Waverly Church of Christ

In 2 Corinthians 4:1, the apostle Paul writes these words: “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart.” (2 Corinthians 4:1, NASB95) What does it mean to “lose heart?” According an internet search to “lose heart” means “to become discouraged, despondent, or to lose hope, confidence, and the motivation to continue trying.” The search indicated that “it often happens when facing adversity, failure, or when progress is slow, leading to a feeling of wanting to give up. So what Paul is saying is because Christ has given us this ministry and shown us mercy, we are not discouraged, we haven’t lost hope and we don’t plan to give up. To this point in this letter, Paul has been defending himself against false accusations by some in Corinth who have accused him of being weak, double minded and preaching the Word of God for his own personal gain. In 2 Corinthians 4:5, it appears that Paul and his associates were even being accused of promoting themselves. Considering all of this, we have to ask, how did these men keep preaching God’s Word?