…always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

‘…the apostle finds himself modelled on the gospel itself, living it out in his own person, his own body. And he has come to believe that this is not an accident. It is part of the deal, part of the commission.’ Tom Wright

We know that Paul and his team suffered physically. They were persecuted terribly, and endured many privations. They were repeatedly exposed to the danger of death. It stalked them. This may well be the experience of someone reading these notes. Perhaps for many it won’t be. But every death we have to die in order to live the Christian life, to share the faith, to advance the cause of the gospel, to serve the church, is the key to the life of Jesus being ”manifested” (10,11).

We can’t feel guilty if we live in a freer, more tolerant culture. We are where we are. We are living where God plants us (unless, we are Jonah-like in resisting His call to move elsewhere). But everyone who sincerely seeks to live a faithful life of Christian discipleship, anywhere in the world will have to do a lot of dying. (I’m also mindful that here in the west we are seeing a number of our freedoms being slowly, but surely, eroded. Who can say what we may have to face in the not too distant future?).

It is also the case that Christian leadership everywhere involves dying a thousand little deaths, day by day, moment by moment.

But, (12), just as Jesus’ death brings life to others, so a ministry patterned on Him will be life-giving. The church has always needed leaders who are willing to die. This is the cost of authentic ministry. I believe it was J.H. Jowett who said, ‘There is no blessing without bleeding.’