“For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many;” Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence” (2 Corinthians 2:17). When I read these words I am struck with two images. The first, having to do with “peddlers of God’s word” is of a paid spokesperson appearing in a TV commercial for some product. This person may or may not use the product they are speaking about, but they are willing to “peddle” it because that is their job.
This is not Paul’s approach to sharing the gospel. Paul is more like the prophet Isaiah who “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty…” (Isaiah 6:1). Standing in the presence of God and the entire heavenly court, the prophet received his commission to share God’s word with the people. It was not a “job” for Isaiah, it was a calling. He had been chosen and set aside for this particular purpose, just as Paul, centuries later, would receive his call on the road to Damascus. No, Paul was not a paid spokesperson, he shared what he believed, what he knew to be true, what he had learned from God and from others in the faith. And it was in this capacity that he was speaking to the Christians in Corinth.
There are days when I, as a minister, feel a little like a paid spokesperson. But it is on those occasions when I can share my faith as a believer and not as a church professional that I feel the message really come alive for me. How about you? Do you share the gospel like someone earning a paycheck, punching a clock, and dreaming of the moment when you can leave and get back to your life? Or are you motivated by your faith in God through Jesus Christ to share the good news as though it were the most important thing you could possibly do? If you say yes to the first question, you need to reconsider what it means to be one of God’s people. But if you said yes to the second, even if you have to struggle with the challenge, you stand in good company, the likes of Isaiah and Paul, not peddlers, but believers.
Prayer: Lord, keep us from “peddling the word” and help us instead to share freely and fully the joy of the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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