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Blake Wilson, Vice President of Operations at Lifeline, leads a discussion on 2 Corinthians 2:5-17.
LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES
The mission of Lifeline Children’s Services is to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children. Our vision is for vulnerable children and their communities to be transformed by the gospel and to make disciples.
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Guest
Blake Wilson
Blake Wilson grew up in the Athens, GA area and joined Lifeline in July of 2013. He is a graduate of Liberty University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion and a Master’s Degree in Discipleship from Liberty Theological Seminary. He has over 20 years of organizational leadership experience in the for profit, non-profit and the local church arena. In his first role at Lifeline, he served as the Kentucky State Director in Louisville, KY and then moved to Birmingham, AL to focus on internal operations in 2014. In his current role as the Senior Vice President of Operations, he leads internal operations, state offices, compliance and human resources. He thrives in seeing others succeed and supporting the Lifeline staff on the frontlines of ministry. Blake and his wife, Shae, met in high school and have three children.
What is The Defender Bible Study?
The Defender Bible Study is a weekly study of God’s Word as we seek to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children. This podcast is a ministry of Lifeline Children's Services.
Welcome to the defender bible study. A weekly encouragement to equip the body of Christ through the study of scripture and prayer to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children around the world. This podcast is a ministry of Lifeline Children Services, where we believe that defending the fatherless begins by being rooted in God's word.
Blake Wilson:Good morning. It is Monday, June 17th, and this is Blake Wilson, Lifeline's vice president of operations. We are gonna be jumping back in to 2nd Corinthians today. Chapter 5 is where we're gonna be starting our study today. Trying to get through the whole chapter, but hopefully you guys have enjoyed the previous 4.
Blake Wilson:I love chapter 5 of second Corinthians as it really just it displays Paul's love for the church of Corinth and really just his focus on discipleship. He really is approaching this in the way of a of a teacher and trying to just help simplify the message of the gospel and really the brokenness of the world. And in these verses, I would say that this chapter is really broken up into 2 two portions. One of those he's kind of talking about, the temporal world, and looking at the brokenness of our current world and then moving forward to focus on eternity. And as he's teaching the church of Corinth, he really says things like, well, if you know this, then this is your response.
Blake Wilson:Right? So, since we know this, so from now on, he's really acting as a teacher in second Corinthians chapter 5 of just reasoning with them to give them perspective on what is what is in front of them. And he even starts off in the first few verses using an illustration of a tent. And if you remember, Paul was a tent maker. That's how he made some additional money, in his skills.
Blake Wilson:So his skill set as a tent maker, he actually uses this as an illustration in his letter to remind the church of Corinth of a temporary dwelling of what our our bodies are here on this Earth. Now if we look all the way back to Genesis and we look at the fall, we can easily see the the intention of the of god was not fulfilled because of the fall, because of the brokenness, because of sin. And he uses the illustration of a of a tent, as a temporary temporary dwelling, temporary time here on Earth. We we have a desire to go to something greater, to something more substantial. And I would say if you guys have ever camped, you probably can agree with that illustration.
Blake Wilson:Right? It's it's it's a it's a season. Right? We're all ready to get back to our air conditioned homes, an actual mattress, warm showers, all the things that come with being in a home versus camping in a tent where you say it's great, but it's only great for a season. It's great for a couple days.
Blake Wilson:It's just there as a temporary protection. Right? Protect you from bugs. Protect you from the rain. Just to give you some sense of security, but it's not anything that's gonna be substantial long term, certainly not going to last eternity.
Blake Wilson:And Paul starts off in verse 1. He says, for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built with human hands. So he starts off on the very first verse talking through the the hope and the desire that we have for an eternal home. You know, the lord has put in us this this this innate desire, and this void that we have for something greater, something bigger. You know, Ecclesiastes tells us that God has has set eternity in the human heart, and I think this is what Paul is is talking about.
Blake Wilson:We we have a building from God. It's eternal house in in heaven not built by human hands. Verse 2 says meanwhile, we groan longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling. We we have this longing. We have this groaning.
Blake Wilson:We have this desire for something, more substantial, for something greater. We have this void that Solomon even described of just this this sense of this this sense of something greater, this innate desire and longing for the eternal presence of God, which is what he attended intended when he created the garden, when he created man. He had this desire for unity and friendship and relationship with man, but we broke that. So he says in verse 3, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Blake Wilson:We have just this hope for something greater, for something bigger, and we groan and are burdened and have heaviness because we know this isn't this wasn't God's intention. We did we we are awaiting something new. Verse 5, he says, now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. He gives us the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and the Holy Spirit is gonna give us just that assurance that that our bodies are being transformed in this process to become who, the lord wants us to become. So we can become complete and ready to see Christ face to face.
Blake Wilson:So, you know, the spirit, he he says he has given us the spirit as a convicts us of sin or, you know, convicts us of sin or, you know, prompts us to have, a a heart of love and a desire to, help others before ourselves. We are experiencing his presence, And the spirit of god is within us and is overseeing the transformation process that the lord has put us on this journey. So the the spirit is is in a sense just a glimmer and is a reminder of what is to come of just the the beauty, and the stability and the peace of what is to come as we await, this new body, as we await our heavenly, homecoming to be with Jesus. Verse 6, he says, therefore, we are always confident. He's actually gonna say this word a couple times in the next few verses.
