“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
~ 2 Corinthians 10:4
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you think that boasting is a good thing for a kid – or for a guy or gal, to do? A well-known political player recently related an incident that purportedly took place. Because Hillary Clinton – who is the politician, wanted to be believed as having international negotiation experience, she used a visit that she made about twelve years ago to Bosnia to highlight her experiences of being an international envoy for her husband. Instead of just referring to the visit that she made to Bosnia as just that – a visit, Hillary Clinton embellished her visit to Bosnia when she said that the C-17 transport plane that she was in as it was landing came under sniper fine when the plane did not come under sniper fire. Another well-known politician during an interview years ago said that he was behind the creation of the internet. Because Al Gore – who is the politician, had little to do – if anything to do, with the development of the internet other than that he may have given a bit of impetus towards legitimizing the internet but by referring that he had helped in the creation of the internet is saying something that he did not do or had very little to do with doing. Why do you think that guys and gals think that they have to boast about something that they have had very little with doing or have not done at all? Your grandmaa and grandpaa are embarrassed at times by what they hear a guy or gal say in a public setting or write about in his or her prayer letter. Wilfred and Elizabeth Watson – a missionary couple who spent several years ministering alongside the Bolivia South America Mission field missionary team, recounted one day that while they were United States on a short break that they happened to go to a church where a missionary spoke who ministered in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with a Baptist mission agency. Santa Cruz is where your grandmaa and grandpaa lived when they were on the South America Mission field missionary team in Bolivia. The missionary with the Baptist mission agency per Wilf and Elizabeth told the guys, gals and kids who were in the church where he was speaking that his mission agency was the only mission agency located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had gotten to know the missionary and his wife. This missionary couple was respected by other missionaries who lived in Santa Cruz. Your grandpaa does not know why this missionary thought that he needed to say what he said – which sounded to your grandpaa that he was boasting that his mission agency was the only mission doing ministry in Santa Cruz when the missionary knew that there were several other mission agencies ministering in Santa Cruz. Your grandmaa and grandpaa one year took an eight week summer team of college age guys and gals that they were leading in Guatemala to Santa Clara. Before a scheduled kids’ program in one of the local churches, the church’s leader promised kids in the community that they would be given something if they attended the program. Over 400 kids showed up for this kids’ program. An OC International field team missionary made the trip to Santa Clara with this summer team that your grandmaa and grandpaa were leading. When the kids’ program ended, this missionary gave an invitation for each kid to make a decision of faith by raising their hands. Almost all the kids raised their hands signifying to Ken that each kid was making a decision of faith. Your grandpaa thinks that the kids thought that they needed to raise their hands in order to receive whatever it was that had been promised to them if they came to the kids’ program. Ken in his next monthly prayer letter wrote that 400 kids made a decision of faith in Santa Clara during the visit of the summer team there. Even though it was not true what Ken wrote in his monthly prayer letter that about 400 kids had made a decision of faith in Santa Clara, what Ken wrote would be quoted by the President of OC International in a thank you note that was sent with donation receipts.
Paul seemed to have had a struggle with boasting. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10 in this letter that he sent to the guys and gals who were in the Corinth Christ-follower community that he had already sent this Christ-follower community a letter and that he was almost finished with this second letter. Paul knew that his letters very possibly made himself sound a lot bolder than how he had presented himself personally to the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals. Paul wrote that when he was with them that he had acted meekly and gently towards them. In the first part of this second letter that he wrote to the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals, Paul had tried to act timidly but as he concludes this second letter, Paul feels that he needs to communicate more boldly to them. Paul knew that some guys were telling the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals that his first letter was weighty and forceful but in person, that he was nothing more than an unimpressive wimp whose words did not mean anything. Paul was very adamant that the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals should be very careful who they listened to and followed. Paul warned the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals to watch out for guys who spent their time commending themselves – or boasting about themselves, versus spending their time serving other guys and gals for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Paul tells Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals that if there was anything to boast about that the boasting was to be in the Lord for the Lord’s sake only.
Paul knew that the Corinth Christ-follower guys and gals could be easily destroyed by enemy strongholds. Paul states in verse 4, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” Each time that you boast, you are entering into a stronghold of the enemy.
2 Corinthians 10 (905)