold garbage and human waste.

This is exactly how Paul viewed himself: as lowly, common, expendable, and replaceable.

He understood a fundamental truth that we desperately need today: God intentionally places His most priceless treasure—the Gospel and the presence of Christ—into broken, fragile vessels. Why? So that when people look at our lives, it is completely obvious that the supreme, surpassing power belongs to God, not to us.

As I have often said, I have failed and you have too.

We are all feeble.

We are all frail.

We are all filled with profound inability.

But we are not to despair over this reality; we are to rejoice in it!

It is God’s absolute pleasure to bring about His eternal purpose through our weakness. When we acknowledge our inability, Christ fills us with His strength, and the Father receives all the glory.

We are not called to be "super-apostles." We are simple clay pots carrying an eternal King.

Reflection Questions:

1. Personal Reflection: In what ways have you felt like a fragile or broken "clay pot," and how might God be using that exact weakness to display His surpassing power in your life?

2. Spiritual Application: What is one area of your life where you need to stop relying on your own strength and start resting entirely on the treasure of Christ within you?

Next Time: If human weakness is actually the vessel for God’s power, we must stop and honestly examine our own hearts and motives before we go any further into the text. In Part 2, we will pause to ask some very pointed questions in Why Do We Serve God?

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A Voice That Must Cry Out

The prophet Isaiah heard it centuries before John the Baptist ever opened his mouth:

Thunder in the desert! “Prepare for GOD’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then GOD’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as GOD has said.” — Isaiah 40:3–5 (The Message)

And Malachi, writing at the close of the Old Testament canon, carried the same theme forward with startling specificity:

“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me…” — Malachi 3:1 (NLT)

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.” — Malachi 4:5–6 (NLT)

The Voice and the Highway

The Corporate Elijah is, first and foremost, a Voice. There must be a sound that breaks the silence of the wilderness, a calling out that demands the road be made straight. This work of preparation—the leveling of hills and the clearing of rocks—is the fruit of repentance and brokenness.

The goal of this preparation is the revealing of a glory that the “former house” could never contain. In the Old Testament, the “house” pointed to a physical temple, but in the New Testament reality, a “house” is a Family. Through the Cross and Resurrection, God moved from Visitation (a temporary guest) to Habitation (a permanent resident).

As members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19-22) and Living Stones (1 Peter 2:4-5), the Body of Christ has become the dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The prophetic vision is consistent: before the Lord arrives in glory, there is a voice. There is a forerunner. There is one who declares that Yahweh is God, who calls for repentance, who levels the hills and fills the valleys of the human heart so that the highway is made fit for the King. The glory that will be seen at His coming will surpass anything that has come before.

The question this series presses toward is this: Who is that forerunner today?

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“In the Spirit and the Power” — What Does That Mean?

To understand the “Spirit and Power” of Elijah, we must contrast the first Elijah with the second (John).

When the angel announced the birth of John to his father Zechariah, the description given was precise:

“8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple... 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him... 13 But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid... your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John... 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord... and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’” — Luke 1:8-17 (NASU)

But what exactly does it mean to come in the spirit and power of Elijah?

The Message renders it this way: “He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah.” The TEV puts it: “He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah.”

The Greek word translated “in” in Luke 1:17 is a primary preposition denoting fixed position — in place, in time, in state — and by implication, instrumentality. John was not merely stylistically similar to Elijah. He was the God-appointed instrument for his age, operating in the same spiritual position and by the same divine power as the first Elijah. He was placed in a fixed point in redemptive history to fulfill a specific and irreplaceable function.

But this raises a pointed question: what exactly did the first Elijah do? The record is remarkable:

1. He multiplied the flour and oil of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:14–16)

2. He raised her son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17–24)

3. He foretold the seven-year drought (1 Kings 17:3)

4. He called down rain after seven years (1 Kings 18:41–45)

5. He exposed Baal as nothing before the God of all the earth — by the consuming fire and the destruction of his priests (1 Kings 18:36–38)

6. He foretold the destruction of Ahab and his household (1 Kings 21:17–29)

7. He called down fire to destroy the soldiers of Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:10–12)

Did John the Baptist do any of those things? Not literally. He performed no recorded miracles. He called down no fire. He raised no dead. Yet Christ Himself said of him:

“If you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” — Matthew 11:14 (NASU)

And more astonishing still:

“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!” — Matthew 11:11 (NASU)

The reason is clear: John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). He entered the world already equipped to fulfill his call. He was positioned in the fixed moment of the first coming of Christ and served as the divine instrument to prepare the way — not by replicating Elijah’s specific acts, but by functioning in the same prophetic spirit, authority, and power.

John served as the bridge between two periods of spiritual timing. He was the end of the old prophetic age and the beginning of the new. Just as Samuel was the end of the ruling prophets and the bridge to the kings, John was the transition point. Yet, Jesus declared that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11).

________________________________________

The Forerunner Question: Is There to Be Another?

Here is where the argument deepens.

After the Transfiguration, the disciples came down the mountain with a pressing theological question:

“Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” — Matthew 17:10 (NASU)

Jesus replied:

“Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” — Matthew 17:11–12 (NASU)

The disciples understood He was speaking of John the Baptist. But note carefully what Jesus said: Elijah already came — and — Elijah is coming and will restore all things. The first statement is past tense, referring to John. The second is future tense. Both cannot refer to the same person.

This is confirmed by John himself, who explicitly denied being the fulfillment of the Malachi 4 prophecy:

“Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” — John 1:21 (NASU)

If John was, by Christ’s own testimony, the Elijah of the first coming — yet John himself denied being the Elijah of Malachi’s ultimate prophecy — then the logic is inescapable: there is a forerunner yet to come for the second advent.

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The Prophecy in Threes

This leads us to a pattern that runs through Scripture: the prophecy in threes.

The Isaiah 40 declaration — “Prepare for God’s arrival, Yah is God” — echoes across redemptive history in three movements:

1. The first Elijah — Tishbite, prophet of fire, who confronted Baal and called Israel back to Yahweh

2. John the Baptist — who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, functioning as the forerunner of the first coming

3. A third expression — still coming, the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3–5 at the return of the Lord in glory

The ultimate fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy is not the humble birth in Bethlehem — it is the coming of the Lord in glory to receive His Kingdom. That coming also requires a forerunner.

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Corporate, Singular, Corporate: The Biblical Pattern

To understand who this third Elijah is, we must grasp a critical hermeneutical pattern in Scripture: the movement from corporate to singular to corporate.

