Did the ministry of sharing the Word stop with Paul, or does it continue to us today?
No. The ministry of sharing the Word did not end with Paul. God placed this treasure in mortal men, not angels, and other men followed Paul throughout history. Even today, every believer has the opportunity to share the Word with whoever might listen, carrying the light of God in earthen vessels.
Les explains that Paul was just as human as the rest of us, but the ministry did not stop with Paul. Other men came along, and as history has continued down to the present, even today every one of us has the opportunity to share the Word with whoever might listen. The treasure is the light of God, and God did not put it in the hands of angels but left it in the hands of mortal men. Verse 7 says, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels,” which Les clarifies is not a clay pot but the body of flesh made up of the elements of the earth. This follows the earlier thought that the light which lights the whole world is already there for us to draw upon, and those who know the Lord can have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.