2 Corinthians 13:1-4

2 Corinthians 13:1-4  This will be my third visit to you.  “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”  I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time.  I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.  He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.  For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.  Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you. 

Paul is warning the Corinthians that his position in Christ as an apostle gives him much authority in God to deal with them.  Even though Jesus seemed weak in the flesh, for he seemingly could not save himself from crucifixion, Jesus was powerful, transforming lives for eternity.  Paul is stating, so am I in Christ.  God has given me power to deal with sin and with people who sin.  In the above passage, Paul is affirming that his weakness in the flesh does not translate to weakness in the Spirit.  When the Jews dealt with Jesus by crucifying him, they thought they had gotten rid of him, that his influence on people would wain, but that wasn't true.  His dying brought a revolution to the world, old ways were put aside by many, and a new life, a new way of living, spawned in millions of people.  Paul is assuring the Corinthians that even though he seems weak, he is not, for God's power in him is transforming lives throughout the Gentile world, and he has power to deal with them and their wayward ways.   

We, who are in Christ, are also imbued with power by God, not power to hurt or to destroy, but power to restore, to heal.  God's power in us transforms us into his sons and daughters.  This is a progressive work.  As we yield to God's authority in us, we become more like Jesus.  Our light shines brighter, and we have more positive influence on the people surrounding us.  Our power is not used to judge or to criticize, our power is to love and to care.  When we are impacted with God's authority, we will use his power to reach out to a dying and sinful world.  We will try to restore and to heal the lost, to build up fellow believers.  But God is always in the driver's seat.  He alone can draw people into the fold.  He alone can bring the reality of Jesus Christ as Lord to their consciousness.  We can only be instruments of his love.  We cannot determine who will hear in their inner being and be restored.  We, in our weakness, must do our part by loving and caring.  God must do the rest.  Jesus is the bread of heaven, but not everyone will partake of him.  Not everyone will drink of his blood and die to this world.  God will be the final determiner of that.  

Paul had a special calling to father many Gentile churches.  He established these churches in Christ, and his mission was to father them into maturity. We, who have a host of witnesses around us, should live our lives in Christ by reliance upon God and the Holy Spirit within us, no matter how weak we think we are.  We should live our lives so people can see Jesus in us.  By doing so, we will have authority in other people's live.  They will allow us to speak into their lives about God's amazing mercy, grace, and love.  If they accept his call, God will transform them into new creatures.  Therefore, as Paul, we should seek to minister to others and to be spiritual fathers and mothers to those who need us.  Also as Paul, regardless of our weakness, if we trust God and allow him to use us, we will be able to say to those in need, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.