Consider Isaiah 42:

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” — Isaiah 42:1 (NASU)

This passage has rightly been understood as a prophecy of the Messiah. Yet the ancient Jewish interpreters and the translators of the Septuagint saw it as a reference to national Israel — they rendered it “Jacob is My servant” (cf. Isaiah 41:8). Both readings carry textual warrant. The servant is simultaneously corporate Israel and the singular Christ.

The same pattern appears in the Hosea quotation: “Out of Egypt I called My son.” Originally, this referred to the Hebrew nation in the Exodus. Matthew 2:15 applies it to Jesus Himself, returning from Egypt after the death of Herod. But there is a third corporate reality — a people called out of Egypt again, entering into the land of promise.

This is not interpretive confusion. This is the structure of biblical prophecy: the pattern moves from a corporate figure to a singular fulfillment, then expands again into a corporate application.

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The 42nd Generation

Matthew’s genealogy in chapter 1 makes a striking mathematical observation:

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” — Matthew 1:17 (NASU)

Three groups of fourteen: that is forty-two named generations. But count the actual names in Matthew’s list — you arrive at forty-one, not forty-two. One generation is missing.

This is intentional. The forty-second generation is not listed because it had not yet been born when Matthew wrote. The forty-second generation was to issue from the first coming of Christ. It is the generation that springs from His death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit — the Church. And from within this generation, Scripture envisions a corporate Elijah arising to prepare the way for the second coming.

This is why Jesus made this stunning statement:

“Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” — Matthew 11:11 (NASU)

The Bridge Between Epochs

John the Baptist stood at the hinge between two ages. He was the terminus of the old prophetic order — as Samuel was the end of the era of ruling prophets and the bridge to the age of kings. But the least citizen of the new covenant Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated was to be greater than John. What then of those who will usher in the second coming?

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The Corporate Elijah: Who Are They?

Jesus Himself promised, post-Transfiguration, that an Elijah would come who would restore all things (Matthew 17:11). This points to a forerunner movement that precedes the second advent — one that operates in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, born from within the womb of Israel (the root of faith from which the Church emerged), functioning in the same “fixed position and instrumentality” that characterized both the first Elijah and John the Baptist.

They are those who:

• Come in the spirit and power — the place and instrumentality — of Elijah

• Have been born from within their mother: Israel, the womb of the Church’s calling

• Operate in the fullness of the Holy Spirit as John did from his mother’s womb

• Declare, as Elijah did: “Prepare for God’s arrival — Yah is God”

• Turn hearts, level hills, fill valleys, smooth the road for the King’s return

They are not a single individual. They are a corporate people — the sons and daughters of the Most High, His anointed, His Church. Bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. His Bride.

This is the Church in her highest calling. Not merely gathered, not merely worshiping in private devotion — but sent, as a prophetic forerunner company, operating in the spirit and power of Elijah, preparing the nations for the coming of the King.

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The 42nd Generation!

The genealogy ends with a blank line — a generation yet to be filled in. We are that generation.

The 42nd generation is the “Generation of the Christ”—it is the Corporate Body issuing forth from His first coming. This is the Ultimate Fulfillment of the Elijah mandate. While John the Baptist was the forerunner of the First Advent in the “style and strength” of Elijah, the 42nd Generation is the Corporate Forerunner of the Second Coming.

This is the goal toward which all of scripture has been moving. From the moment the gates of Eden closed, God has been moving to establish a people who would facilitate the merging of Heaven and Earth once again. This is the Great Eschatological Plan to restore and surpass what was lost.

The Universal Garden

In the beginning, the first Garden was a limited, geographical place—a local sanctuary for God and man. But the end-time fulfillment is far greater. We are moving toward a Universal Garden, where the boundary between the spiritual and the human is permanently dissolved. Through the 42nd Generation—the Corporate Elijah—that union is realized on a cosmic scale.

We are not just announcing a return; we are being formed as the Bride who is ready for her Husband. We are the “Living Stones” being fitted together to form the Temple that will never be destroyed. This is the ultimate intention of God: a people who are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, a Church that functions as the Corporate Elijah to welcome the returning Christ to an Earth that has finally become His home.

All of history, all of prophecy, and all of the Spirit’s work leads to this: a 42nd Generation that will not only see the King but will rule and reign with Him in a Universal Garden that covers the face of a redeemed earth. The “style and strength” of Elijah has found its final, eternal resting place in the Body of Christ.

This is the Climax. This is the 42nd Generation.

Bishop G

The road must be made straight. The valleys must be filled. The hills must come down.

Then GOD’s bright glory will shine, and everyone will behold the King!

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“Yah is God.” The very name of Elijah was a public assertion of the ruler-ship of the one true God and His absolute right to reign in the earth. In ancient Hebrew culture, a name represented the nature of the bearer. Therefore, whenever Elijah moved, he was a walking declaration of the eternal nature of Yahweh.

Today, that same declaration is being entrusted to a people—a Corporate Elijah.

The Voice Cries Out

The mandate begins with a sound. It is an anonymous “Voice” in the wilderness, but this is not the voice of a single individual; it is the unified, cumulative message of a company of people preparing the way for the King.

“Thunder in the desert! ‘Prepare for GOD’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then GOD’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as GOD has said.’” — Isaiah 40:3-5 (The Message)

This voice is the precursor to the sudden arrival of the Lord.

“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the LORD Almighty. — Malachi 3:1-2 (NLT)

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.” — Malachi 4:5-6 (NLT)

The Work of Preparation: Building the Highway

The “Elijah Task” is one of preparation. To prepare for the arrival of the King, we must rebuild the road. In the natural world, a road becomes impassable when it is neglected—ruts form, rocks slide onto the path, and hills obstruct the view. Spiritually, these obstructions are the consequences of sin and the neglect of God’s presence.

The Corporate Elijah is called to remove these stumbling blocks so that the people of God can return from their captivities.

“God says, ‘Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.’” — Isaiah 57:14 (NLT)

The Promise of Greater Glory

When Israel returned from Babylon, they built a temple that seemed small and insignificant compared to the former glory of Solomon’s temple. Yet, God spoke a promise through Haggai that transcends the natural structure. He promised a “Latter Glory” that would exceed anything seen in the past.

“For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies... The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” — Haggai 2:6-9 (NLT)

This shaking is happening now. God is shaking the nations to bring forth the “desire of nations,” and the Corporate Elijah is the company that announces this shift.

The Manifestation: Arise and Shine

The goal of this preparation is the public manifestation of God’s glory. This glory is not meant to be hidden; everyone sees it—the rescued and the onlooker alike.

