But to Preach the Gospel

“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)

The church was divided, for the people had become man followers (followers of human beings), but they were not all following the same man. Now, in their case, the men they were following were followers of God (of Christ). They were all God’s fellow workers. They each had their own giftedness and their own assignments of God within the body of Christ, but together they were one in Christ of the same body with just different functions. But it was neither the one who planted nor the one who watered the plants who was anything, but only God who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9). So we are not to raise the godly, one above the other.

But not all people who claim faith in Jesus Christ are the godly who are serving the Lord Jesus Christ with their lives, even if they profess to be so. Not all pastors and ministers of the gospel are intimately acquainted with God (Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit), but many are charlatans who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness but whose lives are not surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will. Many are self-serving salespeople who are just selling a product and who are marketing the church to the people of the world just like any other business. So they alter the character of the church and of the gospel and of God in order to “win the world.”

But those who are truly servants of the Lord Jesus Christ should not be seeking their own glory, but the glory of God. They should not be trying to gain followers for themselves, but followers of Christ who make it their practice to deny self, die daily to sin, and to follow Jesus Christ in surrender of their wills to the will of God and who walk in obedience to his commands. So they should not be marketing themselves to the people of the world, but they should be humble servants of the Lord who recognize that they are only able to do what they do by the grace of God, according to his purpose and calling on their lives, and only in his power, strength, and wisdom.

All of us who serve the Lord Jesus Christ in taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world should be led by the Spirit and not by human flesh and cunning and craftiness and deceitful scheming. We should not be those who empty the cross of Christ of its power to save people out of their slavery to sin by diluting and altering the gospel message to make it more appealing to human flesh. We should all be committed to teaching the “whole counsel of God” with regard to the true message of the gospel which delivers people from their addiction to sin so that they can now serve the Lord Jesus with their lives in walks of faithful obedience to his commands.

Not one of us should be followers of other humans who use human cunning and craftiness to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. We should not be followers of the wisdom of the world in order to gather followers after ourselves. We do not need to self-promote. We are just to obey the Lord in sharing the truth of his word and then to leave the results to him, for he is the one who gives the increase, not us. Plant where he shows you to plant, do what he says, and then leave the results to him. For what some humans may regard as foolishness is wiser than men, and what they may regard as weak is stronger than man, if it is truly of God.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV)

For where God calls, he prepares the way, and he leads and equips the messenger. For he does not call us to his ministry because of our superior knowledge or giftedness or talents or connections or whatever. He calls us because of his greatness and because he has made us humble, and he has caused us to realize that we have nothing to offer our Lord other than our lives on his altar as living sacrifices to God ready to do his will. He calls those of us who are of little consequence to the people of the world to show his greatness in and through our lives for his glory and praise and honor. For it is only because of him that any of us can even be in Christ by faith in him.

[John 8:31-32; John 10:27-30; John 14:15,21,23-24; John 15:1-11; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14,24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Hebrews 3:6-15; Hebrews 5:9; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15,24-25; 1 John 3:4-10,24; 1 John 4:19-20]

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

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