One of the striking features of Paul’s writings is the way he intentionally draws the attention of his readers to the fact that his life and ministry were driven by pure and sincere motives (see, eg, 2 Co 2:2; 1 Th 2:3-6), and to the various ways this fact was made known and put on open display (see, eg, 2 Co 6:3-10). In Paul’s mind, “secret and shameful ways” (2 Co 4:2, NIV) or “underhanded methods” (2 Co 4:2, NLT) put his ministry at risk of being “discredited” (2 Co 6:3, NIV), “blamed” (2 Co 6:3, HCSB), and found “at fault” (2 Co 6:3, ESV, NET). Sincere motives on the part of God’s servants—demonstrated in context to trial and difficulty—are themselves a powerful argument in favor of the truth and credibility of gospel. The converse, tragically, is also true: Insincere motives put the gospel’s credibility at risk of being called into question, and therefore constitute a serious stumbling block to its advance. In this session Tim will discuss how extremely important it is for us to allow God to “test our hearts” (2 Th 2:4), so that when we proclaim and represent the gospel, it is clear to all that our appeal “does not spring from error or impure motives” (2 Th 2:3, NIV). VIDEO, NOTES AND FEEDBACK: http://danieltrainingnetwork.org/obstacle-of-insincere-moties-putting-no-obstacles-before-the-gospel EMAIL: [email protected] FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/danieltrainingnetwork TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/dtnetworking