• The Hidden Life Revealed: “Your real life is with Christ and from God. He is your life, and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!” (Colossians 3:3-4 TEV)

• The Beacon of Light: “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” (Isaiah 60:1-3 NLT)

The Road of Holiness

As the desert of our world begins to rejoice and blossom like the Lebanon mountains, a specific path emerges. This is the culmination of the Elijah task—the establishment of The Road of Holiness.

“There will be a highway there, called ‘The Road of Holiness.’ No sinner will ever travel that road; no fools will mislead those who follow it. No lions will be there; no fierce animals will pass that way. Those whom the LORD has rescued will travel home by that road. They will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy. They will be happy forever, forever free from sorrow and grief.” — Isaiah 35:8-10 (TEV)

The glory of the former house shall not compare to the glory that is to be seen on His people at His coming in the “Day of the Lord.”

Bishop G To be continued...

“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of Yahweh: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like a potter’s vessel.’” — Psalm 2:6–9

Have you ever considered that the Resurrection was more than just a miracle of life? It was, in fact, a public coronation. While the world judged Jesus as a criminal, the Resurrection was the Father’s sovereign reversal of that verdict—a “seal” of satisfaction in both justice and love.

The Royal Decree: The Voice of the Father

Long before the empty tomb, the Father had been declaring the true identity of Jesus throughout His ministry.

• The Baptismal Witness: The Declaration of Identity At the Jordan River, as Jesus stood in solidarity with our humanity in the waters of baptism, the Father broke the silence of heaven. The declaration, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased,” was the foundational identification of the King. Before a single miracle was performed or a single sermon preached, His identity was established by the Father’s voice. (See Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22).

• The Transfiguration Witness: The Preview of Glory On the mountain, the Father’s voice spoke again, but this time with a specific command: “Listen to Him!” This event served as a “preview” of the Resurrection glory. In the presence of Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets), the Father moved the focus entirely to the Son. It was a transition of authority, showing that the Law and the Prophets find their fulfillment and their “End” in the person of the Risen King. (See Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:1–13).

• The Reversal of the Verdict: The Judicial Overturn This is a pivotal theological moment. Humanity—represented by both religious and secular authorities—judged Jesus a criminal and an agitator worthy of the cross. However, the Resurrection is the Father’s sovereign, judicial reversal of that human sentence. God the Father overturned the world’s verdict, declaring Jesus not as a criminal, but as the King of Glory. It is the “seal” of the Father’s satisfaction that justice has been served and love has triumphed.

“…who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
LSB Rom. 1:4.

• The “Today” of the Resurrection: The Official Coronation Psalm 2:7 states, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” While Jesus is the eternally begotten Son, Paul’s teaching in Acts 13:33 makes it clear that “Today” refers specifically to the day of His Resurrection. This moment manifested the eternal Son in power and officially enthroned Him as the Risen King over all creation. (See Acts 13:33 and Ephesians 1:19–21).

Because of the cross, Jesus effectively cancelled our debt and disarmed the divine rebels that held us captive, so that we might be free to the King!

“And you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in Him (Col. 2:13-15; LSB).”

The Progressive Reveal: Who Do You Say I Am?

The journey from seeing Jesus through public hearsay to recognizing Him as the King of Glory is one we all must take. Jesus famously forced this move with His disciples, asking, “Who do you say that I am?” (See Matthew 16:15).

The Question of Identity: Jesus’ question in Matthew 16:15, “Who do you say that I am?”, forces a move from public hearsay (”some say Elijah...”) to personal conviction. The Lord challenged His followers to see Him, not as the crowds did, but for who He truly was.

We see this transformation in the lives of those closest to Him:

• The Disciples: From “greatly astonished” and fearful to eventually “getting it” after the feeding miracles (Mark 2:12; 4:41; 6:51–52; 8:21-29).

• The Apostle Peter: He identified the title “The Messiah” but initially lacked the theology of the Cross. It took the empty tomb to turn a “deserter into a disciple”. (See Mark 8:29; 16:7; John 21:15–19; Acts 2:32–36).

• James (Brother of the Lord): He moved from skepticism and disbelief to becoming a pillar of the faith after a specific post-resurrection appearance. (See John 7:5; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 15:13–21; Galatians 1:19).

• The Apostle Paul: His “blinding light” transformation took him from a persecutor to a herald of the preexistent Son. (See Acts 9:3–6; Acts 13:33; 1 Corinthians 15:8; Galatians 1:15–16; Philippians 3:7–10).

Our Shared Status: Sons and Daughters of God

The profound truth of the Resurrection is that Christ’s unique Sonship becomes the pattern for a new humanity that transcends all earthly divisions.

He raised us to new life, and in that new life, we take part in creation's renewal by representing Christ to everyone we meet. We have become His image to those around us.

• The Last Adam: Jesus is the new head of the “new creation humanity”, replacing the solidarity of Adam’s death with a believing union in Christ’s life. (See 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; Romans 5).

• Sons of the Resurrection: Just as Christ was “appointed the Son of God in power,” we become “sons of the resurrection” through union with Him. (Luke 20:36; Rom 1:4; 8:14–17).

• Restoration of Intent: We are being restored to our original intent: true image-bearers of God. This is not a legal fiction; it is a “new creation” reality (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

  In the Body of Christ, ethnic, and social divisions no longer take precedence. (See Galatians 3:28).

The Crescendo: The Scepter and the Renewal of All Things

“God has given us the unique privilege of participating in the renewal of creation.”

Bishop G

The Groaning of Creation

Scripture tells us that creation is “on its tiptoes,” waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God to be liberated from its bondage to decay. (See Romans 8:19–23).

The “Rod” of Iron

The King’s scepter—that “Rod of Iron”—is used to shatter the “pottery” of wicked systems and chaotic geographical entities. (See Psalm 2:9). Incredibly, the King shares this right to rule with His people.

God gives overcomers authority to participate with Him in breaking the power of darkness. (See Revelation 2:26–27).

The End of the Reign of Darkness

Jesus is reigning until He has put all enemies under His feet. Ultimately, we will physically rise to rule and reign with Christ on the new earth. After abolishing every evil rule and making the Earth brand new, He will hand the perfected Kingdom to the Father, so that “God may be all in all”. (See 1 Corinthians 15:24–28).

Selah

The Lord of Glory has been enthroned—Hallelujah!

Reflection:

The Father declared at the Transfiguration, “This is My Son... Listen to Him!” In what area of your life do you still need to recognize His absolute authority today?

Footnotes (Attributions)

[1] L. Morris, “Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 153.

[2] Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative Theology: Our Primary Need: Christ’s Atoning Provisions, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1990), 468–471.

[3] Brandon D. Crowe, The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020), 58–61.

