No one has a bad word to say about him, he is such a nice man, and he always says lovely heart warming things from the pulpit. The problem is, he is preaching a different Jesus, but it’s such a lovely message, it’s hard to spot. It seems so inclusive, and it’s so heart warming to think of everyone being in heaven. You never feel uncomfortable listening to him, because he never talks about sin, he makes you feel that you are all good people.
Or maybe it’s the slick tele-evangelist or preacher who promises healing, or prosperity, they are quoting from the Bible, and there are many who testify that they have been healed. Perhaps you think it might be worth going to hear them, or even to send them a donation?
Paul warns the Corinthians of the danger of false apostles, men who were preaching a different Jesus (2 Cor 11:4), and the problem was these dear Corinthian believers were accepting this different message. Paul is so concerned for the church in Corinth, because he loves them! He brought the gospel message to them, he offered Christ to them as their saviour and the church promised to be the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2). Since Paul has moved on, false teachers have crept in, but they have been hard to spot, they are crafty, deceitful men (2 Cor 11:13).
Since they are hard to spot, Paul helps us by comparing his ministry to the ministry of the false apostles. We can learn from Paul’s description what a minister of the gospel should be like. The false teachers are in it for themselves, the Corinthians have been so taken in that they have been taken advantage of by the minister. This pastor has only been interested in lining his own pockets, and devouring his flock (2 Cor 11:20). Such a man looks impressive to the world, but he doesn’t have the interests of his flock at heart.
By contrast, the faithful pastor is willing to suffer for the sake of his people. The false teachers were boasting in all kinds of achievements, but Paul boasts about his suffering. Paul recounts times of being beaten, stoned and shipwrecked (11:23-29) in order to show his love for Jesus and his love for the lost. He’s been willing to face all kinds of hardship to bring the gospel to the lost. It’s probably unlikely that your minister has been shipwrecked or stoned! But perhaps the question today is, is he willing to say the hard things, is he willing to take risks to take the gospel to the lost, is he willing to be mocked because he sticks to what God’s Word says? But it’s not just a love for the lost. It’s a love for Christians that means he genuinely shares their pain when they suffer. Paul speaks of his concern for the churches, and then directing his attention directly to the Christians he says “Who is weak and I am not weak?” (2 Cor 11:29). He’s so different to the false teachers who are fleecing the flock, he is there with the flock, when they are in pain, he’s in pain with them.
Our reading from Jeremiah showed us another model of a faithful minister. Jeremiah, often known as the weeping prophet, says “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.” (Jeremiah 9:1). Jeremiah weeps over God’s people’s sin, he knows that their sin will have disastrous consequences, and he weeps, longing that they would turn back to the Lord.
And it’s something we see most clearly in our Lord Jesus, the one who weeps over Jerusalem (Luk 13:34), here is the true Jesus that Paul offered. Here is the perfect minister, the one who weeps over his people, and suffers to the point of death for us. He is someone who you can rely on, don’t turn from him, and make sure you are shepherded by someone who resembles Him.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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