How to Measure a Ministry

Pastor Mike will be speaking on How to Measure a Ministry. He will be reading out of 2nd Corinthians 10:7-17.

Any ministry that is not empowering you to have a relationship with Jesus Christ that tries to create factions and tries to create barriers, listen, you better run from those ministries and you better make sure that a ministry is always doing everything it can to lead people to Jesus Christ.

Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders and we’re excited that you’re able to join us and looking forward to the opportunity to be able to open the Bible and to share the great truths of God’s word. Today, we’re gonna be in 2 Corinthians chapter 10.

We’re gonna be studying verse seven through 17 and I wanna talk to you about how to measure your ministry, how to measure any ministry, really. Well, we’re gonna look at those principles and hopefully that’ll be a blessing to you.

So let’s grab our Bibles and let’s get into this study. Second Corinthians chapter 10 is probably the most emotionally charged chapter that the apostle Paul ever wrote. In it, he pours out his heart amid severe attacks on his character and his ministry.

He had given so much to the Corinthians and some of them were turning on him. They were being very difficult with him. His integrity had been called into question. His loyalty and his leadership had been questioned.

His love for the church had been doubted and even denied. And this probably was the greatest single barrage of abuse that the apostle ever received in his life. And apparently it was being fueled by different leaders within the church.

A mutiny had developed by a… a small group of false teachers and individuals who were trying to discredit the ministry of the apostle. So the apostle Paul’s credentials were in question. And so he takes time in chapter 10 to defend his apostleship, to defend the authenticity of his ministry, to help the people of God to understand who he is, what God has called him to, and why his style of ministry and his message was so important.

So as we navigate through verse seven through 18, we won’t finish today, but we’re gonna learn what I call a method of evaluation, a tool that each one of us can use on how to measure your own ministry and the ministries of others.

How is it that we can evaluate a servant of God? How can we make sure that a church, a Bible study, a program or any particular ministry that we’re either involved in or that we are aware of, how can we make sure that it is true, that it is from heaven and not misleading?

So I want you to pick up with me in verse seven, and I want you to note what the scripture says as the apostle under the inspiration of the Spirit of God gives him these words, says, do you look at things according to the outward appearance?

If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ, even so, we are Christ. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us, for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed, lest I seem to terrify you by letters.

For his letters, they say, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible. Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters, when we are absent, such we will also be indeed when we are present.

For we dare not class ourselves or rank ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere, which God appointed us a sphere, which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though our own.

Our authority did not extend to you, for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ. Not boasting of things beyond measure, that is in another man’s labors, but having hope that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere.

To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment, but he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commend.

Now I want you to back up in verse 12, because the crux of the final verses of chapter 10 are wrapped up right there in verse 12. And here the apostle says, we dare not class ourselves. He’s talking about ranking.

We’re not going to rank ourselves. We’re not going to sit there and class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.

So how do we measure our ministry? How do we measure the ministry of others? This is what the apostle is going through. He’s going through the scrutiny of people measuring, evaluating his own ministry, finding fault with it, trying to discredit him.

And now the apostle helps us to understand how can we truly measure a ministry? And I’m going to give you four questions. Unfortunately, we probably will not get to all four, but we’ll get to as many as we can.

But the first question when trying to measure ministry is to simply ask this question. What is my identity? What is my identity? Now at the outset in verse seven, we see that the apostle asks a question.

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? Some translations have it not as a question, but as a statement, either way, whether it is a question or it is a statement, the point is this, that the apostle wants them to understand who he is, what his heart is.

When you measure a ministry, the focus is within and not without. It’s easy for our attention to be enamored by the big and the loud and to think that, wow, that is where God is working. You remember when Elijah, he was running from Jezebel and he was complaining about how he was the only one left serving God.

And you remember that Elijah was there in that cave and he was pouting. and he was struggling and all of a sudden he came to the entrance of the cave and there was a mighty wind and there was a mighty earthquake and there was a mighty fire but over and over the scripture says that the Lord was not in the wind the Lord was not in the earthquake but then there was a still small voice that’s where God was working and see we sometimes as believers because we’re human and because we have the fascination with what we can tangibly see we become easily swayed by outward appearance so let’s talk about what our identity should be because that’s really most important and first it’s a relationship with Christ you see in verse seven he says that just as he is Christ even so we are Christ who is Paul referring to he’s referring to these false teachers he’s referring to his critics he’s referring to those who are claiming a super spirituality.

