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 2 Corinthians 6:3 - Cause No Stumbling - Have No Fault

By the grace of God and His mercy, He shows us how to live as real Christian men and women.  We must live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.  If you are looking for a religion with a higher standard you will not find it.  This is Jesus' standard of excellence, nay, perfection.  No stumbling, no fault.  Of course, we will fall short of His glorious standard of perfection.  But aim high.  Aim to hit the mark.  If you’ve failed.  Today is a new day.  Repent, receive His forgiveness, and follow God.

Making no person stumble means caring for the righteous living of every person.  Pastor Troy Warner calls it seeking the highest good for every person: love in action.  It means sincerity of purpose and action - not just platitudes of a one-hour Sunday sermon.

What makes people stumble is the lukewarm acceptance of sin.  When we make political power our idol that causes people to stumble.  When we are dishonest with money and have poor governance with no accountability people stumble.  When we fail to honor the principle for every man to have a wife and every woman a husband, people stumble.  When we appoint young proud men as leaders without enough training or accountability, they stubble.  And when old men fail to mentor and prefer power and long tenure rather than service and servanthood, many stumble.  When we are jealous of others and want their things, people stumble.  When we are violent and abusive and fail to stand up for the vulnerable, people stumble.  When we put on airs and act self-righteous with man-made rules (don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t dance, don’t celebrate, don’t laugh, and don’t show emotion, honesty, or vulnerability), people stumble.  When we encourage or enable addictions, gluttony, and laziness, people stumble.  When we fail to live pure lives people stumble.

Stop it.  Stop being so cynical and rude, abusive, controlling, and worldly.  Stop causing people to stumble.

Let us encourage people.  Jesus Christ is King over everything.  He is preparing an eternal home for us.  He loves us completely and gives us all we need for living well and honoring him.  Let us live to serve Jesus and the people He loves (yes, all people) every minute of this week.  You hypocrites, shame on you.  You pretended to know God’s word on Sunday and care not to lift a finger to help family, friends, strangers, or foreigners unless they can somehow help you.  Please, for the love of God, stop it!  May we all turn to God and follow him alone, with sincerity.  And may we live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us!

        That’s the first half of the verse.  The second says this, “and no one will find fault with our ministry.”  Remember it is God who enables us to be ministers of his new covenant.  Under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.  This is our standard: no fault with our ministry.  Our God enables us to minister the new covenant of life in Christ.  We shame the Word of God and the Bride of Christ when our ministries are full of sin, worldliness, and a lack of new life.  A ministry without fruitful life change is a ministry at fault.

Make no apology for a ministry sold out to Jesus Christ.  But God help us if our ministries are little kingdoms of men lording their influence and power and denominational connections over the poor, sick, vulnerable, and so-called little people.  If your ministry recognizes the wealthy and neglects the poor; if you honor the important people and neglect those that Jesus loves, you are lost.  It is easy to find fault with the ministry of others, but let’s be careful and diligent to get our own lives in order.  Let’s get the planks out of our eyes and ensure that our ministries honor God in every way.

        Lord Jesus, Holy and Mighty Spirit of Christ please help us.  We repent of our sins, our shameful worldly motives, and any ways that we’ve failed and caused others to stumble.  We seek today and every minute of this week to ally with the Holy Spirit as ministers of the new covenant.  Merciful God, may we show that we are true ministers of God in everything we do.  Amen.

Apostles (amazing artwork from a small Church we toured near Sheffield, UK).



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