In my last post I shared how 2 Corinthians is actually Paul’s fourth letter to this troubled church — and how chapter 8 calls them to finish what they had abandoned. There is a second word in this letter, just as relevant to us today.
By chapter 10, Paul’s tone sharpens. He is now addressing those who had been attacking his credibility — saying that his letters were impressive, but his personal presence was weak and his speaking unimpressive. Paul’s response is not to defend his credentials by comparing himself with others. He refuses to play that game.
Instead, he writes: “They measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another. That just shows how silly they are!” (2 Cor. 10:12, NTE).
And then he states his own focus with remarkable clarity: “This is what we hope for: that, as your faith increases, we will be given a much larger space for work, according to our rule, which is to announce the gospel in the lands beyond you.” (2 Cor. 10:15,16, NTE).
His calling is to carry the gospel beyond Corinth, into lands not yet reached. His deepest desire is to settle this internal conflict quickly — not because it does not matter, but because there is a far more important battle waiting for him beyond it. He wants his energy freed for the real work.
This is a word for those of us who support missions too. It is easy to get drawn into comparing — which organisation is more effective, which missionary is more fruitful, whose model is better. It is easy to let those comparisons quietly drain our enthusiasm, or worse, to use them as reasons to step back from giving altogether.
While we compare ministries, missionaries are translating Scripture, church planters are travelling village to village, and unreached communities are still waiting to hear the name of Jesus.
Paul would say: stay focused on the real battle. People groups without the gospel are waiting. Unreached communities in the Hindi belt, in tribal Jharkhand, across the borders of South Asia — they are not waiting for us to settle our comparisons. They are simply waiting.