12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
Sometimes in life people don’t give you the credit for something you have done. Has that ever happened to you? Do you remember the feeling you had? Did you want to get even? What was that feeling? It is difficult when someone attempts to invalidate your work, or perhaps even you existence. Paul was in such a spot with the believers in the city of Corinth. He has poured out his life there and many had become believers in Jesus. Their lives had been turned around. Genuine miracles transformed them. But Paul could not stay there forever. He had moved on to his next assignment and kept in contact with them by letter and personal envoy. Some teachers came after Paul using very different methods and carrying a very different message. Their message centered on the preacher rather than the content of the preaching. Jesus got watered down in the process. And of course Paul’s ministry had to get watered down as well. Paul had a choice to make. He could switch tactics and use the same methods as these false teachers, or he could stay true to himself and God’s call on his life. He knows that in the end the truth he has preached will stand the test, but in the process his name and reputation are dragged through the mud. What does Paul do? He stays true. He doesn’t compromise his integrity. When the genuine is present, the artificial sticks out like a sore thumb. It can easily be spotted as fake and be eliminated. But you have to know what the genuine looks like in order to recognize the fake. Today our culture is trying to tell us that there is no ‘real’ anything, that all values are of equal value, that nothing is right or wrong, good or evil. If we feel threatened in that battle we might be tempted to switch our tactics in order to get our point across, but that would only water down the truth we proclaim. And a watered down Gospel has parts of it that are missing. And the method and the message of the Gospel must be congruent because the person of Jesus is the message. We can’t preach Jesus looking though the scope of a rifle. We can’t preach Jesus while dancing at a strip club. The message and the method must match the person of Jesus. Is your message and the life you life consistent?
The Arnold Journey 