Letters
A letter is made up of words which are made up of letters. If you did not know what a letter was, that statement would seem quite odd. How can a letter be made up of letters? I introduce my study this morning in this way to segue into one of the letters written by Paul. His second letter to the Corinthians, which could really have been his third (see 1st Corinthians 5:9—Paul indicates he had already written a previous letter to them), is the one I was reading this morning and came across some interesting passages about letters.
Beginning in chapter 2, verse 17 of 2nd Corinthians and reading through chapter 3, verse 4, I found references to people being ‘letters of recommendation’ to Paul. Instead of you having to open your Bible to these verses, I am including them here:2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?3:2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.3:4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.
Paul starts out by saying that he is not profiting (monetarily) from his preaching of God’s word (oh my, isn’t THIS contradictory to most preachers of today!), but then continues to describe how he is actually ‘paid’. He states he doesn’t need to be put on a pedestal or receive laudatory comments from anyone for him to succeed in his mission. No, he says that the actual people are his payment…by them continuing to grow and evangelize, they actually are repaying Paul. And Paul’s heart rejoices from seeing their growth and spiritual fervor.
Paul goes on to even state that these Corinthians, are actual letters from Christ Himself, and they “are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (verse 15 of the 2nd chapter). These folks learned from Paul’s letters and preaching, and have those lessons embedded upon not just their minds, but their hearts as well.
Letters, epistles, emails, or by whatever name you
prefer to address written communication to others, can teach a lot.
Written words can impact people’s hearts tremendously, causing them to
react, and to act. Paul’s letters, which are included in our Bible, had that
impact back when they were written, and still do today. People read or hear them, and then usually because of the
recognition of sin or love, react in some manner to better their own lives and
the lives of others around them. “I”
enjoy writing letters, in the form of these emailed studies (also recorded at www.MacIsIrish.com/QuietTimes.htm),
even though I have no idea on their impact upon you ‘faithful readers’.
I sincerely hope I can help impart the Words of God onto your hearts, not
with electrons, but with the Spirit of the living God.
My ministry includes this avenue, using electronic ‘letters’.
Some of you may say that my “letters are weighty and forceful, but
in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing", and
I would tend to agree with you on the latter part of that statement—I am not
blessed with the talent for forceful speaking.
I just hope my ‘letters’ can help in same way.
In order to be a ‘letter from Christ’, each of us must already have His messages written on our hearts. We can then become living letters for Him simply by opening up our hearts to the millions of people around us, starting with our own family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, store-workers…the list goes on and on. But the point is, be a visible letter to others. Learn from Paul’s teachings, and then teach others. Be known by everybody you meet as a letter of recommendation for Christ. Live your life everyday as if God Himself is inside you (because He is) and you want to share Him with the entire world.
See what bold letters I use as I write to you
with my own computer (sic)! (Gal 6:11)
Mac