Wisdom, Power, or BOTH?

1 Corinthians 2:1-5, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

The Apostle Paul was making a valid point. The church he had planted was doomed to division and destruction if they did not deal with their problems. One of those problems was elevating one preacher/teacher above another. Which was really a way of discrediting the ministry of Paul among them. What he is attempting to point out is the way in which he chose to minister to the believers. Simple, straight-forward, and in demonstration of the power of God.

What I do not want to get into is a debate concerning wisdom and the power of God. That can be a foolish argument. Even though there is much to be said concerning the wisdom of men when it is not grounded in the revelation of Jesus Christ. What I want us to focus on today is that you and I can operate in great wisdom alongside the demonstration of God's power. In fact, I believe that we should.

We were having a discussion last night where we talked about the many changes we have seen in our lifetime. In the last 41 years we have seen an incredible increase in Bible translations, more and more tools to study the Bible, libraries filled with commentaries on Scripture and the Christian faith, archaeological and historical discoveries, as well as greater insight into the teachings of the Early Church Fathers. Ignorance of the truth should never be said of today's church. The question is not whether we should operate in wisdom or power. It should be whether or not we are operating in both.

Paul taught the Corinthian Church that the Holy Spirit had been given to us so that we may understand the things that God had freely given. Which is an incredible treasure of revelation. This is the type of wisdom that the Father would have us operate in. A wisdom that has explored the depths of the Father's heart. A wisdom built upon the foundation of the finished work of Christ and the hidden wisdom of God. A wisdom that partners with the power of the Holy Spirit. Demonstrating this power at work in our lives by the way we live and the things we share.

This world changing apostle valued the demonstration of God's power at work in him because it testified of the reality he preached. He was doing more than communicating facts. Remember, he didn't have a Bible. What he had was a revelation. An awareness of what God had done in Christ before the foundation of the world. A message that he tried to communicate and demonstrate. In this way he became a living testimony to what God had done.

You and I should live in both wisdom and power. Everything that was available in Paul's life and ministry is ours in Jesus. The Messiah even promised His disciples that everything that He did - they would do - and even more. Imagine what our lives would look like as we grow in wisdom and in our experience of the Holy Spirit. Think about the beauty of both at work in us. I believe the church would look very different.

I truly believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was meant to be an ever increasing revelation. An unfolding of the Father's heart for humanity. A testimony of His unconditional love. Part of our journey is to see this revelation increase. To see His Kingdom expand. To fill the whole Earth with His glory. Let us walk in the wisdom and power of God.

Till the whole world knows...

None of These Things Move Me...

The Apostle Paul was convinced that in every city where he preached that prison and hardships would be waiting. You can read the account of it in Acts 20. In verse 24, however, we read his courageous response: "None of these things move me..." The Apostle of Grace had a singleness of vision. He would finish his course with joy and the ministry which he received from Jesus.

Who would have thought that the ministry of grace would be so challenging? Or that Good News would not be welcome news? But this is exactly what the Apostle Paul encountered at every turn. He faced dangers, hardships, imprisonment, and punishment. Eventually the ministry of grace would cost him his life. And, yet, he never wavered. He continued to press toward this high calling. Resolving in his heart each and every day that none of the difficulties would move him from what he believed the Lord was doing in his life. Have you ever been there? Ever had to make this kind of decision? Have you ever had to trust what the Lord was doing in you rather than be moved by the opinion of others?

I see men and women today who have this same resolve. Pastors and Teachers who have chosen to live out the ministry of grace even though grace seems to be a volatile subject these days. Worship leaders who are mining the depths of God's grace through music and song. They have proudly wore the label of grace. They are carrying the Good News courageously. Some have lost their ministry (or at least the one they had). Many of them have lost life long friends. But they move forward. They trust in the goodness of God. They refuse to be moved by the naysayers. They cannot un-experience Jesus, un-learn what they have learned, or un-see what they have seen.

Having resolve doesn't make it easier.
Being firm in your commitment to the Lord and this ministry doesn't impress the critics.
However, what it does in you is phenomenal. It reminds you of what He has already done in your life. It keeps the goodness of God before you. And it allows you to look past the negativity you will experience.

For Paul the Damascus road was more than an experience. The revelation he received from the Lord was more than a sermon series. He knew that he had tapped into the mystery of the gospel that had been hidden for generations. He spoke of things that happened before the foundation of the world. He worked hard to separate the New Covenant from the Old. He honored those who walked before him but refused to allow this newly founded faith to be wrapped up in the passing ways of the Law.

The cost was great. The majority of all the Apostles died a martyrs death. But they would not be moved. They did not count their life as dear to themselves. They gave themselves to the spread of the Gospel, the formation of the Church, and the advancement of the Kingdom. I say all of this so that we appreciate what we have freely received. That we enjoy fully the grace of God that has been extended to us. So we will in turn give ourselves to the sharing of this amazingly beautiful message.

May the grace of God have its perfect work in us. May we know the fullness of His grace each and every day of our lives. Enjoy the journey.

LOVE NEVER FAILS...

