The Power of an Epistle

June 23, 2013                                THESE NOTES ARE NOT EDITED

The Power of an Epistle                GRAMMAR POLICE BE WARNED

2Corinthians 3:1-18

SIS—Christians are the only Jesus some will ever see and the only Bible some will ever read—we need to be “living epistles” bringing life-producing ministry to others.

An “epistle” is simply a “letter,” or a message sent from one party to another.  A letter, or epistle, can be a powerful thing.  A very old saying, forms of it going back hundreds of years, declares:  “The pen is mightier than the sword.” The Greek poet Euripides, who died about 406 B.C., said, "The tongue is mightier than the blade." In 1600 Shakespeare had Rosencrantz in Hamlet say that "... many wearing rapiers are afraid of goosequills”  (TriviaLibrary.com).

Back in the early ‘50’s there was a comic book character created by Charles Shultz, the father of Charlie Brown, before Charlie Brown became the megastar he is today. Shultz created a character named, Charlotte Braun, intended to be the counterpart to the lovable, Charlie Brown.  She was loud and obnoxious. At least one fan wrote Shultz a letter complaining about Charlotte.  After only six appearances, Shultz got tired of Charlotte, also.  He killed her off—LITERALLY!  Tiring of Charlotte, Shultz sent a letter to the disgruntled fan agreeing that Charlotte had to go.  He included a sketch of Charlotte with an ax in her head.  Comic strips can be dangerous places. 

There are many examples throughout history that show the “power of an epistle.”  Today, we are going to discuss what it means to be living epistles bearing God’s message of life to the world.

Note:  you will see that I expanded my text from ending at verse 6 to ending at verse 18.  The reason is that verses 7-18 are actually a biblical example illustrating and expanding the truth in  verse 3—that is, what it means to be a “living epistle of God.”

READING:  2Corinthians 3:1-14

A “Living Epistle” is written in three stages:

1.  A Radical Encounter (vss 3; 7-11)

All throughout the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, we see the record of God interacting with men and women.  Every time we see these encounters between God and mankind, we see a radical change in people’s lives—usually for the better. 

Whether it is radical encounter Noah had that resulted in the saving of the human race through a world-wide flood, or the radical encounter Paul had, as Saul of Damascus, that catapulted the saving message of the gospel to the entire known world, an encounter with God radically changes those who so encounter Him.

Like, Noah and Paul, or so many others, this radical encounter leads to radical ministry.  This is the essence of what it means to become a “living epistle of God.”  Look at verse 3,

It is clear that you are Christ’s letter,  produced  by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God —not on stone tablets  but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

The phrase, “not on stone tablets,” is a reference to the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God and handed down to the Israelites through Moses.  It looks back at the encounter (one of many) that Moses had with Almighty God.  That encounter radically changed Moses, even to the point of physically altering his appearance.  The Law of God written on stone should have radically altered the lives of the Israelites, but it did not.  Look at verses 7-11:

⁷ Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory,  so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory— ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. ¹⁰ In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if what was fading away  was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

As I said, the encounter with God in the process of receiving His law radically changed Moses—even His physical appearance (Ex.34:35).  That’s the Law of God written on “stone tablets,” in verse 3.  But, this “letter, or epistle written on stone” became a “ministry of death” (v 7).  Why?  The answer is in verse 14a:  “but their minds were closed.”

There is no life in a stone.  There is no life simply by “owning a Bible,” or even reading a Bible, or even becoming a Bible scholar.  There is only “life” when there is a “radical encounter through the Holy Spirit of God.”  This is what verse 3 calls, “the law of God written on tablets that are hearts of flesh.”  This is a reference to Jeremiah 31:3.  One cannot become a “living epistle” until one has been radically changed by an encounter with the Holy Spirit of God.  It is the Holy Spirit that a gives eternal life, not a religious book, or religious ritual.  Look at verses 9-11:

For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. ¹⁰ In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if what was fading away  was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

The idea of “glory” (doxa) here paints the image of a “powerful explosion of light,” or the idea of “splendor.”  This is what happens when a person comes into contact with God and becomes “a living epistle of God with God’s message radiating from one’s life.”

Why is the world not more “impressed” by the church?  We have grand buildings, spectacular programs, and skilled orators, minister to thousands--but where is the “splendor?”  Where is the “majestic expression of God’s power?”  Where is the “explosion of glory?”

There is no “brilliant, explosion of light” because there is only a message written on “stone cold hearts.”  Religion will never cause an explosion of God’s splendor in the heart of anyone.  Only the Holy Spirit can do that.  Only a radical encounter with Almighty God results in a “living epistle of God’s message written on a changed heart.”

