2 Corinthians 10:7-11

⁷You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” ¹¹Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Oil Change

How often do you schedule an oil change on your vehicle? Someone said, “I schedule oil change twice a year, one in October and one in April.” A curious listener asked, “Why do you schedule oil change on car in April and October?” “Well, I schedule oil change on my car in April for smooth travel when I go fishing in spring and long driving in summer. I schedule oil change in October on my car for confidence and less hassle during winter.”

Truly, it’s not very smart to gamble driving during snowfall and during long driving in summer. It positively affects confidence in driving with peace of mind if you have regular schedule on car maintenance. Peace of mind helps us appreciate life even better. Together, let us seriously internalize on what it advises in Philippians 4:6-7, ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We’ve got peace of heart and mind from God when we submit to Christ as Lord of our life. The Holy Spirit produces joyful peace in us. He gives wisdom to actualize trust in him. He reveals which practical step we should take. Scheduled regular car maintenance without delay is practical wisdom. It aids greater confidence in winter driving or summer long driving.

Sports cars are nice to drive in summer, but vehicles with higher ground clearance is preferable during snowfalls. If you’ve got vehicle with higher ground clearance, you’ve got less hassle driving during snowfall. But appearance of sports cars can mislead anyone who prefers fancy cars.

Appearance is nice but reliability is smarter choice. Do you it count as practice of faith in Christ if we choose reliability of car over appearance?

1. Appearance

⁷You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.

Judging by appearance is personal choice. But, confidence in Christ should be priority and not appearance. Troublemakers in the church of Corinth dismissed Apostle Paul as not worthy of their respect, why? Maybe, Paul did not dressed like rich noble, and he just worn ordinary clothes.

Scholars suggest that most Corinthians belonged to the higher class of the society. How do you regard people who belong to higher society?

Corinthian Gardens Subdivision

Have you heard of the Corinthian Gardens subdivision? Did you live in the Corinthian Gardens subdivision in the Philippines? Residents in the Corinthian Gardens subdivision belong to the higher class in the society. Probably, high class Corithian Gardens was inspired by the city of Corinth.

The Corinthian Gardens subdivision employs private guards, and Google was not even allowed to record its street map. If you are not a residence in the Corinthian Gardens where rich people live, you can enter the subdivision if you have clearance. The security guards may even check your appearance, if you have good intention or just a curious passerby.

Judging by appearance is natural instinct that had confused even the Prophet Samuel. The Lord instructed Prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, and so, it narrated in 1 Samuel 16:6-7, ⁶Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

cholars suggest that Eliab may have been a general in the army of Israel. His stature may have been distinctive compared to ordinary soldiers. So instinctively at first glance, Prophet Samuel assumed that Eliab was qualified as king because of his exceptionally prominent appearance.

In comparison, David was the youngest among siblings. Most likely, he’s skinny. He was shepherd boy. And, his family disregarded him. David was not exceptional in appearance, but the Lord saw in young David the greatest king of Israel. God can see future beyond physical appearance.

This instinct of judging by appearance happens in the church ever since. Troublemakers in the Corinthian church disregarded Apostle Paul as meek, timid, not impressive in appearance, and they did not respect him.

Annually, we elect church leaders. We prayerfully ask that the Lord may reveal to us personally when we elect church leaders. We pray for discernment and choose church leaders who prioritize the Lord. Reflect on what happened in 1 Samuel 16:11-13, ¹¹“Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

¹²So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” ¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit signaled the call of David to kingship.

God chose David as king of Israel. And he kept him safe from enemies. Enemies, friends, relatives and even his own son tried to destroy David but God kept him secured. David had his share of mistakes ,but most often, he was successful in everything he did. He testified in Psalm 119:104-106.

¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. ¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

God’s word guided David in his decisions especially, during darkest hours. When problems or difficult concerns confuse us, it feels like walking in the darkest valley where possible dangerous trouble waiting for ambush.

Have you ever walked in darkness? When you walked in the dark, were you confused or struggled? Personally, how do you internalize what it declares about God in Psalm 139:12? ¹²Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Darkness can obscure but darkness cannot hide anything from God. Problems can confuse us, but God designed darkness and problems of life to build a character appropriate for his grand design. Others saw a simple shepherd boy in David, but God saw the greatest king of Israel in David.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ. By faith, we won’t be ashamed when we submit to his authority as our Lord.

2. Authority

⁸So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

Confusion about authority of God’s messenger can be disastrous. Apostle Paul personally received authority to preach from Christ. He was not ashamed of any accusation thrown at him. The Lord empowered him to preach the good news of salvation and instructed him to reconcile gentiles to God. The Corinthians who believed and accepted Christ as Lord through the preaching of Paul had certainly appreciated his letter of rebuke.

Troublemakers in the Corinthian church criticized Paul and assumed that his appearance showed no respectable authority in preaching at all.

Warning

Reflect on the narrative after Apostle Paul warned against disastrous journey in Acts 27:11-15, ¹¹But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. ¹²Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. ¹³When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. ¹⁴Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. ¹⁵The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind.

Why did the centurion preferred to follow the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship? Since the pilot and the owner of the ship had been sailing regularly, the centurion assumed that they should be experts about sailing safely. But that situation was different because it was a testing for them if they listened to Apostle Paul as messenger of the Lord or not.

When we elect leaders, we expect them lead the church for greater experiences. It advises in Hebrews 13:17-18, ¹⁷Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. ¹⁸Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

We pray as church and we elect leaders we expect as God’s choice. May God gives discernment to choose anyone he called in the leadership ministry. Appearance will be a bonus. We pray that God speaks clearly to his chosen leaders for them to accept their nomination. We pray that their calling into leadership ministry will be practically exemplified in their action.

3. Action

⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” ¹¹Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Apostle Paul heard of the gossips that troublemakers had spread in Corinth. So, before Paul revisited the Corinthian church, Titus and Timothy possibly carried his letter ahead of the rest of their mission team. His letter served as warning to what the Corinthians expected when Paul arrived.

The Corinthian church have actually observed the actions of Paul as practical proof of the apostleship authority that Christ gave him.

They may despise Christianity when they fail to see actions as proof of authority we received from the Lord. What authority have we received from Christ? The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness for Christ our Lord.

Do not be misled. Do not be confused. Understand clearly that to be effective witness for Christ, make sure we received power from the Holy Spirit. To witness for Christ is synonymous to being a martyr for Christ. We tell others about our personal adventure with Christ. We talk about how he transformed test of life into testimony. And, we reconcile people to God.

When inspired by the Holy Spirit, outcome or consequences before or after we share the gospel of salvation in Christ cannot bother or confuse us. Spontaneously, we’ve got enthusiasm no matter what happens.

Snow Fall

Someone had divine opportunity to share the good news of salvation in Christ to his officemate. When he had the chance, he told his officemate about a certainty to enter heaven. His officemate responded, “Well, I am still very young. Maybe, I will consider what you told me in the future.”

Nevertheless, he continued to pray that his officemate may trust in Jesus Christ sooner than later. Then tragic circumstance happened.

After heavy snowfall, the young officemate lost control while driving in the highway and died on the spot. That tragic story has vividly painted in his mind. Nobody knows when God wants us to leave this world.

Seriously reflect on what it warned in Hebrews 9:27, ²⁷Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Every first Sunday of the month, we celebrate of the Lord Supper. Christ gave this ordinance as a reminder of his sacrifice on the cross. We are also mandated to put into action our faith in Christ. How? We proclaim his death and resurrection until he returns and take us to heaven.

We must be more confident in witnessing for Christ before his arrival. Always pray to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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