Paul lists various challenges and provides us with the right Kingdom Toolbox to overcome every challenge the world throws at us.
Church Leaders, like Paul, who had been teaching vast amounts of content over a period of time sometimes summarizes and unpacks all the key topics from the kingdom toolbox in a literacy toolbox. This is to emphasize their usefulness, overall relevance and consequent importance! 2 Cor. 6:1-10 is a good example.
In the opening, Paul is as always, reminding us of the foundation of our faith, not works, efforts, and prescriptions to the law, which is considered dead works (Heb. 6:1).
- The foundation is Salvation, which is received as a free gift, appropriated by faith (John 1:12).
- God is the initiator who decided the acceptable time.
- We are the benefactors of His glorious work of righteousness (Mat. 6:33; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:17).
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Then Paul lists various and difficult challenges: tribulations; needs; distresses; stripes; imprisonments; tumults; labours; sleeplessness; fasting. Surely, an intimidating and haunting list of severe life-threatening conditions! His testimony is that God saved him from all these trials – not by coincidental or supernatural means but through a list of Kingdom Toolbox – principals, keys, and approaches to life.
We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. (2 Cor. 6:1-10).
- “By patience” – 5281. ὑπομονή hupomonḗ; gen. hupomonḗs, fem. noun from hupoménō (G5278), to persevere, remain under. A bearing up under, patience, endurance as to things or circumstances. Patience is a wonderful gift that has proved its value in ever sphere of life: Financial investments; political science; community development; parenting; and marriage! He who is patient and remains faithful to the original course and vision will eventually see the fruit. Patience is the quality to remain in your position, to remain immovable, to wait. It is not a passive motion, rather and active steady intentional force. He who is patient remains in faith!
- “By purity” – 54. ἁγνότης hagnótēs; gen. hagnótētos, fem. noun from hagnós (G0053), pure. Purity, sincerity (2 Cor. 6:6). In 2 Cor. 11:3 UBS hagnótēs occurs with haplótēs (G0572), sincerity, simpleness, the opposite of duplicity, whereas the TR has only haplótēs. Haplótēs refers to sincerity, eilikríneia (G1505), as part of the character of a person and not necessarily its influence on others. Purity speaks of alignment and accuracy. Jesus’ thoughts, words, and actions lined up perfectly! Some use big words they do not understand, and some lay claim to knowledge which they do not have, and some parade in dresses which they cannot pay for; the life of many a man and many a woman is one colossal lie. We say things which we do not mean, express emotions which we do not feel, we praise when we secretly condemn, we smile when there is a frown on the face of the heart, we give compliments when we are really thinking curses, striving a hundred times a week to make people think we are other than we are.[1] Truthfulness, and sincerity is the foundation of lasting friendship building trust. Trust speeds up decisions and brings about actionable productivity.
- “By knowledge” – experiential, practical knowledge, discretion, prudence (2 Cor. 6:6; 1 Pet. 3:7; 2 Pet. 1:5, 6; Sept.: Prov. 13:16). Wisdom that comes from God is practical, seasonable, relevant and sustainable. It is to simultaneously have a bigger-picture view, while giving attention to the detail of completing a specific task. The knowledge of God is experiential and is thus tested and proven over time as being the superior approach. Godly knowledge is also to understand all the diverse viewpoints yet know the best path out towards a communal benefit.
- “By longsuffering” – 3115. μακροθυμία makrothumía; gen. makrothumías, fem. noun from makrothuméō (G3114), to be long-suffering. Forbearance, long-suffering, self-restraint before proceeding to action. The quality of a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so (Rom. 2:4; 9:22; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; Col. 1:11; 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:16; 2 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 6:12; James 5:10; 2 Pet. 3:15; Sept.: Prov. 25:15; Is. 57:15; Jer. 15:15). Long-suffering is a different Greek word than patience and is best translated as self-restraint. Long-suffering is part of the Meekness family: power under control, like a racing horse perfectly trained. The Bible also refers to self-control (2 Tim 1:7).
- “By kindness” – 5544. χρηστότης chrēstótēs; gen. chrestótētos, fem. noun from chrēstós (G5543), useful, profitable. Benignity, kindness, usefulness. It often occurs with philanthrōpía (G5363), philanthropy. Kindness is one of the most powerful Kingdom tools in our toolbox. It supersedes all the angry emotions, because by kindness you harness and subdue anger, aggression, volition, and negative judgements. We do not get what we want by anger, but we move people’s hearts to open by acts of kindness! No heart of stone can resist the penetrating power of kindness! It is after all, God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
- “By the Holy Spirit” – of the mouth or nostrils, a breathing, blast (2 Thess. 2:8, “spirit [breath] of his mouth,” spoken of the destroying power of God; Sept.: Is. 11:4). Of the vital breath (Rev. 11:11, “breath of life” [a.t.]; Sept.: Gen. 6:17; 7:15, 22 [cf. Ps. 33:6]). The Holy Spirit is Jesus abiding in our lives today! His presence and anointing break the yoke of slavery! He changes the atmosphere! All the attributes of Godliness that originated from encounters with the Holy Spirit bears the best fruit. We can do nothing without Him! He is our source!
- “By love sincere” – 505. ἀνυπόκριτος anupókritos; gen. anupokrítou, masc.-fem., neut. anupókriton, adj. from the priv. a (G0001), without, and hupokrínomai (G5271), to pretend, simulate. Originally it meant being inexperienced in the art of acting. Jesus’ love displayed on the Cross is the truest and purest form of love that we can ever know. The love that lays down His life for a friend. These genuine acts of unselfish love and sharing, moves mountains!
- “By the word of truth” – 225. ἀλήθεια alḗtheia; gen. alētheías, fem. noun from alēthḗs (G0227), true. Truth, reality; the unveiled reality lying at the basis of and agreeing with an appearance; the manifested, the veritable essence of matter. We are being tossed and thrown by some of the biggest waves of blinding, foolish, deception the world has ever seen. It is our collective revelation of the fullness of Christ, that helps us to remain on course. Truth is not a philosophy or ideology; it is a person, Jesus Christ! Our articulation of Christ as the truth, the life and the way has never been more vital and urgent as in a time like this.
- “By the power of God” – 1411. δύναμις dúnamis; gen. dunámeōs, fem. noun from dúnamai (G1410), to be able. Power, especially achieving power. All the words derived from the stem dúna- have the meaning of being able, capable – 1 Cor. 2:4. We live in a world where people are moved through what they see. We can no longer offer a powerless gospel where there is no evident miraculous signs and wonders! The bible is a collection of supernatural divine interventions of an all-powerful loving God! The power of God enables us to do more than what is humanly possible. Like using electric power tools, you can overcome human impossibilities by means of His grace!
- By the armor of righteousness – 1343. δικαιοσύνη dikaiosúnē; gen. dikaiosúnēs, fem. noun from díkaios (G1342), just, righteous. Justice, righteousness. It is the essence of tó díkaion, that which is just, or díkaios, of him who is just or righteous. Rom. 13:12; 2 Cor. 10:4. Righteousness is the divine ability to know and do the right thing, at the right time with the right people — right-wiseness! It is a superior logic, originating from the Just One! Uprightness is one of our most valuable assets in the Kingdom of God.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Pet 1:2-3).
[1] Jefferson, Charles Edward. The Character of Jesus . Walking Through the Word. Kindle Edition. Kingdom Toolbox.
