TSIYON NEWS

From Eliyahu 

This week I received an unexpected blessing. One of our Tsiyon partners reached out, requesting a personal phone call. When I called, during our encouraging exchange the disciple on the other end shared that she had a profound encounter with YHWH, receiving direction for her life — and in that encounter, He mentioned me. I believe the context of that mention was as an example of a point He was making to her. He said, “Eliyahu went through the fire and then died three times, and yet he did not turn aside from his mission.” She told me He had instructed her to share that with me — the reason she contacted me. Without going into a long story about the fire and my 'three deaths', I can say this: by His power, each of those setbacks became victories, for which He alone deserves the credit.

Of course, I feel humbled and blessed that He noticed my choice to keep serving as long as I have breath, and that He used that as an example to bless another disciple. He is so good. The truth is, I only did what I ought to have done in the things He mentioned. I’m just an imperfect person like everyone else, having made my share of mistakes. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? That He can take imperfect people like you and me, and by His power, raise us up in extraordinary ways — for His glory, not ours.

This put me in mind of 2 Corinthians 4, where Paul explains this amazing reality of the treasure of the power of God through Yeshua Messiah in us. Notice these verses:

“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it will be evident that such overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We have all kinds of troubles, but we are not crushed; we are perplexed, yet not in despair; persecuted, yet not abandoned; knocked down, yet not destroyed. We always carry in our bodies the dying of Yeshua, so that the life of Yeshua may be manifested in our bodies too. For we who are alive are always being handed over to death for Yeshua's sake, so that Yeshua's life also might be manifested in our mortal bodies.”

(2 Corinthians 4:7–11 CJB)

When Paul writes to the believers in Corinth that “we have this treasure in clay jars”, he offers a vivid image for the paradox of life as a disciple of Yeshua: immense divine power dwelling in our fragile human bodies. Over the next verses, he unpacks how suffering, endurance, and renewal reveal God’s glory as clearly as a clay jar, cracked and imperfect, showcases the light within. In this newsletter we will journey through Paul’s metaphors — treasure, jars of clay, dying and living — and explore how this passage both grounds us in honest struggle and lifts our gaze toward our eternal hope that outlasts every trial.

Paul starts with a simple yet startling contrast: “we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it will be evident that such overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.” Imagine an ordinary clay pot — thin, brittle, easily chipped or even broken — housing a priceless gem or dazzling light. The fragility of the jar intensifies our wonder: if the pot were indestructible, we might admire its craftsmanship; but its vulnerability draws our eyes to the treasure inside. Paul uses this metaphor not to demean us, but to highlight that the surpassing worth of the gospel — and the power of God at work in us — stands apart from human strength or eloquence. You don’t have to be a superstar to glorify God. In fact, it’s best if you’re not.

By describing himself and his co-laborers as clay jars, Paul dispels any notion that ministry success depends on rhetorical prowess or physical might. Instead, he invites us to see our weaknesses — our fears, frailties, and scars — as the very vessels God chooses to magnify His grace. When we stumble or feel inadequate, the gospel’s glow becomes all the more unmistakable because it is not overshadowed by our own achievements.

With the image of treasure and earthen vessels in place, Paul moves to the backdrop of our witness: relentless hardship.

“We have all kinds of troubles, but we are not crushed; we are perplexed, yet not in despair; persecuted, yet not abandoned; knocked down, yet not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9)

He names four pairs of opposites, each intensifying the contrast between external pressure and internal resilience.

• “We have all kinds of troubles, but we are not crushed.” The Greek for “crushed” evokes a pulverized grape beneath a winepress — yet though squeezed to the last drop, Paul refuses to be defeated.
• “Perplexed, yet not in despair.” Though questions swirl and hope seems dim, he does not surrender to hopelessness.
• “Persecuted, yet not abandoned.” Though enemies close in, God’s presence remains a constant refuge.
• “Knocked down, yet not destroyed.” A fall cannot finish him; he rises again to continue the race. Even death is defeated in Yeshua Messiah!