[4] Graeme Goldsworthy, The Son of God and the New Creation, ed. Dane C. Ortlund and Miles V. Van Pelt (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 94–105.

[5] Mark J. Keown, Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes, vol. I (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 160–164.

[6] Allison A. Trites and William J. Larkin, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 12: The Gospel of Luke and Acts (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006), 146–147.

A Psalm to the Nations

I have spoken to the kings and the nations, but they did not hear, and to the princes and the people, and yet they do not see. For My word rings forth and yet they do not praise Me.

But there is a people in the earth that will yet declare My glory among the nations and a people yet unborn that will praise Me.

For a time now comes and is upon the threshold when all things that I have spoken down through the centuries shall be realized; and not one thing that I have spoken will not come to pass.

Sing out in the streets My people, that the nations might serve Me. Sing out upon thy beds that the song might be established.

For the music of My heart will set the captives free, and the music of My call shall establish the thing like a light shining in a dark place until the glory grows.

Little children shall serve Me, young men shall know Me, and their fathers take root in My love.

There is none that can stand that will not fall, if they do not serve Me, and all the ends of the earth shall praise My name together.

Sing out, sing the song all kindred and tribes and people, confess to the Lord God Almighty. Declare His praises and the Psalmist of Israel shall be manifested in Israel that He might sing over His people.

For truly as the nations rage there is one that comes. There is one that shall set the record straight. There is one who shall sing the song, and all shall enter into the rising chorus of creation.

As the people gather, as the people praise Me, I shall vanquish all that stands and all that lifts its face against Me in the consummation of the ages!

The Triumphal Entry

John 12:12–19 (LSB)

12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17 So the crowd, who was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to bear witness about Him. 18 For this reason also the crowd went and met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing; look, the world has gone after Him.”

While this entrance into Jerusalem is known as the Triumphal Entry, it was the culmination of a series of events that began just days prior. To grasp the deep theological weight of this moment, we must look at what transpired “behind the scenes” in Bethany—starting with a miracle that forced a confrontation with eternity.

Setting the Scene: Revealing of Identity

Chapters 11 and 12 of John’s Gospel mark a critical pivot in the narrative of Christ. In chapters 1-12 was the public ministry of Jesus. He had revealed who He was through a progressive unfolding of His ministry and character through chapter 10. However, in Chapter 11, the raising of Lazarus acts as a final “seal” on His public claims.

Because Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem (15 stadia), a massive crowd had gathered to console Martha and Mary. When Jesus arrived, He offered a definitive claim to deity. He told a grieving Martha: “I AM the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25).

There are 7 “I AM” statements in John’s gospel (Jn 6:35; Jn 8:12; Jn 10:7; Jn 11:25; Jn 10:11; Jn 14:6; Jn 15:1) Yet, what is striking about this phrase is: In Greek, this is Ego Eimi—the absolute, non-predicate form of the verb “to be.” It is the identical phrase used in the Septuagint when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM who I AM” (Ex 3:14). Jesus was not merely claiming to have the power to raise the dead; He was identifying Himself as the Self-existent – Self-contained – Self-complete – Tri-unity.

The Jews who had come to console Lazarus’ sisters witnessed their brother being raised from the dead, and the report of the miracle spread like wildfire. Therefore, many of the Jews who had come believed in the Lord (11.45)

Yet, some of the other Jews reported the event to the Pharisees, which convened a meeting concerned that it would draw the attention of their Roman oppressors (11:48).

This brought about a plot to kill Jesus (11:57)

John tells us that after the reaction of the Jewish leaders, “Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews” (11:54).

A turning point had come

A House Filled with Fragrance

Six days before the Passover, Jesus returned to the home of Lazarus. During a meal, Mary took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed Jesus’ feet.

This was an act of staggering sacrifice. The nard was worth three hundred denarii—a full year’s wages. In that culture, such a treasure was often a family heirloom passed down through generations as a dowry or primary security. To break that jar was to pour out her entire future.

In an encounter of deep spiritual intimacy and humility, Mary wiped His feet with her hair.

In the first century, for a woman to unbind her hair in public was an act of total self-abandonment; she was laying her “glory” at His feet. Historically, while guests were offered water for their feet, anointing the feet with such costly oil was a rarity reserved for the highest royalty.

The Body as the Fragrant House

John records that “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (Jn 12:3). This is a profound spiritual type: the physical house was filled, just as ultimately, the Body of Christ becomes a house filled with fragrance through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The scent of the nard was inescapable in that home, and so, the indwelling Spirit is the unmistakable “atmosphere” of the believer. We do not just dwell in God’s presence in buildings that are sacred spaces; we carry it, because we have become the true sacred space.

This fragrance produced two opposite reactions: to Mary, it was worship; to Judas, it was “waste.”

Listen to what the Apostle Paul proclaimed to the believers in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 2:15–16 (ESV)

15 For we are the aroma (the fragrance) of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Here again, we see two different reactions to one fragrance. The determining factor is the spiritual condition of those here the message. This is an either/or situation. There is no neutral position. Either someone receives the message and therefore receives life, or another rejects the message and receives the result of sin and therefore receives death. Here again, Jesus is the hinge pin.

The Triple Triumph: Hebrew, Greek, and Roman

When Jesus finally approached the gates of Jerusalem, the air was thick with the expectations of three different worlds.

1. The Hebrew Celebration (The Feast of Booths)

The crowd’s use of palm branches and the cry of “Hosanna” (Save us, we pray!) was a direct callback to the Feast of Tabernacles and Psalm 118, verse 26. To the Hebrew mind, this was the “Lulav” celebration, which is Sukkot, the Feast of Booths—a recognition that the Messiah had come to dwell among them and deliver them from national bondage.

2. The Greek Expectation (The Epiphany)

The Greeks in the crowd would have recognized this as a Parousia or an “Epiphany”—the arrival of a god-king to a city. In Greek tradition, when a ruler visited, the city beautified itself and met him outside the gates. This explains why the “whole world” (the Gentiles) was drawn to this specific moment.

3. The Roman Triumphus

As we have noted, the Apostle Paul later used this visible key to explain the cross (triumphed over them in it; Col. 2:15). In a Roman Triumphus, citizens poured outside the gates to welcome a conquering general. The general rode in a chariot of honor, while the leaders of the conquered nations were marched in front of him in chains and open shame.

The Prophetic Enactment: Divesting the Enemy

This Roman imagery was the fulfillment of a deep prophetic promise. Paul links this victory to Psalm 68:18, which describes God as a conquering King: “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train.” Paul then applies this specifically to Christ in Ephesians 4:8.

8Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, And HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”

In Colossians 2:15, we see the mechanism of this victory. In the ESV, a marginal note suggests that Jesus “divested (rid)” Himself of the minions of the enemy. It is a cinematic image: as He hung on the Cross, the powers of darkness clung to Him like a heavy, suffocating coat, believing they had finally snared the King of Glory. However, by accomplishing exactly what He had been sent to do and satisfying the justice of God, the Cross broke their legal power. Jesus threw His arms open and cast the enemy off with ease, stripping them of their authority.

The Resurrection then served as the public proof of this “Prophetic Enactment.” As Paul claimed, He was raised because of our justification (Rom 4:25). The Resurrection was not merely a miracle; it was the King’s declaration that the enemies of God had been destroyed and His people were now legally free.

The Final Welcome: A Correction of Vision

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul took this “triumphal” imagery and applied it to the ultimate hope of the church.

To understand this passage, we must see the historical context of the church in Thessalonica. Paul was writing to a community in the grip of deep grief. Several members of the body had recently died, and the survivors were mourning because they feared their loved ones had “missed” the great return of Christ. They believed that because these believers had died before the King’s arrival, they would be excluded from the glory of the Resurrection.

Paul’s aim in writing was to bring comfort to these grieving hearts. He begins in verse 13 by addressing their misunderstanding of the state of the dead, and assures them that those who have “fallen asleep” will certainly be included. He then uses the specific word Apantēsis for “meet” (v. 17).

In the ancient world, apantēsis was the technical term for a formal delegation leaving their city to meet a visiting king and immediately escorting him back in honor. Paul’s message stated clearly: your loved ones are not lost! They will rise first, and together we will go out as one royal delegation to meet the King in the air—not to flee into the clouds, but to join His triumphal procession as He returns to claim and rule the Earth.

Conclusion: The Glorious Kingdom

The story began with a humble entry on a donkey, which was a prophetic enactment (Zech. 9:9), but the raising of a dead man and an anointing that cost a family their fortune preceded it. The cross, which was actually a coronation and a triumph, led to the enemy’s open shame.

Jesus will return in triumph, and ultimately, He will eradicate all that offends. The King Himself described the finality of this victory:

Matthew 13:41–43 (ESV)

“41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

The righteous will no longer be hidden, but will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Drilling for Depth: Study Questions

1. Identity: How does the absolute use of Ego Eimi (I AM) in John 11:25 change how you view Jesus’ authority?

2. Sacrifice: Mary gave her “future security” to anoint Jesus’ feet. What is the “family heirloom” you are being asked to lay at His feet?

3. The Triple Crown: How does seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of Hebrew, Greek, and Roman expectations change your view of His global Lordship?

4. The Chariot: If Jesus “divested” Himself of the enemy on the Cross, why do we often live as if those powers are still clinging to us?

5. The Welcome: How does the historical grief of the Thessalonians and the concept of Apantēsis (escorting the King) change your hope for those who have died in Christ?

A Thud Against the Garage Door

I’ve been relatively healthy all my life, but a while ago, I had a little scare.

It started while I was walking—nothing strenuous, just short distances—when my heart began to pound. It didn’t just beat; it rang in my ears. The rhythm was strikingly similar to the sound of one of my kids bouncing a basketball off the garage door. At that moment, my “dad reflex” kicked in, and I almost yelled, “Stop it right now!” (Not that any of you have ever said something like that, of course).

But I couldn’t tell my own heart to stop.

This sudden demand for my heart to function, which in the past would have been such a small request, was disconcerting. A few times, a rush surged to my head, and I became dizzy. In those quiet, frightening moments, the thoughts we all dread surfaced: Is this a heart attack? Lord, please don’t take me before I’ve finished my calling. Man, I’ve got to get my life straight.

Moments like these strike us with a glaring sense of our own fragility. Life is fleeting. Knowing Christ gives us a profound sense of purpose. That we might not complete our work before our time is up can be troubling. We are always in a state of transition—some subtle, some not. But that final transition is something one might dread or long for with anticipation, depending on where one stands.

It begs the question we must all eventually ask ourselves: “Which one am I?”

What is the “Heart,” Really?

I have a tendency to over-analyze, especially when it comes to the “self.” As I sat with the reality of my physical heart, I started thinking about the heart in general. In our culture, we use phrases like “a heart of the matter” to describe the central point of a thing. Obviously, if our physical heart quits, we do too. It is the foundation of life.

When the Spirit of God inspired human agents to take pen in hand and write the word “heart” hundreds of times in Scripture, was He thinking of the four-chambered muscle pumping blood through our veins? Or did He have something else in mind?

To the ancient Hebrew people, the heart (Lev) was portrayed metaphorically. It wasn’t just a seat of emotion; it represented the intellect, the desire, the will, and even courage. It was the “total of a person”—who they were in their very essence. Hebrew possessed a word for “brain,” yet the Bible’s text seldom employed it. Rather, in the Ancient Near-East, it was more common to use the word heart to encompass the whole of human life (also kidneys, but who can wrap their mind around that one?).

Just as the physical heart is the foundation of biological life, the spiritual heart is the essence of our existence before God. The condition of our heart is the condition of our life.

The Deception and the Promise

Jesus spoke directly to this when the religious leaders were fussing over ceremonial hand-washing. He told them plainly in Matthew 15:8:

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.”

He wasn’t worried about what went into their mouths; He was worried about what was coming out of their hearts. Why? Because the heart is the source. Our words are simply the overflow of what is sitting at the center of our being.

The prophet Jeremiah gave us a sobering diagnosis: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). If we are honest, we’ve all felt that “sickness”—the tendency to drift, to worry, or to put our own will above God’s.

But here is the beauty of the Lord we serve. God didn’t leave us with a sick heart. He made a covenant promise through Ezekiel:

“I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh...” (Ezekiel 11:19)

The Heart of the Gospel

So, what is the “heart” of the Gospel? It’s simple: Jesus is the heart. It is His blood that pumps through the spiritual arteries of the Body of Christ, bringing life-giving oxygen and washing away every impurity. My natural heart might fail me tomorrow. It might thud like a basketball against a door one last time and then go silent.

But I have a confidence that isn’t based on my strength or my own “clean hands.” I have confidence because the New Covenant life beating within me is eternal. Because He lives, I live. The “Risen” Christ extended His “Scepter” of grace over my life, and that foundation is unshakable.

Do you have that same confidence today?

If your heart feels heavy, or if you’ve realized your “heart is far from Him,” remember that He is in the business of transplants. He takes the stone and gives us life.

