2 Corinthians 10:8; Edifying the Believers

2 Corinthians 10:8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

The goal of the Apostle Paul’s ministry was to edify the saints. His purpose was to build them up in the faith and not to tear them down. He declared unequivocally his inner motive so as to clarify beyond doubt. It was an honourable objective of ministry. He would preach the gospel and for the souls that were saved, he would take time to nurture them in the faith.

It was well recorded by Luke to confirming the Apostle Paul’s words here in Acts 14:21-23 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Paul Beals summarized well the Apostle Paul’s ministry work in the table below.

Thank God for the apostolic pattern for our emulation. Amen.

¹Paul A. Beals, A People for His Name-A Church-Based Missions Strategy, (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1995), 23.