They are claiming that, hey, look at us. We’re of Christ. We have a special relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul, he does not. He does not have a special relationship. But Paul is reminding them that just as they have a relationship with Christ, he’s not denying their relationship.

He’s just simply saying that he has a spiritual union with the Lord just as they do. And he’s using this as a way to help the church to understand that no one has an exclusive claim on Jesus Christ. Now, we like to think that, hey, we’re the open door church.

We’re the only ones going to heaven. But let me tell you something, friends. It’s not a matter of what is the label or the name on your church building, but rather it is the name and the label that is on your heart that matters most.

And you see, as believers, sometimes we say, well, we’re the only ones going, or we like to criticize other ministries. We like to find fault with other Christians. We wanna sit there and make sure that if they don’t cross their T’s and dot their I’s, like we do, then we need to spend our time discrediting them when truly what we need to understand that if they believe in Jesus Christ and they truly believe he’s the only way to heaven and he paid the price for their sin and my sin, then they’ve put their faith and trust in him, then who am I to say that they’re not a Christian?

Honestly, I can only go by the testimony of people. Sometimes people say they are believers. I may raise an eyebrow and wonder, but only the Lord really knows, right? Only God knows. Paul reminds these believers that he is of Christ as well.

Now you remember in the Corinthian church from the first letter that there had been factions that had developed in the church. First Corinthians 1 .12 says, this I say that every one of you say if I’m of Paul, I’m of Apollos, I’m of Cephas or Peter and I of Christ.

Here’s what happened in the church at Corinth, they had different pastors, they had different leaders, different individuals who taught them the Bible and so there would be one segment would say, I’m of Paul, we like Paul’s teaching the best.

Others would say, we like Apollos. Others would say, we like Peter. But then there was this group that said, we are of Christ, we are of Christ and it’s not that they were somehow mature but just the opposite.

They were claiming that they were the only ones who were true believers. That everybody else that was following Paul or Peter or Apollos, the different pastors that the church of Corinth had, they were not true believers but we have this exclusive relationship with Jesus and we have.

a special relationship with him, and they were defining themselves that way. And here the apostle is saying again in our text this morning in verse seven, that just as he is Christ, even so we are Christ, there is no exclusive claim.

The apostle is reminding them that his relationship with Christ defines who he is. A true man of God, a true person of God, a true ministry of God is focused first on a relationship with Jesus. Any ministry that is not empowering you to walk with God, to know God, to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, any ministry that tries to create factions and labels and tries to create barriers, any ministry that says we’re the only ones right, listen, you better run from those ministries and you better make sure that a ministry is always doing everything it can to lead people to Jesus Christ.

You see our identity as a church should be that we are a place where people can come and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they can come and have a relationship with Christ and they can grow in that relationship and they can learn in that relationship and they can go deeper with God and they can go deeper in their walk as they are encouraged to follow Christ and Christ alone.

But listen, Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes unto the Father except by me. Listen, this gospel is a gospel that is available. This relationship with Christ is available to all who call upon the name of Christ.

We are not the only ones who love Jesus and we certainly want more people to love Jesus. We want more people to believe in Christ. We want more people to trust Him. When Paul says in verse 7 that we are of Christ, he is not only identifying his relationship with Christ in his salvation, but in his calling.

The apostle understood that he was chosen of God to be an apostle, that he was chosen to take the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth, that he was chosen to a particular ministry of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles.

He understood that he represented Christ, and this morning as we measure our ministry, we should say, what is my identity? It is in my relationship with Christ. My identity is not in the world. My identity is not in my job.

My identity is not in my education. My identity is not how much money I have, but my identity is in Christ and Christ alone. And this not only is the outgrowth of my relationship with Christ, but my identity is also rooted in my ministry for Christ, that I understand that God has called me to serve him.

We all can’t do what we’ve always done. We can’t maybe do as much as we used to could do, but we all can do something for Jesus Christ, amen? And if you can’t do anything for Christ and you say, pastor, I can’t do a lot, how about this?

Perhaps the greatest ministry at the Open Door Church is the ministry of prayer. And what the church needs more is more prayer warriors, more people praying for their pastor, more people praying for our ministries, our programs, our services.

Every week in the prayer sheet we’re listing programs and ministries and missionaries and leaders and servants in the church. And we’re asking you to pray, not just for the sick to get healthy, but we are praying that God’s power and anointing would be upon our ministry week after week, day after day, that we might touch lives for the Lord Jesus Christ, which takes me to the second part of my identity.

