Setting forth the truth plainly

We're having a great series in 2 Corinthians at church at the moment (so is Bish apparently). I am struck by so many things - but yesterday in 2 Corinthians 4 I was so struck by how Paul carries around Jesus death in order to see the life of Jesus at work in others.
Andrew so helpfully pointed out that, far from Christianity being a way to fulfil one's potential (contra a sermon my wife was listening to on the internet), and far from non-Christians being brought to new life by people seeing how great our lives are, actually new life is brought by us carrying round Jesus death - dying so that Jesus looks great.
2 Corinthians is so counter-cultural and so contemporary. It's a brave book to teach trying to attract thousands of victims of "God wants you to have endless spiritual highs" Christian youth work to your church. For it says, not only is our weakness real, but it is the way that God displays his greatness. Not only is suffering and difficulty part of the Christian life, it is part of God's planned method for building the church.
And that people are led to Christ by plain speaking Christians and God's power.

So, with that in mind, if you are praying for us this week, please pray for:
- us to be content to carry around the death of Christ so that the life of Christ can be seen in others
- to maintain confidence in the truth spoken plainly to change people through God's power: especially as we go off to do Relay training in Wales on Wednesday and I speak at the joint CUs mission launch at Lancaster on Thursday
- for me and Anna, and all the members of Christ Church to speak the truth plainly to the people we know who aren't Christians.

Thanks!