The Power of God

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“’I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-25 ESV)

So, what was Paul stating here about the gospel of Christ? He said that the word of the cross (the gospel) is folly (foolishness, idiocy) to those who are perishing. And those who are perishing are those without genuine God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ which is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. For we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father persuades us to forsake our sins and to follow him in obedience to his commands. So the perishing are those who don’t obey the Lord.

And what else did Paul say about the gospel of Christ? He said that to us who are “being saved” it is the power of God. So, what does that say to us? This is not about a salvation that happened once in our lives and then we go on living however we want, doing what we want to do. This salvation is progressive (ongoing). We who are genuinely saved from our sins are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Christ returns for his bride, provided that we continue in dying daily to sin and to self and that we follow our Lord in obedience to his commands.

For our salvation from sin is not just about forgiveness of sins so we can go to heaven when we die. Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died so we might be crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 8:31-32; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 11:17-24; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Luke 9:23-26; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10] 

And that is the gospel that Paul preached! And it is the gospel that Jesus Christ and his other NT apostles taught. But it is NOT the gospel message that is widely spreading across America today, and that is largely being pushed in church denominations and in institutions of human making called “churches,” but which are really businesses of human origin being marketed to the world just like any other businesses. For they are trying to win the world to their worldly gatherings, so they dilute and alter the gospel.

But God said that he will destroy the wisdom of the wise who are wise in their own sight and not according to the Word of the Lord. And there are so many people, past and present, who were and are teaching their own versions of what the Scriptures teach, and in order to make them more acceptable to human flesh and to attract the world. The vast majority of what is being taught as the gospel of Christ here in America today appears to not be the same gospel that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught.

So, this is why it is so critical for us who proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives that we are students of the Scriptures who study them in their context, and who are being led of the Spirit of God in understanding what the Scriptures are teaching, and who are not relying on the teachings of other humans to lead us in what we should believe. And then we need to be those who are testing what we hear from other humans against what the Scriptures teach, but IN CONTEXT, so that we are following the truth.

I Will Lift My Eyes  

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n. 

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n; 

My home, now in heav’n. 

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

https://vimeo.com/379508241