“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10, NKJV)
The observant reader will realise that we are not approaching the Spirit of wisdom through solid, concrete facts, but rather edging closer in concentric circles, as if we want to look at the object from a few different angles before we get to the core of the issue. The main reason for this is of course that believers often try to make a law out of a mere principle, at all cost. This is akin to the way in which so much of art dies the moment it is placed under the harsh spotlight of analysis. This is also true of spiritual principles – “Do not marvel … the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.” This is equally true of the Spirit of wisdom.
To illustrate – in 1 Cor. 1:27 Paul likens wisdom to a number of elements, but he adds four aphorisms that are presented in this passage:
- God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise
- God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty
- the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen
- the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are
Here we are also presented with a five-fold ministry of believers, but not the five-fold ministry that can be typified as the gifts of Christ we find in Eph. 4:11-13. The powerful five-fold ministry that covers the callings of apostle, prophet, shepherd, evangelist, and teacher, has very particular functions and responsibilities in the building of the Body, “the perfecting of the saints”. But this five-fold ministry that is spelled out here is not only a powerful ministry, although literally a ministry of vulnerability and contempt; it does not point to powerful working of the Spirit, but to a depleted and vulnerable Godly nature. It is based on the paradoxical principle of 2 Cor. 12:10 – “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
The five-fold ministry as we traditionally know it is far-reaching and powerful, but the five-fold ministry of unexpected power is certainly also enormously powerful! The major difference is that the five-fold Ephesians ministry can only be manifested through the Body of Christ, while the five-fold ministry of vulnerability can be manifested in all people! Yes, read that again! It is absolutely God’s prerogative to have His characteristics be manifested in all people. Remember – God has always been inclusive! We will have more clarity concerning this truth at a later stage, and in the next teaching we’ll be tackling more elements of the unexpected hidden mystery of the spirit of Wisdom.
- Selah: Try to come to an understanding of the five-fold ministry of vulnerability.
- Read: 1-3
- Memorise: 1:12