When this radical encounter takes place it is like the explosion of a rocket engine that sends a ship into the far reaches of outer space.  A radical encounter results in a

2.  Spirit-produced Competence (vs 3)

Let me read verse 3 again.  It is central to the text:

³ It is clear that you are Christ’s letter,  produced  by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God —not on stone tablets  but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

This verse makes it clear:  a believer is a living epistle of God with God’s life-giving message written in the blood of Jesus upon the heart.  A believer is in a very real sense, “The very Word of God.”

That’s what the song is trying to reflect that says:

You're the only Jesus that some will ever see
And you're the only words of life, some will ever read
So let them see in you the One in whom is all they'll ever need
'Cause you're the only Jesus, some will ever see

This song expresses the truth we read in Romans 10:13-14

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

¹⁴ But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him?  And how can they hear without a preacher?”

So, the Bible makes it clear:  God intends for us to be living epistles of His saving message!  This presses me to ask a very penetrating, and very painful question:  “Am I an effective expression of God’s saving message?”

With a broken heart, and no a little shame, I must confess that I am NOT an effective living epistle of God.  I’m not alone in this sad confession.  In fact, I may be doing a bit better than many people.  The statistics are clear:  only 1 out of 10 people who call themselves Christian, every lead even 1 person to saving faith in Christ in their entire lifetime!

Now, maybe you have led someone to Christ.  Maybe 2 or 3.  I’ll let each man and woman judge themselves in this matter.  What is abundantly clear from the facts of the matter is this:  the church in America is NOT being effective in being living epistles of the saving message of Jesus Christ.

New polling numbers, like a recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life show that the decline of Christian faith in America is accelerating.  America is very clearly turning away from Christianity and has been for some time.  So what does this mean for the future of our nation? For non-believers, this may be welcome news, but for Christ-followers it should cause great concern. In days past, the Christian faith had an overwhelming influence on everyday life in America.  As late as 1972, a whopping 62 percent of all Americans were Protestant and an astounding 93 percent of all Americans claimed to be affiliated with a religion of one sort or another.  But now things are dramatically changing. Here are some startling statistics; #1 Nearly one-fifth (20%) of all U.S. adults have no religious affiliation whatsoever.  Back in 1972, it was only 7 percent of all U.S. adults had no religious affiliation. #2 The younger you are the more likely you are not to be affiliated with a religion.  32 percent of all U.S. adults under the age of 30 have no religious affiliation. #3 A study conducted by the Barna Group discovered that nearly 60 percent of all Christians in the 15 to 29 year old age bracket are no longer actively involved in any church. #4 29 percent of all U.S. adults “seldom or never attend religious services”.#5 Islam is now the fastest growing religion in America according to the latest U.S. Religion Census.  #6 According to a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky, there were approximately 1,200 mosques in the United States back in the year 2000.  Now there are more than 2,100. #7 It is being projected that the percentage of Americans attending church in 2050 will be about half of what it is today. #8 One survey conducted a while back found that 52 percent of all American Christians believe that “at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life”. #9 LifeWay Research has also found that 46 percent of all Americans never even think about whether they will go to heaven or not. (adapted from: http://thetruthwins.com/archives).

All this makes me ask:  why?  Why are we so ineffective as living epistles in the church?  Two reasons come to mind.  We already hit on the first one:  many people who call themselves Christians have never really encountered the Living God.  It’s this simple.  You cannot be a living epistle OF God until you have experienced the Indwelling of the Spirit of God. Simply stated:  you must be “born-again” to become a living epistle of God.

A second reason for the ineffectiveness of God’s living epistles, is a matter of COMPETENCE, and the related matter of CONFIDENCE.

Quite simply, most true believers are totally incompetent in sharing the gospel because they lack “CONFIDENCE” in Christ.

The first matter is a matter of TRANSFORMATION, the second is a matter of CONSECRATION.  Many lack competence in sharing Christ as a living epistle, not because they have not been changed, but because they have never grown in confidence.  The way of expressing this issue biblically is to say, “Many people are saved, but not sanctified.”

Leviticus 20: 7 entreats us to,  Sanctify yourselves] therefore, and be ye holy.  1Thessalonians 4:3 says, It is God’s will that you should be sanctified (NIV). 

Sanctification is the process of surrendering to the Indwelling Spirit so that you become more and more like Christ.  It is “Part 2” of the story of your salvation—being born-again is “Part 1.”  Sadly, very few Christians get to Part 2.  Another way of expressing the idea of sanctification is to call it, “being filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

This is a term that causes some confusion among Christians because some groups teach that it is a matter wholly separate from the process of being born-again.  While the process of sanctification occurs after one is saved, it is the same Spirit that does the sanctifying who also did the saving.  It is not a matter of “getting more of the Holy Spirit, but a matter of allowing the Holy Spirit to get more of you.

