July 2
/1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 / Read
Yesterday we learned that the call on every Christian is to live in their identity and to live out their identity- both of which are in Christ.
In other words, the time between the Cross and Heaven is not simply a period in limbo for believers. God’s intention is not for us to wait around until one day we cash in the golden ticket of grace that he has given us. Rather, he invites us to carry out the work of Jesus (John 14:12) because we have become one with Jesus through the Gospel (1 Corinthians 6:17).
If we are honest, many of us have allowed our modern Western culture to accept this truth as an idea, but not as reality. We believe that this kind of change happened in the lives of the men and women of the New Testament and some heroes of the faith since then (those who must have been given an extra dose of faith), but we don’t believe that change can happen in us.
Yet, many believers live in tension because deep down they want that kind of change in themselves and the world around them. We remember how bad our old lives were - how pointless, empty and unfulfilling it was to live for ourselves all of the time - and we’ve tasted the sweetness of the Gospel - the thrill in our hearts and the peace in our minds knowing that Almighty God knows everything about us and still loves us completely.
Like the Corinthian church to which Paul wrote, we are tempted to seek supernatural, spiritual change through the methods of the world. If only we had the right answers or could communicate better or were in influential positions - then we’d participate in the life of Christ, then we’d share the Gospel with others and then we’d see the change we long for.
Paul’s words cry out to us, “I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom … 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.” (Ch. 2, vv. 1-5; emphasis added)
The Gospel is not understood with worldly knowledge nor achieved by worldly power. “Lose your life to find it” (Matthew 10:39) makes no sense to the rational person. “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men [and] they will kill him” (Matthew 17:22-23) is defeating to the one who equates victory with strength.
Jesus on the Cross is foolishness and a stumbling block to the world, yet righteousness, holiness and redemption for all who believe. (Ch. 1, vv. 23-24, 30)
What is it from today’s reading or the commentary above that most grabs your attention? Ask the Lord to help you understand why.
Take some time to reflect on the message of the Cross in so far as you understand it. What do you sense God saying to himself in light of the Cross? What is he saying about you?
To what degree are you willing or unwilling to share the Gospel with others? Be as specific as you can. Why did you answer the way you did? What would it look like for you to rely on the power of God and the Spirit within you to share the Gospel?