Paul’s Anxiety for the Churches

Few Christians have endured more physical suffering for the sake of the gospel than the Apostle Paul. We have seen as much in 2 Corinthians 11:23–27, where Paul catalogs many of the hardships he faced during his ministry. Floggings, robbery, shipwrecks, imprisonment, governmental persecution, and more all caused him much pain. Yet, as we see in today’s passage, Paul’s troubles in ministry involved more than just physical suffering.

Continuing his Fool’s Speech, the Apostle speaks today of the daily anxiety that he had “for all the churches” (v. 28). Most specifically, Paul speaks here of the churches he planted, which were objects of his ongoing concern. He did not establish local churches and then abandon them to fend for themselves. Instead, Paul had an ongoing ministry to them. That much should be evident from the New Testament, where we see that most of Paul’s letters are sent to churches he had established or ministry leaders whom he had trained.

Paul had good reason for his anxiety. Plainly, his writings show us that the Apostolic era was no golden age in which the church was free from problems. We have seen that the church he planted in Corinth had to deal with things such as sexual immorality and pride in the congregation (see 1 Cor. 5:11–13). Even a comparatively healthy church such as the church in Philippi had members who had trouble getting along (Phil. 4:2). Because Paul loved these churches, he continued to minister to them even from afar. He identified with them in their weaknesses and became indignant when they were falling away from the gospel (2 Cor. 11:29).

For application to us today, let us consider John Calvin’s comments on today’s passages. “From Paul’s words we may infer, that no one can have a heartfelt concern for the Churches, without being harassed with many difficulties; for the government of the Church is no pleasant occupation, in which we may exercise ourselves agreeably and with delight of heart, but a hard and severe warfare, as has been previously mentioned (2 Corinthians 10:4)—Satan from time to time giving us as much trouble as he can, and leaving no stone unturned to annoy us.” Christian ministry brings many joys, but it is not an easy task. If we love the church and care for its welfare, then we will be troubled in our souls, at least occasionally, because of the church’s struggles. Let us pray for our churches and do what we can not to be troublemakers ourselves.