Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation
Philadelphia is “The City of Brotherly Love”. Many jokes have been made about the irony of the name but Vicki and I found in our vacation time there last week that most Philadelphians were very kind. They represented Philadelphia well with brotherly love. The church in Corinth, on the other hand, needed lessons and they got them from Paul. In the previous chapter of this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul called them “ambassadors for Christ”. This means that we represent God well and he works through us. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas recounted, not what they did, but what God did through them. This synergy, which the Greek word denotes, is a working together toward a goal. The great thing about our synergy is that the Lord does the hard part, providing the day of salvation. We simply bear his name.
Yesterday, we went on another prayer walk. We can at times feel daunted by the inevitable rejection we will receive from those resistant to the day of salvation. These verses will help us remember the wonderful synergy of proclaiming Christ with Christ. Every day is a day of salvation for someone when Jesus changes a heart and mind to conform it to himself. Today, avail yourself to be used of him to be worked through for the sake of a loved one or even someone you just met. You have received grace, not in vain but…
In time to work together with him.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church