2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (NIV)
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Paul has just written about the veil that it taken away from people’s hearts and eyes when they come into the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus. Paul himself experienced that removal of the veil, and he watched it happen regularly in those who came to faith through his ministry.
Paul does not have to use deceptive methods or distort the Scriptures to get people to repent and believe. His own testimony of a changed life, the light in his heart, and the power of Jesus that flowed through his life were powerful tools that God used to draw people into the faith.
Paul realized that satan (“the god of this age”) had blinded the eyes of many people so that they couldn’t see the light that was being shown to them. But he also knew that the same thing happened in the ministry of Jesus Himself. The Jewish leaders had been so blinded by the enemy that they could not see the divine light of Jesus in spite of the miracles that He did and the words that He spoke.
Paul could have been irritated at those who rejected his message or have felt rejected and resentful. But he understood that none of this was about himself. He was focused on Jesus and on what He had done, and if he entered the picture at all, it was only as a faithful servant of Jesus.
So, Paul faithfully showed the light of Jesus, trusting that all those with eyes to see would respond, and those who were still blinded would simply need to wait for another opportunity. And in the meantime, he would be building up those who did see.
Father, we can all take a lesson from these few verses. Paul put nearly everything into his mission of reaching the world with the gospel. The only thing he didn’t put into it was his ego. If people rejected the message, he simply moved on, fully expecting You to lead him to more fertile soil elsewhere. Those who responded were baptized, guided to the point of receiving the Holy Spirit, and connected into a fellowship where they could grow, mature, and work. Today we shy away from sharing the gospel freely because we don’t want to be rejected – our egos are right in the center of what we are doing, so evangelism becomes a “risky” activity instead of a simple sharing the light with those who are lost in the darkness. Help us, Lord, to take a page from Paul, and to see ourselves and Your work as he did, so that we can be more effective as witnesses. Amen.