S1 · Session Five of 6

Your Father Who Sees in Secret

Introduction

MINISTRY MATTERS

Some of the most important ministry you will ever do may never be noticed by people.

Not every act of service gets thanked. Not every sacrifice gets recognised. Not everything you do for God will produce a result you can immediately see.

But nothing done faithfully for God is wasted.

God sees the prayer nobody heard.

He sees the preparation nobody knows about.

He sees when you keep serving even when it is difficult.

He sees the things you do when there is no applause and no recognition.

Being unseen by people does not mean being unseen by God.

And when we understand that, we become free to serve for an audience of One.

Study objective

2 Corinthians 4:7–10, 16–18

Section 01

THE PASSAGE

2 Corinthians 4:7–10, 16–18 · World English Bible (public domain).

Key scriptures

But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.

We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;

pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;

always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Therefore we don't faint, but though our outward person is decaying, yet our inward person is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory,

while we don't look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

Section 02

THE TREASURE IS GREATER THAN THE CONTAINER

Paul says:

"We have this treasure in clay vessels."

The Greek word translated clay is ostrakinos.

It describes something made from ordinary baked clay.

Clay containers were common, inexpensive and easily broken.

Paul's point is simple:

We are ordinary people carrying something extraordinary from God.

The power isn't supposed to come from us.

Paul says it is:

"That the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves."

That takes pressure off us in ministry.

We don't have to be impressive.

We don't have to pretend we never struggle.

We don't have to have every answer.

God has deliberately chosen ordinary people so that His power can be seen through them.

The treasure is valuable even when the container is fragile.

Section 03

YOU CAN STRUGGLE WITHOUT GIVING UP

Paul is very open about the pressure he experienced:

"Pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed."

One of the words Paul uses is translated perplexed.

The Greek word aporoumenoi means to be unsure, confused or not know what to do next.

Paul isn't saying:

"Nothing ever affects me."

He is saying:

"Things affect me, but they don't have the final word."

Pressed—but not crushed.

Confused—but not without hope.

Attacked—but not abandoned.

Knocked down—but not finished.

That's an important truth for people who serve.

Faithfulness doesn't mean you never struggle.

It means you keep turning towards God in the middle of the struggle.

Section 04

GOD SEES WHAT PEOPLE DON'T

Jesus teaches something similar in Matthew 6.

He talks about giving, praying and fasting without trying to attract attention.

Again and again He says:

"Your Father who sees in secret…"

Jesus assumes there will be things in our Christian lives that only God sees.

That's not a disappointment.

It's actually part of discipleship.

If we only enjoy serving when people notice us, eventually ministry becomes about recognition.

We begin keeping score.

Who thanked me?

Who noticed?

Who got mentioned?

Who got the opportunity?

Why did they choose them instead of me?

Jesus offers us freedom from all of that.

Your Father sees.

There are times when that has to be enough.

Section 05

FAITHFULNESS IS THE MEASURE

Paul says elsewhere:

"It is required of managers that one be found faithful."

1 Corinthians 4:2

The Greek word translated faithful is pistos.

It means trustworthy, dependable, someone who can be relied upon.

God doesn't ask you to control every result.

You cannot control how people respond.

You cannot control whether your ministry is noticed.

You cannot control whether everything grows as quickly as you hoped.

But there is something you can control:

Will I be faithful with what God has given me?

Faithfulness means showing up.

Doing what you said you would do.

Serving properly even when nobody is watching.

Remaining dependable when the excitement has gone.

Success isn't always something you can control. Faithfulness is.

Section 06

DON'T LET MINISTRY DISTRACT YOU FROM JESUS

Luke 10 tells us about Martha serving Jesus in her home.

Martha wasn't doing something bad.

She was serving.

But Luke says she became distracted by all the serving she was doing.

The Greek word periespato gives the picture of being pulled in different directions.

That can happen in ministry.

We can become so busy doing things for Jesus that we stop spending time with Jesus.

We serve.

Organise.

Prepare.

Lead.

Fix problems.

Help people.