Grace and Peace,

Bishop G

Join the Mission

If your heart is stirring to move from isolation into a community of unified purpose, please share this post with someone who feels forgotten or subscribe to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International Risen Scepter Ministries International fulfills the Great Commission by equipping native pastors in developing nations. These pastors then equip and release God’s people to transform their own communities. Our mission is to provide these spiritual leaders with the biblical depth, resources, and training necessary to establish self-sustaining churches and training centers. We envision a global network of empowered “equippers” who stand firmly on eternal biblical truth while effectively reaching their unique cultures for the glory of God.

RisenScepter.org

The Safety of Isolation

“I am a rock, I am an island... and a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries.”1

There is a haunting safety in those words, isn’t there? We have all been there—standing in a crowded room or even a church foyer, feeling entirely, achingly alone. Perhaps you’ve built your own walls because the world outside became too hostile to navigate. Or perhaps, more painfully, the walls were built around you by the actions of others—rejection, coldness, or being overlooked until you felt invisible.

Whether you have retreated to your island for survival or were cast there by a storm you didn’t ask for, I want to reach across the water today. I want to speak to the center of that struggle: the deep, human need to be included, to be known, and to be told—with absolute certainty—that you are important.

The Silent Ache of ‘Siloing’

We often use the term “Siloing” to describe organizational isolation, but in the life of a believer, it is a spiritual condition. It is the moment we stop touching others and stop letting others touch us. We tell ourselves it’s “just me and Jesus,” but even as we say it, the air inside our silo gets thin.

A silo is designed to protect the harvest, but it cannot grow anything.

It is a structure of containment, not of connection. While it might keep the pain out, it also keeps out the very nourishment of the Body of Christ. The Creator did not design you to be a “rock” that feels no pain; you were created to be a “living stone (1 Pt. 2:5)” built into a spiritual house where your presence is not just welcomed—it is required.

Shalom: The Promised Wholeness

The world offers us “peace” as a temporary truce or the absence of chaos, yet, truly, the world system is chaotic in its fundamental nature. However, in the Father you find shalom; you find who you were created to be.

Shalom is a fully orbed sense of well-being. It isn’t just a quiet afternoon; it is a total soundness of life and wholeness as God intended. When someone speaks “Shalom” over you, they are wishing for every broken piece of your story to be gathered up and made whole.

This shalom isn’t a self-help technique or a man-centered pseudo-biblical teaching. It is a divine restoration that only flows from a vital, surrendered relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the deep-tissue healing that happens when we stop trying to manufacture our own safety and start resting in His.

The Coat of Many Colors: You Have a Place

I want you to hear this clearly: You are not an orphan. God “sets the solitary in families (Psm. 68:6),” and that family—the Body of Christ—is like Joseph’s coat of many colors. It is vibrant, diverse, and woven together by the hand of a Father who loves every single thread. The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28 that in Christ, every barrier that once cut us off is demolished. There is no reason for you to remain in a silo when the family of God is functioning as the Scripture outlines.

You are not an extra in God’s story; you have an important part to play. From the beginning of time, God has called each individual—including you—to be part of His intended purpose. We are moving toward the “consummation of all things,” that glorious moment when Heaven and Earth will become one.

Isaiah spoke of the new heavens and the new earth (Is. 65:17-25; 66:22). Revelation promises a day with no more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain (Rev. 21:4). That is our destination: a state of complete unity, shared purpose, and absolute Shalom. But that journey doesn’t start then; it starts now, the moment you step off your island and back into the family.

A Shalom Reflection

As you sit with these words, ask yourself: Am I holding onto my isolation because it’s safe, or am I ready to be part of something greater than myself?

• To the broken

• To the cut off

• To the disenfranchised

• To the ones struggling with loneliness

• To the rejected

• To the ashamed

• To my unchurched Brothers and Sisters who have been fragmented through abuse of power or bad doctrine

My Blessing to You:

May you feel the warmth of the Father’s inclusion today. May He whisper to your heart that you are necessary, that He has given you your gifts for the benefit of the body (cf. Rom. 12 and 1 Cor. 12). He has reserved your seat at the table, and it is only for you. I speak Shalom over your mind, your body, and your spirit. No more silos. No more islands. Just the peace of being home.

Shalom to you, my dear friend.

Welcome Home! Your seat at the table is waiting, come commune with us!

Join the Mission

If your heart is stirring to move from isolation into a community of unified purpose, please share this post with someone who feels forgotten or subscribe to join our mission of equipping every member of the Body for the harvest.

About Risen Scepter Ministries International Risen Scepter Ministries International fulfills the Great Commission by equipping native pastors in developing nations. These pastors then equip and release God’s people to transform their own communities. Our mission is to provide these spiritual leaders with the biblical depth, resources, and training necessary to establish self-sustaining churches and training centers. We envision a global network of empowered “equippers” who stand firmly on eternal biblical truth while effectively reaching their unique cultures for the glory of God.

RisenScepter.org

Have you ever been placed in the position of having to choose between your faith and the current culture? By what parameters are we to make that choice?

By Bishop G Risen Scepter Ministries International

The Either/Or Dilemma

I am not suggesting that it is always an “either/or” situation. Cultural relevancy and eternal truth are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Yet, there will come times when we, as members of the Body of Christ, are placed in a position where we must choose one or the other.

It is one of the sad realities of Western society that those who do not make themselves “culturally relevant” are often looked down upon or disdained. They are relegated to a class of people that are to be discounted, disenfranchised, and ignored, simply because they don’t keep up with the time. People say things like, “How are you going to reach the next generation if they can’t relate to you?”

The Illusion of Progress

I remember when I was in my late teens and early twenties; this is how I looked at anyone over thirty. These people had no significance to me. Not that I was callous, but I felt they had had their opportunity and failed. They had failed to bring peace; they had failed to bring justice. I was of the new generation—the one that would solve all the world’s problems. It has been that way for generations.

It was the same with the organized church. To me, that was just “religion” and a bastion of hypocrites. The church of my American fathers seemed to have no answers; therefore, it too had failed. It was no longer “cool” to be Christian. What was cool was Transcendental Meditation, Eastern religions, Scientology, or anything seemingly deep and mystical.

The Paradox of Relativism

Ironically, we live in a society where the very freedoms we enjoy—fostered by biblical principles—are used to devalue Christian beliefs and Christians themselves. The modern “Paradox of Relativism” deems any other belief valuable, yet it degrades the Christian faith because people no longer consider it “culturally relevant.”

How Has the Church Responded?

The Church has approached this problem in several ways, often falling into extremes:

1. The Ascetic Path: Some view Christianity as a purely ascetic faith, shunning anything in modern society as if it is inherently evil. They attempt to show this by intentionally avoiding anything culturally pertinent.

