2 Corinthians 10--"Paul defends his ministry"

 Paul begins this portion of his letter by speaking from his heart. (As we said in chapter 1, it's believed he is dictating the letter to Timothy.)  Paul may be soft-spoken face-to-face, but pen and paper in hand gives him boldness.  He would really like to get everything "out in the open" by letter, so he doesn't have to be confrontational in person.  He plans to confidently confront those who are spreading the rumors that Paul is walking according to human nature.  He responds that yes, they do struggle with the flesh, just as every single human alive does.  They are not immune to sin.  But Paul and his fellow missionaries are not  waging a war based on their own abilities.  They have trained as soldiers of God and their weapons of warfare are straight from the hand of their Leader.  The enemy builds up its opinion and defends it, but it has no power AT ALL when battling against the truth of God's Word.  God has put the sword of His Word in their minds and hearts, but they have to actually wield it!! And the battle also rages in their minds, where the enemy (Satan) attempts to undermine.  So they take even their thoughts captive to obey Christ.  Paul tells them the truth of their ministry is plain as day--they are as committed to Christ as any of them.  Paul knows that he comes across heavy-handed, but he's not going to apologize for it because every word has been from God.  He basically says what he has written in his letters, he would say directly to their faces.  Some others who claim to be ministers build themselves up by their own merit and comparison to others, but Paul says if they do that, they do not "get" the ministry at all.  Paul boasts only in the gifts of God; he's not about to downplay the influence of God because it's that influence that lead Paul to the Corinthians in the first place.  He's quick to admit that they are not the only ministers around, but they ARE ministers to the Corinthians.  And Paul's greatest desire is that the faith of the church in Corinth will grow, allowing the Gospel to spread!!  Paul quotes Jeremiah 9:24 in part to once again tie the wisdom of the Old Testament to the Gospel work of the New Testament church. And if the Corinthians have any doubt, Paul reiterates that he knows that endorsing himself has absolutely no value, only the endorsement from God matters.  

I can kind of relate to Paul in this chapter.  I consider myself to be more of a writer than a speaker; I'm bolder with my words in type and tend to feel a little more shy face to face.  But when it comes to the Gospel, I long to be like Paul, willing to be bold in both print and voice.   I'm changed by verses 3-6.  We should live as trained soldiers, laying every human tendency next to the standard of the Word of God.  When arguments come our way from the enemy, we can win by comparing it to everything we know about Christ Jesus.  We are not pre-programmed to know how to do any of this, we walk in human nature just like every human being ever born before and after us.  But with training, (Bible Study!!  You are doing it!!!) we can take every thought, whether it originates in our own mind or comes from the lips of our enemy, and hold it captive in obedience to Christ.  This is not done with a "fake it til you make it" mentality, but by growing and training in obedience until Christ completes us in His victory!!