1 Corinthians 2:1-5
“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV
Human instinct is to rely on self, but Paul was humbled before the mighty hand of God and quickly learned that the wisdom of the world, which is so prized by men, is foolishness before God. Our physical abilities, human wisdom, and mental capacities, are of no account before the omniscient power of our Holy and just God. Our faith should rest in Jesus Christ alone and in the power of His Holy Spirit. Never, never let your belief in Christ depend on the wisdom, strength, or eloquence of another human being. I understand that is easy to confuse the message with the messenger. Pastors, preachers, evangelists, and teachers are instruments used by God to proclaim a glorious message, but they are as prone to sin as anyone else. Sometimes we hear of the fall of some preacher who has a secret life or was found in some sin. We should certainly grieve, but we should never be shocked. How do we reach this materialistic self-satisfied Post-Modern Post-Christendom generation with God’s love? In many respects our world is more similar to the world of the Early Church than it is to English society was even a century ago. Then we were a nation with one faith. Now we live in a supermarket of beliefs. Our society has elevated the individual above God. We are a society trapped in sins of selfishness and greed. And there is only one antidote to the self-centredness which is at the heart of the way the world is today. The only challenge to the relativism of postmodern thinking is the good news of Jesus Christ. The only hope for our lost neighbours lies in the historical facts of the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. People who think they have the right to live as they think best need to hear that God became man for us and for our salvation. The history of humanity is eternally bound up in the history of God. We cant live as we like. We are accountable to God. People who think that it’s alright to choose what’s best for them need to hear that Christ died on the cross for their sins, for their selfishness. The cross of Christ is God’s rebuke to the selfishness of our consumer culture. Christ’s perfect sacrifice exposes greed for the sin it is. People may think that they can go on living as they choose and it doesn’t really matter. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that there is life beyond death, that what we do in this life has eternal significance, that we are spiritual beings as well as minds in bodies. we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, do have a responsibility to share the good news with others as led by the Holy Spirit, so that their faith and ours does not rest on man's wisdom but on the power of God alone. This is the message the world needs to hear. Christ was born. Christ died. Christ is risen. This is the truth which will set people free. The message of the cross!!!
Father thank You for this day and the breath of Life that is Your Word. Lord open the floodgates of heaven and shower down Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Lord forgive us for the times that we have sought to do things in my own strength or tried to use our own powers of persuasion to lead others to You. Lord help us to share the truth of the gospel of grace, simply and truthfully, as led by the Spirit of God, so that our faith and others may be founded on the truth and not influenced by worldly rhetoric, to Your praise and glory. Lord use my friend to someone’s blessing today. Daddy we love you amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !!
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