2. The Relational Path: Others take the position that they will do anything to relate to their generation, citing the “Great Commission.

   Yet most of us know that if the Church is too much like the world, it becomes impotent in its sharing of the Gospel.

3. The Watered-Down Path: Others do all they can to take the “offense” out of the faith. However, the Apostles Paul and Peter spoke of the Lord Himself as being an offense—a stumbling stone (Rom 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). Simply put, a watered-down gospel is no gospel at all.

The Answer: Eternal Truth

The answer lies in our understanding of the Christian faith’s core biblical principles: sanctification, holiness, love, compassion, justice, mercy, and, above all, eternal truth.

These ethics do not stand alone; they are part of the very nature of God Himself and are therefore eternal.

If our adherence to what is “culturally relevant” causes us to violate an eternal truth for the sake of relational relevancy, we are no longer being faithful to what we profess.

Our faith itself will seem shallow and weak to those we are attempting to reach. This is self-defeating.

Drawing the Line

It is not wrong on its face to be culturally relevant. The Apostle Paul said he became “all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

For centuries, missionaries like Hudson Taylor became part of the culture to which God sent them. Taylor dressed as the Chinese of his time and even grew a queue (the braided ponytail) so that he might be seen as one of them.

But there is a line. As with our culture today, there are actions that are neutral—actions that do not violate biblical principles. We are free to do those things if they enhance our ability to relate. If what we do to relate either violates a principle established by God or diminishes our usefulness for the Gospel, we must avoid those actions at all costs.

Our prime aim must always be to honor and glorify God, before Him and among His creation.

Soli Deo Gloria

About Risen Scepter Ministries International Risen Scepter Ministries International fulfills the Great Commission by equipping native pastors in developing nations. These pastors then equip and release God’s people to transform their own communities. Our mission is to provide these spiritual leaders with the biblical depth, resources, and training necessary to establish self-sustaining churches and training centers. We envision a global network of empowered "equippers" who stand firmly on eternal biblical truth while effectively reaching their unique cultures for the glory of God.

RisenScepter.org

The Question

There was a moment in my life when the Lord confronted me with a question that cut me deeper than the faithful wounds of my closest friend. The question would lay bare the true nature of my heart.

What He asked was straightforward: “If I never did another thing for you, would you still serve me?” It’s like He was asking, “Who are you in this for, yourself or for Me?”

Pastors ask questions too.

Sometimes, when pastors get together, there are some standard questions that surface. Questions like, “Where are you located?”, “How long have you been pastoring?” And then the inevitable, “How many people do you have?” As if the size of your church were equivalent to the genuineness of your ministry. Is your church small? Then you must not have the Lord’s favor in your life. In reality, sometimes it is quite the opposite, and besides, they are not our people; they are His. What truly matters is, are we doing what we have been called to do?

I can’t help but think of the Apostle Paul’s words in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 12b.

“…but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.”

What is Our Measure?

We all have markers and systems by which we measure success. Whether it’s our success or others’. Sometimes it’s no different in ministry than it is in the corporate world, and I have experienced both. However, the Lord does not measure as man measures.

If I answered the Lord’s question from a purely human perspective, the answer might have been an emphatic no! At least that is, if I weren’t in it for the right reason. Perhaps I would have asked, Lord, what do I gain from this? I’ve tried to be faithful to you; I’ve turned down opportunities for professional careers where I could have earned high salaries. I’ve laid down my life for you, God, when is it my turn? It seems like everyone else’s ministry is prospering but mine. It seems like nobody cares, or carries the vision I carry. Let’s face it, ministry jealousy is a real thing. Yet the deeper truth of the Christian life is something far greater.

Is Our Worship Man-Centered or God-Centered?

As I already mentioned, we humans like to put things into categories; here are a couple for you. Man-centered worship and teaching, or God-centered worship and teaching. Man-centered worship concentrates on what we receive from God, while God-centered worship is based upon our yielding our lives to Him—because He is worthy.

We are to serve God not because of what He does for us, but because of who He is.

Now we’re going to turn the tip of the plow down and dig a little deeper.

Scripture reveals God is the only true source of life. He is not a created being, nor is He dependent on anything outside Himself. God simply is. He exists. There was never a time when He came to be.

If that were true, if at one time God “came to be”, whatever brought Him forth would be greater than He is. When He revealed Himself to Moses, He described Himself with the words, “I AM (Ex. 3:14).” In theological language, this is often called the aseity of God—God’s existence is self-contained.

Everything else in existence is contingent. That’s just a fancy way of saying dependent on something else. God, existing in three persons, is the only one that is not dependent on anyone or anything outside of Himself. This is because God is self-existent. To be clear, what I am not saying is that God is self-created.

So what’s the difference?

Follow me on this one now. If God were self-created, that would mean He would have to have existed before Himself to create Himself. See what I mean? It makes little sense.

We say that God is self-existing, meaning He contains within Himself a quality that we call life. He is the very source of life, and therefore all life comes from Him. So it follows that creation (all things that are, that are not God) exists because God willed it into being and continues to sustain it.

In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Do you hear that phrase? We have “our being”, our existence, solely because of God’s creative endeavor. Therefore, the closer we are to Him, the closer we are to life itself. Of course, then, the opposite would be true as well. The further we are from God, the further we are from the source of life.

I love what the Apostle Paul said in Colossians 1:16-17.

“For in Him (in the Lord – the second person of the Trinity) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together (LSB)”.

What a powerful statement of the Lordship of Christ. All things existing have been created through and for the Lord. He is (present tense) before all things, and in Him “all things hold together”. There is so much in this passage—but it is beyond the scope of this present article (We’ll unpack that one another time). Suffice it to say, all things were created for and through the Lord, and it is in Him that all things hold together.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not only the One through whom all things exist, but also the sustainer of everything as well. He keeps a rock, a rock, and a tree, a tree, and so on. You get what I mean. The Lord sustains the physical properties of everything created, including us!

This truth also explains something profound about humanity.

The opening chapter of the Bible states that God created human beings in His image (Gen. 1:26). We, as humans, have distinct characteristics that set us apart from the rest of creation. This comes with a responsibility that is greater than that of the remainder of animate life. This “image” gives us the ability to be analogous to our Creator. That just means that we are similar to Him in a limited way. This analogy between us and Him gives us the capacity to enter into God’s relational presence in an increasingly rich and fulfilling way through Jesus Christ!

Additionally, I believe that there is a second aspect to the image of God in our lives. God intended humanity to represent Him within creation from the beginning so that He might be glorified and His family extended.