Most of us have read or heard what is considered the "love chapter" in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13 provides incredible insight into the nature of love. The other day I began to meditate on the verses that follow this incredible dissertation. "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away." (8-10)

What is it about love that we cannot seem to grasp? Is it too simple? Do we think that loving someone means that we never deal with the issues? Are we afraid that we will be letting people off the hook? Or is it that we just don't get it? In 1 Peter we read that love covers a multitude of sins. Which is why the Apostle encouraged the early church to love each other deeply. Reading what Peter had to say about the topic and understanding what Paul had already written to the church at Corinth, I'm amazed that we still miss out on the most crucial element of our shared life together.

LOVE NEVER FAILS. Think about it for just a moment. Prophecies will one day cease. Tongues will be restrained. The gift of knowledge will be dismissed. When? When that which is perfect has come. Until then...KEEP LOVING. Don't allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to become a pecking order among you. These gifts were never meant to become a status symbol among the believers. They were meant for edification. Designed for the building up of the body of Christ. Given to us to ensure that we could all come to the unity of the faith. These gifts along with the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers were designed to bring us all to maturity. To a place where the sons of God would rise up and take their place. Being united to one another. Growing the Kingdom of God in the Earth.

What's amazing about our emphasis upon gifts rather than love is that we have neglected what Paul said about these things. That the gifts were all done in part. We prophecy in part. We know in part. In other words, with all the revelation we receive in ourselves, we only have a part of what the Father wants us to have. The whole comes as we join together in love.

You see...LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love will not fail us. I believe the reason that we only prophecy in part is because the Lord designed us to be in relationship. That the only way we can get the full revelation among us is to have every part come together to form a whole. In this way, when the body of Christ comes together, we will see the Head (Jesus) fully revealed. In the meantime, love is the thing that fills the gaps. Love covers all the issues. And love will bring us together in true unity.

Remember last week when we talked about all of the "-ologies" of the faith? All in part. All up to interpretation. All with varying degrees of perception. And while we may not agree on the summation of these things, can we not agree to love one another? Can we not all appreciate the faith that we have in Jesus? Is it necessary for us to separate and divide because of our differences? Or can love cover our shortcomings and misunderstandings?

This is what I want to see played out among us. This is the unity (I believe) that we were meant to walk in. That our love for the Lord and for one another would carry us. That we would learn what it means to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That our love for one another would be the defining characteristic of who were are in Christ. I am convinced that this is what the Lord meant for us. Not that we would be categorized by our schisms, but seen for our love.

I realize that this is not easy for some people. They are convinced that it is their way or the highway. That many of the things they believe are essentials that cannot be reconciled. However, I'm starting to see some cracks in this resolve. Over the past few weeks I have been meeting with several other pastors. All a part of a chaplain orientation. The man leading this group is from a particular denomination. He asked the question: "What is it that unites us? Is it not the belief that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?" A simple statement but one that resonated with the heart of every person in the room. I remember one pastor being amazed and humbled at the simplicity of it all. He didn't know anything about this man's particular denomination. All he knew was what he had heard. Never investigating the facts for himself. Which brings me to a point: How often have we judged and criticized others without investigating the truth for ourselves?

Love covers this. Along with a multitude of other things.
Love fills the gaps. Doing all that it can do the handle our misunderstandings, shortcomings, and parts.
Love binds us together. Fulfilling what belief systems cannot do on their own.
I'm believing there will come a time when we will learn to set aside our differences. Where our practices will not be nearly as important as the person sitting across from us. That we will learn to see Jesus in one another and truly love without prejudice or hypocrisy. Why do I believe that? What proof do I have that this will actually work? I have the testimony of the Scriptures and the ongoing witness of the Holy Spirit. LOVE NEVER FAILS! It will not fail us in this endeavor.

Remember to Rest

Theology
Soteriology
Christology
Pneumatology
Eschatology
Ecclesiaology
Missiology
Bibliology
Patrology
Anthropology
Cosmology
And the list goes on.
What I have listed for you are some of the various "-ologies" of Christianity. Each of them representing the study of something. Whether we are talking about God, Salvation, Jesus, Holy Spirit, the Church, etc. the point is that we are still studying. Still looking for answers. Still doing what we can do to understand what it is we believe and why we believe it. And while these things are not bad in and of themselves, it's what we do with them that can create a lot of problems.

In John 5:39-40 we read what Jesus thought of the religious leaders attempt at searching the Scriptures. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life." Over and over again during His ministry Jesus would point out how they had mishandled the Scriptures and the teachings that had been handed down to them. He had a lot to say about how they had burdened down the people with these beliefs. Which begs the question, in all of our "-ologies": Where's the REST?

How can we rest when we place so much emphasis on all of these things? When they become more important than our experience and knowledge of Jesus? The point is, much like the religious leaders that Jesus confronted, we can get our focus on the wrong things. We can search the Scriptures to validate ourselves. To set up our own belief systems. To create division. All the while, in the process, never come to know the Lord. Matthew Henry, the Bible commentator, said: "It is possible to be studious in the letter and yet strange to its power."

Here's some things to think about:
1) If what you believe about God doesn't cause you to love more there's a good chance you've missed the point.
2) If what you believe about Jesus has caused you to be more judgmental you may want to take a closer look.
3) If what you have come to understand about the Bible has kept you from honoring all people you may want to study a little more.
4) And please...please...learn what it means to REST in Jesus.

Don't get caught up in all the "-ologies." Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. He will take care of the rest.
Sit back and breathe. Know you are loved. Enjoy the journey.