Remember, I said in evaluating your ministry or any ministry, you have to ask what is its identity? Is its identity in Christ or is it in the world? Is its identity in things or material stuff? Or is it in Christ?

The second part of this identity is the desire to impact others. Look at verse eight. For as the apostle is helping the church understand who he is, he says, we are Christ, we are his, we are his chosen representatives.

We have a relationship with him. He says in verse eight, for even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification, underscore that in your Bible, edification, which means to build up and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed.

Now get this, the apostle is expressing to the Corinthians that his ministry is all about building people up. It’s all about building people up in their most holy. faith. It is about them understanding that he wants them to not only know Christ, but to grow in Christ.

That’s what our identity is in, is that everything that we’re doing is not about self, it’s not enriching ourself, it is not about our advancement, but rather it’s about the advancement of God’s people.

Now the as an apostle, look what he says, that even I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us. Now why would Paul have to bring this up? Because remember that they are trying to discredit him and they are trying to say that his ministry is no good.

Now why would Apostle Paul, why don’t he just let it roll off? Why didn’t he just let it go and just say no big deal? These guys are just running their mouths, don’t know what they’re talking about. Let me tell you why.

Because for these believers at Corinth the ministry of the Apostle Paul was deeply connected to his message Which is the gospel of Jesus Christ to discredit his ministry was to discredit his message. It was to discredit that Christ is the only way to heaven it is to discredit that Christ went to the cross for our sins and so it is Important for the Apostle to remind the Corinthians that he is asserting his gospel credentials to the church and that the aim of his authority is not to lord over them It is not to be a dictator to them It is not to boss them But it is simply to build up the saints in their faith. That the authority given to him as a leader in the church Was not to be abused or misused But rather if the authority was designed so that God’s people would be edified That they would grow in their faith any authority given to a leader any authority given to a person in the church Should never be abused or misused but rather be designed to help not only the gospel to go forward But God’s people to go forward for Jesus Christ.

Amen God does give authority God leads and he rules his church through pastors and elders and deacons These individuals are designed to balance the church to focus the church to protect the church To keep the wolves from infiltrating the church But all that these leaders do are all about edifying God’s people and that’s a measuring stick.

That’s what you can see. What’s their identity? Now some people can’t handle authority. Have you ever noticed that? I mean Abraham Lincoln said if you want to see the true character of a man give him authority.

Some people can’t handle it and they want to lord over people and they want to control people and they want to try to manipulate people, but that’s not what God has called us to do. He has called us to use our platforms and to use our roles and responsibilities to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ and to help God’s people to get closer to Jesus Christ.

Now the third part of our identity is a focus on the heart or a disdain for outward appearance. Look at verse 10. Here when Paul says this in verse 10, I want you to understand that there is a little bit of sarcasm here, but he is quoting what his critics are saying in verse 10, okay?

So please understand that. For his letters, this is what his critics say, they say are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak. and his speech contemptible. So what are his critics? They look at the apostle and they see his outward appearance.

We said back in verse seven, do you look at things according to the outward appearance? They were judging Paul by his looks. And they were not only judging by the way he looked, but also the way that he spoke.

Here, the apostle is warning the church of the danger of superficial judgments. Go back to verse one. And again, we see here that the apostle is bringing to attention what his critics says. He says, now I’m in chapter 10.

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and the gentleness of Christ who in presence, this is sarcastic, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent and bold towards you. Here’s what the critics were saying, that when the apostle is around you, he’s all meek and mild.

But when he’s away, he writes these letters that are bold and audacious. And so then we come down to verse 10. His letters, they say, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.

We’ll see one of the dangers of superficial judgment is not knowing the heart of a person. And here, the false teachers had tried to define who Paul was based upon the way he looked. You may not realize this, but the apostle Paul had a lot of problems.

I mean, he was constantly in danger, shipwrecks, people throwing rocks at him, nearly killed him, that the apostle had problems with his eyesight. He couldn’t see. Many times he had to dictate his letters to the church.

He would sign them in large letters because he couldn’t even see his own handwriting. The apostle was not a man to look upon. He was not, if we would say, a man who was good looking. handsome and his speech.

You see many a church would have thrown the Apostle out because his speech sometimes were boring. He preached so long one time that a man fell out of a window. It was on a Sunday night. How about those Sunday night sermons?