Yet, the world shows that something has gone terribly wrong. Damage and distortion have affected the image of God in His human creatures. Man’s rebellion has brought that forth. People still bear His image—every person carries immeasurable dignity and value—but our brokenness has diminished the clarity with which we reflect our Creator.

Temples in the Ancient Near-East typically contained an image of the deity being worshipped. We all know that God disdains them. He is the incomparable God, unique in every aspect concerning His nature and actions. There is no divine being that can make any claim to be greater than Him (cf. Ex.15:11; PS. 86:6-10; IS. 40:18, 25; 46:9).

Nonetheless, there are in God’s temple representative imagers. Guess who they are? Us! Not only are we the images in God’s temple, we are the temple! With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have become the sacred space where heaven and earth meet.

This is why the faithful teaching of the Word of God matters so deeply.

If God is the source of truth and life, then the closer we come to understanding Him in the right way, the closer we come to the life we were created to experience. This means, ultimately, that we become truly human.

However, a false picture of God can develop when people misunderstand or twist Scripture. Teaching a false picture of God is teaching a false god. This causes people to live with false expectations of Him and what He does. It can also lead to anger or a feeling of rejection toward the one that loves us so perfectly. It can result in our worshipping an idol rather than the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself to be.

For this reason, the careful study and teaching of Scripture is not merely an academic exercise. It is part of God’s work of restoring His people.

I want you to hear this. We have been given the privilege of participating in the restoration of the earth and the renewal of creation. What an honor!

This is the very heart of the ministry in which the Lord has graciously allowed me to serve.

The biblical pattern for Kingdom growth which leads to the fulfillment of God’s purpose is rooted in the words of Ephesians 4:11–13. It is there that the apostle tells us that pastors and teachers are given to equip the people of God for the work of ministry.

Often, when I speak, I ask this question. “Who is to do ministry?” According to Paul, the answer is the people of God. The governmental ministries train and equip the people. The people then do the work of the ministry.

In Ephesians 4, Paul continues this line of reasoning. The apostle tells us that this building up that results, is to continue “until” we come to a place of unity in our understanding of the faith we hold in common, and a full knowledge of the Son of God. Why? That we might grow up individually and corporately—until we accurately represent the One who gave His life for ours. This is the ongoing restoration of the image of God in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

When the Word of God is taught faithfully and lived out fruitfully in daily life, individuals are changed, families are strengthened, communities are transformed, and the Kingdom of God is expressed in the earth.

Much modern Christian teaching from certain camps of the church, emphasizes what we receive from God, such as His blessings, help, and provision. But I ask you, is that teaching God-centered or man-centered?

Someone asked me one time if I would teach a seminar on the Prosperity Gospel. This message has spread like wildfire throughout non-industrialized nations. Why would it not be attractive to those struggling under the grip of systemic poverty?

When preparing the notes for the seminar, I came to a point where I was stuck. Then, strikingly, I heard the voice of the Lord, “Ask them if the gospel they believe is worth dying for?” Think of it. Would you stand in faith, or be willing to be martyred over material possessions? What irony! Giving your life for something you can’t take with you.

Rather, those who have, or will give their lives for their faith, give them for a truth that is much higher than anything that can be made by man on earth. They laid down their lives willingly because He is worthy.

Why did Christians under the rule of Emperor Nero not recant Christ rather than submit to tortures such as being covered in animal skins and torn by dogs? Why did Perpetua and Felicity not recant rather than be killed in the arena in Carthage for their faith? Why did the 21 Coptic Christians in 2015 choose to let ISIS cowards behead them with swords rather than deny Christ? Certainly not for a TV and a nice car. They did it because He is worthy!

• He is worthy to be worshipped

• He is worthy to be served

• He is worthy to be followed

No matter where He leads. Even if it’s to the cross!

We do not follow Him because of what He gives us. We follow Him because of who He is.

“Yours, O Yahweh, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the kingdom, O Yahweh, and You exalt Yourself as head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11, LSB).

Welcome, and thank you for being here.

This space has been created with a clear and deliberate purpose: to teach the Word of God faithfully, and to help people come to a right understanding of who He is.

Why a Scepter?

The Promised One

Jacob prophesies over his son Judah that the scepter—the symbol of royal authority—would not depart from his lineage until the One comes to whom it rightfully belongs—a promised King whose authority would be everlasting. That fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

From Judgment to Mercy

This imagery is further illustrated in the ancient Near East, where the scepter also represented access to the king. As seen in the book of Esther, no one could enter the presence of the king uninvited—doing so could cost them their life—unless the king extended his scepter as a sign of acceptance (Esther 4:11; 5:2).

Apart from divine mercy, we have no right to stand before a holy God, yet through Christ, the way has been opened. The King has extended the scepter. In Him, we are invited to draw near—not in fear, but by grace—to the One who rules over all.

From Mocking to Reigning

Before the cross, Jesus stood in profound humiliation before both Jewish and Roman authorities. He was rejected by the Sanhedrin, handed over to the Gentiles, mocked, beaten, and crowned with thorns. In cruel irony, a reed was placed in His hand as a mock scepter, and He was dressed as a false king while soldiers knelt in ridicule (Matt. 27:27–31). Yet what they intended as mockery pointed to a deeper truth. The One they scorned was, in fact, the rightful King. Scripture reveals that this same Jesus now reigns in exaltation, bearing not a fragile reed, but the scepter of iron—the unbreakable symbol of His sovereign authority (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:15). The mocked King is the reigning King, and His dominion will never end.

The foundation is God Himself

At the heart of Risen Scepter Ministries International is a conviction that shapes everything we teach and write:

We do not follow God merely because of what He does for us, but because of who He is.

This publication is devoted to biblical teaching that emphasizes:

• The majesty of God

• The authority and reliability of Scripture

• The true nature of humanity as created in His image

• The distortion of that image through rebellion

• The new humanity — A restored creation — The consummation and the new earth — Brought about through Jesus Christ and the Word of God

This work is pastoral in nature and global in vision.

The mission of Risen Scepter Ministries is drawn from Ephesians 4:11–13: to equip pastors so that they, in turn, may equip the people of God for the work of the ministry. A particular focus is placed on strengthening pastors in developing nations, helping to establish churches on a firm biblical foundation.

When the Word of God is taught clearly and lived out faithfully, lives are changed, families are strengthened, and communities are transformed.

If you are new here, I encourage you to begin with the first article:

“Because of Who He Is”

It lays the foundation for everything that will follow.

My prayer is that as you read, you would grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened in your faith, and come to reflect more clearly the One who created and redeemed you.

Grace and peace to you in Christ,

Bishop G
Risen Scepter Ministries Int.

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