People lack competence, and therefore, confidence in sharing the gospel as living epistles because they stop growing (or never start) after they are born again.  Like the “law written on cold stone tablets,” the heart becomes cold toward God when one does not embrace the process of sanctification.

In order to become an effective living epistle of God’s saving message a person has to continually surrender more and more of themselves through practicing the “Five Holy Habits”:  Worship, Bible study, Prayer, Fellowship, and Evangelism.  Sanctification requires that one “take up the cross of Christ daily and follow Him.”

If you are not in the Word daily; if you are not involved in daily prayer; if you neglect to fellowship with other believers on a regular basis, and you don’t even consider telling others about Christ, you will be a “dead letter,” not a “living epistle.

The United States Postal Service started a dead letter office in 1825 to deal with undeliverable mail.  Approximately 90 million undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) items end up in this office each year.  Many of you read Hermann Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, in high school. Bartleby worked in the Dead Letter Office.  Letters are written and sent for the purpose of being read.  A letter that is written, sent, but never read is a dead letter, not a living epistle.

Hebrews 6:1 says, Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.

This is what it means to “be sanctified.”  When you are “going on to maturity” by practicing the Five Holy Habits on a daily basis seeking to die to yourself more and more every day, then you will develop the competence in sharing the gospel through your confidence in knowing the ways of the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit is daily gaining more and more control over your life as you gain more and more knowledge of the Bible and develop a deeper relationship with the Lord, then you will see an “explosion of effectiveness” in regard to sharing God’s message as His Living Epistle.  As our text says in verse 5:

It is not that we are competent in  ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

A radical encounter with God and a Spirit-filled competence through God will ultimately lead to the goal of being a living epistle which is:

3.  A Life-producing Ministry FOR God (vs 6)

The purpose of writing a letter is to have it read.  God has written, and is writing, His message on our hearts so that we can be living epistles ministering life to others.  Look at verse 6:

He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant,  not of the letter,  but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

Look at that last phrase:  “The Spirit produces life.”  When it is all said and done, at the end of the day, a church full of Living Epistles will produce “new life.”  If that is not happening, something has gone amiss.

Sadly, the old cliché in business is true of many churches, “At the end of the day, when it is all said and done, more is said, than done.”

God empowers us to accomplish His decrees.  God’s Spirit indwells us to equip us for “life producing ministry.”  In Romans 12 and 1Corinthians 12, as well as other passages, the Bible tells us that God has given a “Spiritual Gift” to every believer. Romans 12:6 says,

According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts.

1Cor. 12:7 says, A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial.  Notice that phrase, “to produce what is beneficial.” 

Living Epistles produces!  Just like a shoe factory produces shoes, or a car factory produces cars, a church of Living Epistles produces disciples.  We don’t just keep recycling the old ones!

1Corinthians says every believe is given a “demonstration, or manifestation” of the Indwelling Holy Spirit to “produce what is beneficial.”  That’s what Paul calls “life producing ministry.”  It is very important to understand that these gifts, or spiritual manifestations, are “instrumental,” not “ornamental.”  God does not give us Spirit-empowered competence to bring attention to ourselves, but to bring glory to Him.  God empowers us so we are competent in serving Him.  God wants us to glorify Him, and nothing glorifies the Father more than “souls being saved”

John 15:8  My Father is glorified  by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be  My disciples.

A radical encounter with God leads to a Spirit-produced competence that results in life-producing ministry.

That’s what it means to be a Living Epistle.  I’ve said it a couple of times but we will benefit from hearing it again:  Christians are the only Jesus some will ever see and the only Bible many will ever read—we need to be involved in life-producing ministry.

An epistle is a powerful thing.  As Shakespeare said, “many wearing rapiers (swords) are afraid of goosequills.”  The pen, throughout history, has indeed been more powerful than the sword.  Ideas set to paper and sent among the common men are the foundation for all revolutions.  You can suppress a person with a sword, but you cannot suppress an idea.

Nowhere is this more true than in regard to God’s living epistles—you and I who bear upon our hearts the very message of God are powerful tools in the Hands of the Almighty as He sends us into the world.  If we have had a radical encounter with God; if we are experiencing a Spirit-produced competence as we surrender daily to the Spirit of God; then we will be life-producing ministers as we move out on mission for God.

A well-written letter is a powerful thing. In 1860 an eleven year old named Grace Bedell wrote a letter to then presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he would “look a great deal better with whiskers.”  The letter touched Lincoln’s heart and well, as they say, the rest is history.  A little girl’s letter literally changed the face of history.

As God’s living letters we can change eternity.