They can lay a man out. But remember what the scriptures teach us in 1 Samuel 16 7 the Bible says for the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Paul is saying look you’re looking at my presence you’re you’re looking at how I speak but you need to really know my heart. My heart is for the church. My heart is that the church would grow. My heart is that Jesus Christ would be exalted and glorified and see friends as we are understanding who people are and as we evaluate our own ministries and we evaluate the ministries of others we really need to get to know the heart of a person that God has called.

Now, in the Greek world, they had competition for public speaking. And the Corinthians were well aware of this, and they knew that the apostles’ presence was not a commanding presence. Remember that the apostle told them in 1 Corinthians 2, 1, I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God.

Paul’s presentation was probably mundane, but again, he said to the Corinthians in chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians that the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, meaning that it’s the spirit of God’s power.

And you know, there are many great preachers that we look up to, and they read their sermons, or maybe their presentation was not as dynamic as others, but God used them. And it doesn’t matter the communication style.

It doesn’t matter whether they are using a flowery speech or communication modes or emphasis that help convince people to persuade them to do whatever they want. No, my friends, what we’re looking for is the power of God being present.

We’re looking for the effective power of God. And that’s where our identity should be and is not in the outward appearance of what it looks like or what a person looks like, but what is the heart of that individual as we measure our own lives?

Where is our heart? And are we looking to try to build ourselves and our own kingdom, or are we looking to build the kingdom of God? What is our heart? This is how we understand our identity. The second question I want us to look at, but that is the question, am I where God wants me to be?

As I am measuring my ministry, what is my identity? But am I where God wants me to be? And that’s in verse 12 through. 16 here Paul again is being sarcastic to his critics and he says we dare not in verse 12 we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves meaning literally these people were bragging about their accomplishments to the church they were saying look at us we’re the standard by what everything should be measured by what all ministries should be measured by and here Paul is sarcastically saying look we’re not going to compare ourselves we’re not going to rank ourselves to people who brag about themselves because they’re not the measuring stick these false teachers had exaggerated their image among the church they not only had a high and lofty image of themselves but they wanted to make sure everybody else had this high and lofty image of themselves and so the Apostle Paul is saying to them We’re not going to compare ourselves, but look at verse 13.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us, a sphere which especially includes you. That’s why I ask the question, am I where God wants me to be?

You don’t have to be like anybody else. You don’t have to. I remember when I first came to the open door church and members would say, well, that’s not the way Pastor Keith did it, or they’d say, well, that’s not the way that Pastor Dino did it.

And I would say, well, I mean, I love those guys and I appreciate their ministry and I believe God raised them up and called them at a certain time and place and space. But I’m Pastor Mike and I can’t be them and I can’t be anybody else.

I got to be who God wants me to be. But you got to be who God wants you to be too. You can’t be like somebody else. We thank God for the great men and women of God of this church, but you can’t be like any of them.

You got to be like who God called you to be. And so I want to challenge you to think about that. Where does God want me to be? And quit putting on yourself a measurement that is not from God. God doesn’t expect you to be any more than who you are.

And so that’d be like saying we want Pastor Mike to go out there and be this great, amazing, professional baseball player. Just not going to happen, friends. I’ll be lucky to make it to first base. You understand?

I got to be who I am. And so in your life, you understand your gifts, your talents, your abilities, and you be thankful for what God has entrusted to you. And don’t try to do ministry beyond your sphere or beyond your boundaries or beyond your calling or beyond what God wants you to do.

But that you choose that with what God has entrusted to you, that you will be faithful. That you will be that person that God can truly trust to get his work done. But I want us to pray together this morning.

morning as we close in prayer and as we think about our own ministry and what God has called us to be and do. Am I where God wants me to be? Am I where God wants me to be? Pray about that. What is my identity?

What is my focus? Is it Christ and edifying the church or is it all about presentation? Is it all about outward appearance? Whatever changes God is calling you to make this morning in your heart, confess that and call upon Him to help you with that.

Well, as we’re beginning to share the principles of measuring a ministry, I’m hoping that it’s helping you to think a little bit and to certainly give consideration to what is a real ministry. The Apostle Paul has established a method of evaluation for each servant of God that can measure their ministry and make sure that it is a biblical ministry, and this helps us as we’re trying to discern, test all things, and make sure that we are walking in the truth.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.