Blake Wilson:And I think what this tells us is that Paul is not scared to die. He he knew what was what was to come. You know? He was Paul Paul was was beaten numerous times. He was stoned.
Blake Wilson:He was left for dead. You know, and it's it's, you know, this is just purely my assumption on this, but I would say the way that he was beaten, stoned, left for dead so many times during his walk on earth. There there were probably moments where he was able, to see and encounter, the presence of God in a way that maybe most of us haven't, of of being right on the verge of death. You know, you hear you hear people often say, I saw the light. I don't know.
Blake Wilson:I don't think any of us know until you experience what that is. But I think Paul was confident because he had experienced Jesus, in a way that was so personal. We know he met him on the road to Damascus. We know that he was transformed from Saul to Paul. Like, he had walked this journey with Jesus, and just had a deep understanding of who he was, and this is what he was trying to help the church of Corinth understand.
Blake Wilson:I mean, he was confident. He says, therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are in at home with the in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. Again, we are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Blake Wilson:For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. He wasn't afraid to die. He realized that death is is only a prelude to eternal life with God. You know, he he understands the beauty of of the future. You know?
Blake Wilson:And this hope should give us confidence just like it gave Paul confidence and inspire us to serve serve Jesus faithfully. He's he's confident in what is to come, and he's he's saying, I'm devoting my life to the service of Jesus regardless of of the ridicule and the hardships that I face. I'm going to serve him. I'm confident of this because I know what is what is to come. You know, he he understood the gift of of salvation, and and the requirement of of faithful obedience, during his time here on earth in this temporal dwelling, in this tent as he was awaiting the future body, as he was awaiting the homecoming, he knew, that he had to walk in faithful faithful obedience.
Blake Wilson:And I think we we have to remember this like Paul is is telling the church of Corinth is to is to walk in obedience regardless of how hard it is, regardless of the groaning and the hardship and the pain. Be faithful. Be faithful and follow follow him no matter how hard it gets. He says we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and each of us may receive what is due to us, the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. You know, we are called to to faithful obedience, and we know that we will stand before, judgment before before Christ, for the things that we have done and and for, the time on earth regardless of how how good or how bad, but what was our intentionality in faithful obedience and sharing the gospel?
Blake Wilson:This is what he has called us to do. So let's evaluate our own lives as we are awaiting the new body and as we are here on this earth. Are we being obedient to what the Lord has called us to do? And you're saying, what is he what is he calling us to do? He's calling us to to share the gospel.
Blake Wilson:We're gonna see in this next piece of the ministry of reconciliation of we are called to be Christ ambassadors. We are called to be his hands, his feet, his voice to speak on his behalf. He's given us this ministry of reconciliation because we have been reconciled to him. In verse 11, it says, since since then we know what it is to fear the lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
Blake Wilson:We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but we are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather what is in the rather than what is in the heart. We are called to persuade others and to to help them understand, the focus on Christ, the focus on the heart versus what is seen. Now that's a very difficult thing to do because we are often influenced by what is right in front of us, by the things that occupy our time, the things that are in front of our face, the things that we can see, touch, smell, hold, whatever it may be. Those things occupy our time, and we lose sight of of eternity. We lose sight of the things that are unseen.
Blake Wilson:Paul is reminding us that we are to persuade others to follow him. This is our call. It's the ministry of reconciliation. It says in verse verse 13, he even expounds on this a bit. He says, if we are out of our mind as some say, it is for God.
Blake Wilson:If we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them who was raised again. You see, Paul is urging them to have a clear understanding of the gospel. He's reminding them the big picture that everything he is doing is for the glory of God.
Blake Wilson:He may seem to be out of his mind, but he's saying it is all for the glory of God. And then the love of Christ he had was he was just encouraging them to take take action. He knew that Jesus had given, given him life, and it was it was really just out it is out of God's great love, for Paul, and he didn't that he that he, reconciled Paul. You look at Paul's life, before as Saul, as the murderer of Christians, as the chief sinner is what he calls himself. But the lord reconciled him, brought him into his own, And and he wanted he wanted the the others to understand his his journey, and and remind them that the old man had passed and a new man had had come.
Blake Wilson:A new creation, is what he says there in verse number 17. Let's look at verses, 16 and 17. He says, so from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Again, it's powerful because I think you can easily cast judgment on other people, and you can look at them through the eyes of the world, maybe through what, the world tells us should be important. You know, the way we should look, the way she would dress, the where where we should live, how we should speak, all these different things.
Blake Wilson:He says, from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is common. The old is gone. The new is here.
Blake Wilson:You see, when we accept Christ, we become a brand new person inside. We are we are not, just reformed. We are not rehabilitated, but rather we're a new creation. The old is gone. The new is here.
Blake Wilson:Christ has made us new. He says in verse 18, all of this is from God. The reminder again, like, this new person that we have that we have become is is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ. Let's remember that it's nothing we can do. It is through Christ.
