1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged. 2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

I really enjoy baking. Over the course of many attempts and failures, I’ve come to realise that baking usually requires a fair bit of precision – and usually, I find myself following my own intuition rather than the recipe. For example, baking soda and sugar are great ingredients to use, but adding too much of either one will take away from the intended product and the focus will instead be directed towards the disappointment of a failed recipe.

Even though baking and sharing Jesus are two very different things, in a sort of similar way, I’ve realised that when I share Jesus with the people in my life, I can sometimes end up adding too much of myself. I find myself trying to present the gospel in a way that I think would be most relatable or appealing to whoever I’m talking to. This might be in the form of a funny story that happened at church or about my own life as a Christian – and as well-intentioned as this may be, doing this too much shifts the focus onto me, rather than Jesus, where the focus should be.

Paul reminds us in verse 5 that we “do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” That is, we are not the focus of the gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ is.

I feel slightly rebuked by this because I am certainly guilty of preaching myself sometimes. However, it is equally encouraging to be reminded in verse 1 that it is through God’s mercy – our awesome, sovereign and gracious God – that we share in the ministry of sharing Jesus with others. It is God in his grace and mercy by his Spirit who changes the hearts and minds of people. I don’t need to add any extra baking soda or sugar. All I need is to boldly, humbly and truthfully present the good news of Jesus and his death and resurrection.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.