And gradually the work of God begins pulling us away from the presence of God.

Jesus tells Martha:

"One thing is needed."

Ministry should come from our relationship with Jesus, not replace it.

Ask yourself:

Is my serving drawing me closer to Jesus—or is it beginning to distract me from Him?

Section 07

DON'T LIVE FOR PEOPLE'S APPROVAL

King Saul shows us the danger of needing people's approval.

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul disobeys God.

Eventually he admits something revealing:

"I feared the people and obeyed their voice."

Later, even after Samuel confronts him, Saul still asks Samuel to:

"Honour me now… before the elders of my people."

Saul was still thinking about how he looked in front of people.

His gifting wasn't the problem.

His desire for approval was.

That same temptation can enter ministry.

We can begin serving partly for God and partly for people's approval.

We want to be noticed.

We want people to think well of us.

We want recognition.

But mature ministry asks a different question:

"Is God pleased with my faithfulness?"

When that becomes enough, we become much freer people.

Section 08

LOOK AT WHAT CANNOT BE SEEN

Paul finishes with an unusual statement:

"We don't look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen."

Most of life trains us to measure what we can see.

Numbers.

Recognition.

Results.

Position.

Response.

But Paul says there is another reality.

God is doing things we cannot always see.

Someone may be encouraged because you spoke to them.

Someone may remain in church because you noticed them.

Someone may come to Christ because of something you helped make possible.

Something you pray today may bear fruit years from now.

You don't have to see everything God is doing for your service to matter.

Sometimes faithfulness means continuing to serve while trusting God with results you cannot yet see.

Section 09

TALK IT THROUGH

Five questions

Discussion questions

01It is easy to start keeping score when we serve. What are some ways we can begin measuring whether people appreciate or recognise what we do?
02Jesus says, "Your Father who sees in secret." Why can being seen by God sometimes feel less satisfying than being recognised by people?
03Paul describes himself as an ordinary clay vessel carrying God's treasure. How can trying to appear strong or impressive actually make ministry harder?
04Martha became distracted by serving. How can ministry itself begin pulling someone away from their relationship with Jesus?
05Think about your own serving. What would you continue doing even if you knew nobody would ever thank you or recognise you for it?

Section 10

BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT TIME

Five short readings

Take about five minutes each day. Read the passage and think about the question underneath it.

Key scriptures

ONE — 2 Corinthians 4

Read the whole chapter. Paul begins and ends with the idea of not losing heart. What keeps Paul going?

TWO — Matthew 6:1–18

Notice how often Jesus talks about "your Father who sees in secret." What does Jesus teach about doing things without needing recognition?

THREE — 1 Samuel 15

Notice Saul's concern about what other people think of him. Where can people's approval begin affecting our obedience to God?

FOUR — Luke 10:38–42

Martha is serving Jesus but becomes distracted by her serving. How can you protect your relationship with Jesus while continuing to serve Him?

FIVE — Galatians 6:1–10

Paul tells believers not to lose heart while doing good. Why can doing the right thing become difficult when we don't immediately see results?

This week's application

TAKE IT HOME

01This week, do one thing for God that nobody else needs to know about.
02Don't announce it.
03Don't mention it afterwards.
04Don't wait for somebody to notice.
05Maybe pray for someone privately.
06Help with something quietly.
07Encourage someone anonymously.
08Do a job before anybody realises it needs doing.
09Then leave it between you and God.
10Remember:
11Being seen by God isn't second best.
12His approval matters more than people's applause.
13ONE THING TO WATCH FOR
14This week, do one act of service that nobody knows about.
15Don't tell the group.
16Don't tell someone afterwards so they know you did it.
17Let it remain unseen.
18And when nobody thanks you, remember:
19Your Father saw it.
20Learning to serve without needing recognition is one of the ways God builds faithfulness into us.

Next steps

Serving Like Christ · Series One · Session 5 of 6

Next: Session 6 — A Long Obedience · Galatians 6:9–10 · Colossians 3:23–24 · 1 Corinthians 15:58

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