Blake Wilson:It is through God's ultimate love for us that he sent his son to die the death once and for all, to reconcile us to himself. It is through Christ that he gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sin against them, and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. So Christ did it for us, and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation, so that we can share the hope of the gospel with others. You see, when we trust Christ, we're no longer God's enemies or strangers or foreigners to him. He reconciles us to him.
Blake Wilson:He blots at our sins. He makes us new, a new creation, and as he brings us back to him. But because of this, the the response is the ministry of reconciliation. Because we've been reconciled to God, we have a privilege of encouraging others to do the same, that we are those who now have the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 20 says, we are therefore Christ ambassadors.
Blake Wilson:We are his his mouthpiece. He has an ambassador is an official representative on behalf of a country. So you're you're representing 1 country to another. We are Christ ambassadors. We are representing him.
Blake Wilson:We are representing the hope of the gospel. We are representing heaven, a new life. We are representing him. So, therefore, we are Christ official ambassadors that he has sent to tell the world that they can be united with him in peace because we are his spokesperson. So it says in verse 20 and 21, we are therefore Christ ambassadors.
Blake Wilson:As though God were making his appeal through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin for us to be sin for us. So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. We are made new because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Blake Wilson:We have to to take this responsibility and understand the heaviness of this and the weight of this, of what God has called us to do. We are called to fulfill the commission as Christ ambassadors. We are to make his appeal and implore is what Paul says on Christ's behalf for people to become reconciled to God. And I think the easiest way to do that is for for us to look in the mirror and for us to easily share the transformation of our reconciliation of our brokenness and the hope that we have because of what Christ did for us. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.
Blake Wilson:Let's hold on to that truth this week as we as we start, as we jump in. Let's hold on to the goodness of the gospel, the hope of the gospel, and let's be intentional in sharing that gospel mess message this week. As we close out our time together, we're gonna pray just for our staff. The Lord has given us the opportunity to to to minister in so many different areas, in so many different states. And as as we continue to expand, we wanna pray for our staff that is just across the country.
Blake Wilson:You know, Lifeline, we all know was was started in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1981, and just serving that state and really that city at that time. But since then, the Lord has given us the opportunity to expand. We're now serving in 18 states, and have a footprint all across the nation, everywhere from every time zone, honestly, we're serving. And in each of these time zones across the nation, we have, we have staff. We have staff that are serving, that are leading, that are that are expanding, not only the the footprint of Lifeline, but being intentional and even what we share today and study today of of the ministry of reconciliation, of of helping those clients that we serve and those partners that we serve to have a better understanding of what it means to to be reconciled to Jesus.
Blake Wilson:You know, one of our our core values as a ministry is birth, parent, reconciliation, and re and redemption. And to that point, we're we're called to be that mouthpiece for Jesus. We're called to be his ambassadors in the ministry of reconciliation to to be intentional in sharing the gospel hope with those that we minister to and those birth families that we serve. And these people are on the front lines, and and our staff is working diligently, to be those ambassadors for Jesus. Let's pray for our staff, for encouragement and for strength as they do so.
Blake Wilson:God, we thank you for today. We thank you for, we're just the ministry of Lifeline. We thank you for this podcast and the opportunity just to walk through scripture. For so many years, we've been doing this and walking through the gospels, and and just applying this to our lives. So, god, we thank you for our team.
Blake Wilson:We thank you for how they are serving so diligently. God, we pray for encouragement and steadfastness in what they're doing. Lord, may they stay focused on, the big picture of what you've called us to do on to be but to be your ambassadors, to be your mouthpiece, and to be, lord, just your your hope, in sharing your your gospel message with those that we interact with. So, god, give our team stamina, give them focus as they as they work. Lord, everywhere from Washington State to to Florida, to the Carolinas, to the Midwest, and Kansas, and Oklahoma, god, you have called people to this ministry with a plan and with a purpose.
Blake Wilson:So, God, remind us today of that bigger purpose that that we are in a temporal state, lord, that this body is just, a temporary, layover. Lord, that we are here on this earth, but, god, we are awaiting a new body and a new and a new life, in that eternal home that you have created for us. So, lord, help us to remember the eternal hope that we have in you, and help us not to discount and forget how that is possible, and that is through the shedding of blood of of our savior Jesus Christ. So, god, we are grateful that you have given us the ministry of reconciliation, lord, and the forgiveness of our sins through him. And lord help us to remember the sweetness and the goodness of that.
Blake Wilson:And, lord, may we not take it for granted, but, lord, share that with intentionality with those around us. Jesus, we love you. Be with us as we serve, and we ask these things in your name. Amen.
Herbie Newell:Thanks again for joining us for the defender bible study. If you enjoy making this podcast a part of your weekly routine, we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the defender bible study to make it easier for more people to find. For more resources and information on how you and your church can partner with Lifeline, please visit us at lifelinechild.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter by searching for Lifeline Child. You can email us directly at info at life line child dot org.
Herbie Newell:We look forward to seeing you again next week for the defender bible study.