Ordinary names, Doing extraordinary work, and Persisting in Faith:

Thoughts for a prayer conference

Dr Ted Newell
June 6, 2014
Hear the start of the apostle Paul's letter to the church at Corinth:
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Sosthenes,
our brother, 2 to the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been
consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be Gods holy people, with all those
everywhere who call on the na!e of our "ord Jesus Christ, their "ord as well as
ours# $ Grace to you and peace fro! God our %ather and the "ord Jesus Christ#
& ' a! continually than(in) God about you, for the )race of God which you
have been )iven in Christ Jesus* + in hi! you have been richly endowed in
every (ind of utterance and (nowled)e* , so fir!ly has witness to Christ ta(en
root in you# - .nd so you are not lac(in) in any )ift as you wait for our "ord
Jesus Christ to be revealed* / he will continue to )ive you stren)th till the very
end, so that you will be irreproachable on the 0ay of our "ord Jesus Christ# 1
2ou can rely on God, who has called you to be partners with his Son Jesus
Christ our "ord#
3otice three thin)s about this passa)e# 45 6rdinary na!es, 25 doin)
e7traordinary wor(, and $5 persistin) in faith#
45 8he !ere na!es are written !ore or less in the standard for! used to start
letters in the 9o!an e!pire period# :e would say, 0ear %riends#
Such an apparently !undane co!!unication !a(e this (ind of writin) see!
hardly scripture;li(e# 't is in (oine co!!on Gree(# 't has no hi)h literary style#
8he words are not li(e a Plato or a Gree( poet# <ven .u)ustine had trouble
readin) this co!paratively unburnished writin) as scripture# Crude, not worthy,
he thou)ht before conversion# 8he words hardly see! li(e once and for all
chosen words# 2et they are#
God used the lan)ua)e of the people to co!!unicate# =oine Gree( was the
lan)ua)e of business and politics all around the >editerranean basin, all over
the 9o!an e!pire# How convenient#
God has beco!e incarnated in hu!an history# He condescended to !eet us
where we are# He is on our level# 't loo(s ordinary# 8he supernatural is dressed
in ?eans, as it were#
6n top of that ordinariness, God has Paul include the na!e of his collea)ue,
Sosthenes#
:hen ' )o to a !eetin), one of !y strate)ies for !a(in) sure the ne7t !eetin)
crew (now ' was there is to second a !otion# So!eti!es ' even !ove one#
8hen no one can say ' wasn t there or did nt do anythin)# >y na!e is in the
!inutes#
' ! not entirely sure why Sosthenes )ets a !ention# 6ther than to be li(e,
another second witness to the truth# 'n the !ouths of two witnesses let
everythin) be established#@ 8hat was the Jewish law# 6r to underline that Paul is
not an authority li(e the "ord Jesus* he is one of the apostles who were
co!!issioned to)ether and whose collective authority really co!es fro! the
one who called the!# Sosthenes anyway is in the !inutes# .nd ' ! )lad he is# 't
is very hu!dru!# Aery ordinary#
But Sosthenes is doin) the business of God# <veryone for all ti!e can see God
used old Sosthenes to do wor( that would be loo(ed bac( on as lon) as the
present a)e )oes on# He is ?ust Sosthenes, but under the triune God he was
)iven wor( to do that will last for ever# God wor(s throu)h the ordinary# He is
not a hi)h style God# He uses all (inds of people in all (inds of places# 'n fact
hi)h and low and !iddle you na!e it#
2our na!e as a prayin) person at this prayer conference is in the !inutes# 'f not
so!e official !inutes or record of attendance, then the record of God# .ll
a)ents of )race in their place# .ll pray;ers are Sosthenes;es# 9ecorded by God
special to hi!#
2# 3otice that a (ind of blessin) starts the letter, a (ind of prayer# Charis (ai
eirene#@ 8his initial passa)e prefi)ures all the concerns of the letter# .ll the
introductions to Paul's letters, e7cept !aybe <phesians, a circular letter, have
this character# .fter you read the letter to the Corinth Christians you see why
Paul started out the way he did# He is very curt with the Galatians, and you see
why after you read the letter# Here in the first Corinthian letter you have a
church which is way off base in its actual life# . !an is livin) with his
step!other# 8here are issues with food fro! pa)an te!ples# 8here is abuse of
the "ord's supper# 8hey are toleratin) people who downplay the resurrection#
But: Paul co!!ences by )ivin) than(s to God for the!#
'f it were !e, ' ! sure ' would be less enthused# ' would be thin(in) about all
the hard wor( to )et this outfit strai)ht and it !i)ht not even ta(e, !y efforts
!i)ht fail#
Paul (nows this: the faith of these fol(s is the wor( of God, not any hu!an
effort# 8hat believers e7ist in the !iddle of an idol;worshippin), se7ually
i!pure, port city in the Gree( part of the 9o!an e!pire is a !iracle# <ach and
every believer is a !iracle# 9e!e!ber to buc( hi! up evan)eliCin), Jesus
appears to Paul and told hi!: ' have !any people in this city# 8hese fol(s are
Jesus' people ;; even thou)ht their life is not all it needs to be# 8heir lives need
to !atch their confession of Christ# But they are on the way ;; in Paul's
opti!istic ta(e# 8he )lass is half full# Paul (eeps the bi) picture fir!ly in view#
' a! deli)hted you belon) to Jesus# ' have not for)otten the occasion of your
co!in) to faith in the first place and what a !iracle it was# ' have not for)otten
the day you were baptised# ' deli)ht in you with the deli)ht of the "ord
hi!self#@ :e could all learn so!ethin) for our church relationships fro! these
few verses# So easily overloo(ed# So e7pressive of the )ospel of Jesus >essiah
the "ord of heaven and earth#
$# But notice thirdly, Paul does not ne)lect to ur)e the!# Hu!anly he uses
words to do God's wor(# 8he Corinth Christians need to persist in doin) )ood#
'f they hear his words and act, they will be displayin) faith# 3otice that call on
the na!e@ in verse 2 is al!ost the sa!e thin) as their identity in the sa!e
sentence# 8o the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been
consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be Gods holy people, with all those
everywhere who call on the na!e of our "ord Jesus Christ@ D relyin) on the
supre!e authority ;; which is Jesus ;; is a si)n of worship and sub!ission# 8o
pray is part of very identity of God's people# Conversely, those who do not call
on Jesus are not showin) reliance on hi!# 8hey are relyin) on the!selves or on
)ods who really do not have the authority to !a(e that difference#
'n verse / Paul writes, He will )ive you stren)th#@
8his is a prayer conference# 't ta(es an effort to )o out of town, one !ore year
to this prayer conference# Perhaps there was so!e co!petin) alle)iance, so!e
fa!ily event, sports event, )olf event, dancin) for the stars event, that you
!ade a lower priority# ' than( God for you doin) the wor( of God in prayin)
for God's wor( in .sia# God is at wor( in you both to will and to do his )ood
wor(# 2ou still hear his voice# "et us, as lon) as it is still day, encoura)e one
another# 8he wor( will last forever# 3ot !any causes can say that#
6rdinary na!es, doin) e7traordinary wor(, and persistin) in faith# "et us pray#