A Focused Ministry
By Dan Qurollo
Burke County
We live in a world filled with constant distractions. In fact, many people have become so accustomed to all the various sounds that they cannot stand silence! Furthermore, it seems as though the distractions abound. We are witnessing alarming events within our own country and even in countries around the world. If we are not careful, good things can become a distraction. The Word of God is clear that we have been given a ministry that demands a focused effort.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:1, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” As believers, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation by which we announce to the world the good news that Jesus Christ has paid the price for sin. We are to urge individuals to turn to Him in repentance and thereby receive eternal life. However, the challenges are often great. But when we recognize the nature of the ministry to which we have been called, we must conclude with Paul, “we faint not.” In other words, we cannot allow ourselves to grow weary or disheartened because we do not see the results we desire to see.
Instead, we must renounce “the hidden things of dishonesty” (4:2) and realize that “if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (4:3). Satan would love to get us discouraged by circumstances that are beyond our control. Lest we think that we are unique in our trials, Paul reminded us, “8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).
As believers, we must not grow discouraged but must instead look beyond “our light affliction, which is but for a moment” and see “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). We must remain focused on the task at hand.
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Dan Qurollo is pastor of Morganton Baptist Church. You can visit them online at www.morgantonbaptist.net, on Facebook, or on Youtube.
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