In every age, Christians experience pressure to embrace contemporary culture. In Corinth, the church had been infiltrated by some who had grown weary of the message of the cross: whose boast was in outward appearance. In 2 Corinthians 2-7,Paul writes into this setting, urging the Corinthians then, and us today, to embrace the 'weak' ministry of Gospel proclamation, to partner with 'weak' Christians, and to boast in 'weak' ministers. It is in this weakness that God's power is exhibited. Nothing could be more opposite to our celebrity culture.
| Author | William Taylor, David Dargue |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781781912294 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | July 2016 |
| Dimensions | 130mm x 198mm x 8mm |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 144 |
| Publisher | Christian Focus |
These expositions ... are full of sane, sound, biblical instruction. I
commend them highly, both as examples of faithful word ministry and
as a necessary reminder that all lasting ministry will prioritize substance
over style.
It will challenge and encourage gospel ministers to press on with the
task of preaching Christ, embrace weakness and guard against the
temptation to compromise ... It will help church members to appreciate
authentic ministry and resist the seductive attractions of false teachers.
In an age in which substance often gives way to style, we urgently need teaching like this, which builds convictions about the nature and power of authentic gospel ministry and spurs us to stick with it.
This book is based on sermons by William Taylor on 2 Corinthians, and, as a weak pastor, a weak gospel proclaimer, leading a church that is weak by the world's standards, I found it a tremendous encouragement to 'be confident in the "weak" ministry of gospel proclamation'. I would recommend it to anyone in ministry. The book confronts those who seek shortcuts, or those who look to methods rather than the gospel for transformation - but it also gets under the skin of those who already agree with its major premise that substance is more important than style.
This is a readable book. It contrasts the boastful but shallow facade of Paul's rivals at Corinth with the deeper substance of apostolic gospel ministry. It is a timely reminder that the problems at Corinth are still alive and causing as much havoc now, as then. In the words of the authors, 'Paul is adamant that we should stick with the real thing, for only the unchanged message ... will have the power to change the heart and work lasting change. Everything else is surface froth' (p.63).
