In Great Endurance

In Great Endurance
Words of Faith 10-27-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Faith Fellowship 30th Anniversary Celebration this weekend!
November 1 - 5 pm Potluck Dinner and Praise Night
November 2 - Worship - Dinner on the Grounds - Games and Fun!
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Dr. Hoy's book – “Faith That Works - A Study in James”, 30th Anniversary Edition will be available this weekend, November 1 & 2, in the church lobby, and also starting November 25 on Amazon. Click HERE to preview it.
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2 Corinthians 6
[4] Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; [5] in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; [6] in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; [7] in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; [8] through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; [9] known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; [10] sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

      This broad reflection on Paul's ministry is nothing short of astounding and excellent as a testimony of God and His faithfulness. As servants of God, Paul and his associates faced various trials without regard for themselves, but with God's help, they had great endurance. Paul listed nine trials, in three sets of three each. Then he mentioned nine inner qualities, followed by nine pairs of paradoxes, with his groupings mostly fours. That's a lot, but let's not miss them.

      First, he mentioned general difficulties: troubles, hardships, and distresses. This last word is literally "narrow spaces" or circumstances that hem in. We might say "in a terrible jam" or "between a rock and a hard place". Then he listed three specific kinds of persecution he endured in his ministry: beatings, imprisonments, and riots. He experienced all three of these in Philippi alone (Acts 16).  

     The third group describes impositions he accepted as part of the demands of ministry. He was not averse to hard work nor a stranger to sleepless nights or to hunger. There were no fancy white tie dinners for this Ambassador. 

      Paul balanced these nine kinds of trials with nine internal qualities. The first eight are given in four couplets. Purity referred to practical righteousness, and understanding was a practical knowledge that displayed sensitivity in dealing with others. Patience or "long temper" is the ability to bear up under the oversights and wrongs inflicted by others without retaliating. And kindness is love in action. This is the stuff of ministry.

       The phrase "in the Holy Spirit" may be a figure of speech in which the cause stands for the effects. If so, then the Holy Spirit represents that which God causes, namely, spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) or control by the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). This phrase could also be translated "in a spirit of holiness" to describe Paul's dedicated attitude. Paul hoped that his sincere faith and love, literally "without hypocrisy," would be evident to his readers and evoke a similar response in them.

        The ministry of Paul advanced because of his spiritual resources. In truthful speech, he proclaimed the Gospel and relied on the power of God in the person of the Spirit to produce results. Relying on God, Paul was completely equipped with weapons of righteousness to cope with the attacks of the adversary from any quarter and to send him fleeing.

         In nine pairs of paradoxes, Paul described the conflicting responses to his ministry, his own reactions to opposition, and the results of his labors. Some who believed welcomed Paul as if he were Christ Himself, but more often he faced insults and dishonor. He was maligned by outsiders and some within the Church, who gave him a bad reputation. He and his associates were genuine apostles, yet some regarded them as impostors.

         Paul said he was unknown. This may have been in the sense that people did not acknowledge him or his ministry. But he was known by God. Though he was dying, yet he lived, and though beaten, he was not killed. He endured these agonies because God sustained him. 

         Such a life leads naturally to sorrow. Yet because he trusted in God, Paul was always rejoicing. Being poor and bereft of even basic material necessities, Paul could nonetheless dispense spiritual values, making many rich. Although he had nothing materially, yet he possessed everything in the way of spiritual blessings.

         This is the life of the Ambassador. What is his legacy? His legacy is you. The fact that you are reading and studying the way of reconciliation through Christ two millennia later is testimony to the fact that God used all of this for His glory and to share the message of Jesus. 

         And for today? We are part of the legacy. We continue the work of the Embassy of Christ as Ambassadors for Christ, pleading with the world: Be reconciled to God in Christ.

        Father God, thank You for this testimony. Walk with me in my narrow places. Be with me in my hardships and difficulties. Comfort me when insults and dishonor come my way. Encourage me when I am alone and unknown. Give me the joy of the Lord to be my strength, even as You encourage Paul and gave him such great joy. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.