Speaking at the Reality Student Apologetics Conference luncheon for parents and leaders, Jason Jimenez unpacks how 2 Corinthians 1:4 calls believers to rely on the Lord’s comfort. This reliance not only sustains us but also sets an example for us and allows us to extend the same comfort to others.
Transcript
Jason: So, what I want to share with you guys, if you turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, we’re going to start in verse 4, and there are four words that I want to apply in your life when it comes to panic mode to peace of mind. This is something that my wife and I have diligently sought after with wisdom to try to apply. We are now—I’m 46—it’ll be almost 30 years of ministry next year, and I have more joy doing what I do now than when I first started. Don’t I look young still? Isn’t that amazing, dude? Praise God. I can give you some lotion, too, that I use. It’s on the table. I’ll sell it with my book—50% off.
But the reality is, because it starts—the first word that I want to show you guys here in verse 4 is “comfort.” The heart of our ministry needs to have comfort in it because notice what Paul says here. He says, “Who comforts us in all...” what? “In all affliction.” How many of you guys are afflicted right now? How many of you guys have some physical ailments right now you’re dealing with? How many of you guys have ever had some marriage issues? How many of you guys have a wayward child or grandchild? How many of you guys are really not liking—don’t raise your hand at this point if your boss is in the room—how many of you guys are not liking the way your church is going or the lack of passion? Right?
There’s a lot of affliction that is represented in this room. So, it says, “Who comforts us in all affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are...” what? “In any affliction.” Isn’t that awesome? It’s not just the degrees that are represented in this room. Great, if you have good education, if you’ve written a book. Those are great if God’s called you to that. But what matters, really, at the heart of ministry is that you can comfort the people in your care because you’ve learned to be comforted in everything in your life.
Now, this does not mean that I throw out my dirty laundry like a lot of these celebrity pastors do, and they’re like one of us, and they just divulge all the sinful behavior. Right? That’s not good. That’s not healthy. You don’t vomit on your congregation. But what Paul’s touching on here, as we know, is that, as God has comforted us and as God has shown mercy to us, when we face—the Greek term is thlipsis—when we are under pressure. You guys ever been under pressure, and that anxiety, that angst, that anguish that troubles you. Right? Paul—what he’s doing is, he’s pointing out every physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational affliction or conflict, and God can provide comfort in it. Do you believe that? Do you rely on that?
The word thlipsis, too, is not just talking about this idea of being under pressure, but it carries this idea of being confined. You know, one of the things in ministry, when I counsel a lot of people that have done work in ministry is there’s a sense of loneliness in the job. That’s not just because they are an introvert, which, by the way, I don’t like that—when we label people, oh, you’re an extrovert; you’re an introvert. It’s not that simple. But when you have a pastor, “Oh, he’s just an introvert.” No, I think when you start looking at some of the afflictions that he’s going through, that he’s faced with in his family life, and he talked to his wife, and talking to you guys, you start understanding that I feel confined. I feel restricted, and it’s troubling me.
Paul felt hemmed. Paul went through difficult circumstances and situations. Another term that Paul uses to encapsulate, if you will, afflictions is he uses another Greek term here: pathema—misfortune. You know, right now, as I’m speaking to you, a friend of mine lost his son. He is a great man of God. He’s one of our donors. His name is Land Hite, and he’s been a great inspiration in my life, and he lost his son. He died in his sleep. And he was an overcomer of alcohol, but they are now burying his precious niece. She was in her young 20s, and she died of cancer. That’s a misfortune, isn’t it? But I believe—and Land and I were communicating this morning that he and his wife and the family, his brother—they feel comforted by God. And one of the things they’re doing as the family in this mourning process, as they’re coming together, as they’re suffering—and suffering sometimes is difficult—they’re relying on God to care for them. Sometimes our kids need to see that. They need to see that you don’t have all the answers, but you are being comforted by God. Does that make sense? You’re being comforted by God.
So, whatever misfortune that you’re going through in your life or whatever pressure that you’re under or how you feel confined, I’m encouraging you, as a minister of the gospel, you need to turn to the comfort of the Lord. Maybe you’ve been neglecting it a little bit. And sometimes the way that it appears or the way it’s manifested and the way that God exercises it is probably through some of your friends. But are you willing to let them know? That’s the beauty of the body of Christ, isn’t it? Right now, we are just meeting for the very first time, but there’s a love and there’s an acceptance and a trust that we have together because of the comfort we have in Christ.