You may have heard someone put a spin on a truth to benefit themselves or someone. A spin is to twist the truth for one’s advantage.
Being honest in telling the truth plainly and at times people will twist the truth or just plain lie to protect themselves or someone from the consequences for telling the truth.
You would think this would not happen in churches, but that is what Paul was dealing with.
1 Corinthians 11: 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.

There will be people in the church that will twist God’s truth to benefit their own belief to get what they want. There will be those who do not know God’s truth and will make up their own truth so that church will be what they want it to be. Paul saw this in church, and he needed to defend God’ truth from those who were twisting it to benefit themselves. To protect the church Paul tells us what we should do.

2 Corinthians 4: 1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
We should always set forth God’s truth plainly which gives us the confidence what we set forth are true to God and those who hear our words become conscientiously aware of God’s truth.
That is why Paul said we should never go beyond what is written in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 4: 6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

As followers of our Lord Jesus the words we speak and the words we hear must be the plain truth of God’s word which the Holy Spirit will recall to you if you are a disciple of God’s word.
Paul tells why there will be unbelievers in church that do not accept God’s plain truth.
2 Corinthians 4: 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
God’s truth has come through his Son’s gospel, but there will be those who are blinded by what they want more in this world than the gospel. They refuse to accept the truth of Jesus’ teachings who is God and will perish.
Paul teaches the attitude we should have when teaching and hearing God’s truth.
2 Corinthians 4: 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We must remember we are only a servant of Jesus and must only speaks the plain truth of his teachings for his sake. We are only a vessel of the Holy Spirit whose teaching we speak and hear which is God’s truth that he recalls to us. This truth is the light that shines through the darkness of our doubts and unbelief.

The plain truth of God’s word becomes our doctrine that saves us.

1 Timothy 4: 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

A church is the body of Christ when believers gather to only follow Jesus and obey his teachings. We do measure a church as the body of Christ the way the world would measures by the number of people, by its building, its ministries, its worship music, its talented people or by its pastor. The church should be measured by its members loving Jesus first and know and obey the plain truth of his teachings and commandments as his disciples. Then the church can be assured that the Holy Spirit dwells in its members and their seal that guarantees their eternal inheritance. That is the church that will never lose heart as they serve Jesus in the assurance of what they hope for and certain of what they do not see now waiting for them in heaven.

2 Corinthians 4: 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

When we believe in God’s plain truth of what is unseen, we overcome our momentary earthly troubles because of what we know we will become when we leave this earth.

2 Corinthians 5: 1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Believing that you will never die because Jesus resurrected to give you eternal life in a new spiritual body gives you the lasting hope of being in your new spiritual body with Jesus forever.

2 Corinthians 5: 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

When Jesus is your first love you will always have a strong desire to be home with the Lord like Paul did which will make your goal to pleases Jesus knowing that he will judge what you do to be good or bad. This will make you fearfully share only the plain truth when sharing Jesus’ gospel which will make your conscience right with Jesus.

Be safe in Jesus,
Ps. Glenn