2 Corinthians chapter 4 we begin verse 1 therefore therefore now pause right there now when you see the word

therefore what do you have to say what's it therefore yeah because it's a connection to the previous things that we covered.

And if you were with us last week in chapter three,

Paul's authority wasn't based on credentials or resumes or letters or who he was related

to, genealogies, as he talked to Timothy about, warned against these guys

with their endless genealogies and what have you. But he said, my credentials really are you,

the church. The changed lives of the Corinthian people was his letter of recommendation. And we saw

that last week. True ministry was written on the

spirit of spirits on the hearts of men, not on ink or paper on stone. He also talked about how the law

exposes sin but brings death, but the spirit gives life. And the old covenant had glory, but it was a

temporary fading glory. Remember we talked about

how Moses, you know, he'd start to glow, but it was a fading glow. And Paul sort of likens that to,

there was a certain glory in the Old Testament law, but it really faded because it really didn't save

anyone. No one ever got saved by the keeping of the law.

So the old covenant had glory, but it was temporary. The new covenant in Christ is permanent,

and that's really what he was talking about. Religion adds rules, the gospel brings grace,

and grace is beautiful. You know, fruit in the ministry that Paul had was really the credentials

all that he needed. You know a good ministry when it produces good fruit. And you have to discern what

good fruit is. We talked about that last week. Just because a church has, you know, thousands of people

doesn't mean that that's necessarily good fruit. You have to actually say,

what is the fruit of any ministry in the lives of the people that are a part of that ministry?

And that's one thing we ask here at Athe Creek all the time. What is an Athe Creeker, you know,

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