In contrast to the super-apostles who had invaded the Corinthian church with their sophistry and eloquent oratory, Paul seems rather bland.  Some thought he was a fool (the word here means ‘ignorant’).  He did not boast of his spiritual prowess; instead he spoke the truth in love to save the lost and build up the church (Ephesians 4:14-16).  Paul did not advertise himself but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5).  Meanwhile, the church was being mesmerised by egoists puffing themselves up - and dragging the church under their hollow spell (1 Corinthians 4:19).  

God has no need to self-advertise His greatness.  The Lord Jesus let the truth of His teaching and miracles speak for themselves.  So, Paul refused to boast of power and used sarcasm to decry the false teachers.  They wanted to see him boast of his greatness: he would boast of his weakness (2 Corinthians 11:23-30).  Paradoxically, those who derided him were the real fools, ignorant of the true gospel and the grace of Christ.  And yet the believers who were willing to take worldly foolishness and call it wisdom, proved their immaturity.

The worldly boasting of the false teachers, the super-apostles and those church leaders who copied their ungodly behaviour, was not just inconsistent with the gospel and the character of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11).  It was abusive and destructive.  The young believers were enslaved by powermongers.  Instead of being embraced by God’s love, they were tied into a cultic game where worldly values dictated the agenda and horizon of the church.  Failure to meet the leadership demands to ‘play the game’ they set, was met by punishment and shame.  But the Apostle and his team loved the people too much to treat them in that way.

These words of Paul are among the strongest in any of his letters.  They might also be reserved for some of today’s religious leaders and their followers.  The way of the world is marked by personal power and achievement.  The way of the cross is humility and service.  Failure to distinguish between the two is a hallmark of deception by the world, flesh and devil; injuring the people God loves and trapping those He wants to restore and release of service.  Alas, there is at least a little of this disease in most of us.  The secret is to recognise our inclination to be worldly and repent of it.  Then we should compare ourselves with Jesus instead of the world, learn to be obedient to God’s Word and practise serving others sacrificially for Christ’s sake.  Refuse to be bound by the spirit of the age.  There are no short cuts to glory.  Leaders and led alike must tread the way of the cross or lose its blessings.