Of No Effect

In 1 Corinthians 1:17 the apostle Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel; not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. " That last phrase captures my attention -- "lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect". What did Paul mean by that statement?

Throughout the book it is evident that the Corinthians were enamored of human wisdom. In chapter 1 they are quoted as saying, "I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas" (1 Corinthians 1:12), as though the different apostles and preachers of the gospel were different camps of philosophical thought. In vs 20, Paul chides them, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" He continues his theme in chapter 2. In 2:1 he says, "And I, brothers, when I came to you, did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. " In 2:4 he says, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. "

I think that statement in 2:4-5 clarifies Paul's comment in 1:17. If Paul had come to the Corinthians with "words of [human] wisdom" their faith might "stand in the wisdom of men" rather than in the "power of God". Paul had "determined not to know anything among [them] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (2:2). Why? Lest their faith should stand on anything other than the bedrock of the person of Jesus Christ.

What is the draw?

Considering Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians, we ought to ask ourselves, when converting others, what are we using to draw converts? What are we teaching them to build their faith on? What is my faith built on?

Are we drawing people, as so many churches do, with free coffee and donuts or lunch following services? Do we advertise active sports leagues and gymnasium facilities? Are we offering day-care, aerobics, or even Salsa dance classes? Is this the way Paul drew souls to Christ? I, for one, see no authority for such practices in scripture.

Or, are we hoping people will be attracted to a lively, up-beat worship service? Are we hoping people will be impressed by the skill, dynamic delivery and erudition of our preacher? Are we drawing people with our modern facilities, variety of Bible classes, or friendly atmosphere? Do we attract them with a vibrant youth, singles, or young couples ministry? I do think there is authority for these things. I certainly appreciate joyful, up-beat worship, a skillful preacher, modern facilities, friendly brethren, and active work among the young. But is that the primary focus? Is that the basis upon which to draw people to the church?

What about us? How do we choose where we will work and worship? Are we drawn to a compelling, entertaining preacher with a dynamic personality? Are we drawn to a fun-filled social circle? Is it all about what services the church can offer to us? Do we seek out a church that offers much, and requires little?

The Corinthian church had a problem with human wisdom -- they prized it more highly than was appropriate. Our society can suffer from that failing as well, but we usually have a different problem. We often suffer from the "cult of consumerism". We ask what can the church do for me? Is the preacher entertaining to me? Does he make me feel good about myself? Does the church entertain my teenagers? Is it cool? Or, am I going to be put on a guilt-trip? We look around and seem to have so many choices. Why not pick the church we like best? "Are ye not carnal and thinking as mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3)

Paul determined not to know anything among them but "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified", lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. The draw must be the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, preaching the gospel will make people uncomfortable. Many will be driven away by the scriptural demands of discipleship. Condemnation of sin and the worldly standards of our society will be considered old-fashioned and uncool by many. But, I submit to you there is only one thing matters in selecting a church -- do they preach and practice from the heart the true gospel of Jesus Christ? All too often that question is lost in the superficial appeals of modern, consumer-driven churches.

-PG

You Never Know

I have a scripture quoted in my e-mail signature at work: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding", Proverbs 3:5. I put it there some 13 years ago. It has been so long, and I am so accustomed to seeing it that I hardly think about it any more.

Last week I received this instant message from a co-worker:

Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you including Proverbs 3:5 in all your e-mails. I really needed that today... more than you will ever know.

Naturally, that made my day. It also made me think. When I am tempted to ask myself (usually after having done or said something really stupid), "What do people think of me?", I comfort myself with the thought, "probably they don't". That is, most people probably don't spare many thoughts on me since they have their own lives and troubles to deal with. I think that is usually true, but not always.

Sometimes you can influence people in ways you don't even realize. The quote from my e-mail signature is a prime example. I put it there specifically to reminding others of a spiritual perspective in a highly secular professional world. Even though I had nearly forgotten it, others still saw it. You never know who is watching. You never know who might be influenced by your words and actions.

Lest this sound like I'm patting myself on the back, I will touch on the other side of this as well. On another occasion I was reminded of that verse when someone felt my tone in an e-mail was at odds with that profession of faith. I'm ashamed to say that he was probably right. If we proclaim our faith publicly, we had better back it up with how we live. We must beware, lest "The name of God is blasphemed among the nations because of you" (Romans 2:24).

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven" Matthew 5:16. You may never see the fruit of that example, but it will have an influence on someone. And be assured that your Father in Heaven will see it.

-PG

Look Up

Teaching my girls to drive I have to remind them to look up. Too often they get preoccupied with the speedometer, cruise control, mirrors, or other things inside the car. Invariably this causes the car to start drifting out of its lane. I have to remind them to look up. Their attention needs to be primarily on the road ahead. They can glance briefly at other things, but they can't take their eyes off the road ahead for very long.

I think we can learn a valuable spiritual lesson from that. We have many day-to-day concerns and activities that can distract us. There are many joys of life that can capture our attention. We can begin to focus on our lives here-and-now. And I'm not even talking about sinful things, just things that are temporal, physical. Spiritually we can become distracted, take our eyes off of the road ahead and even forget where we are trying to go.

In 2 Peter 1:2-9 the apostle exhorts his readers to give diligence to growing in the faith. He lists virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love as character traits we are to be adding to our faith. In verse 9 he says,

For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 2 Peter 2:9

Peter said that those who lacked the virtues he had listed were short-sighted, even to the point of blindness. Such a man has lost sight of his goal. Having "received great and precious promises" and having "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (v 4) he isn't giving diligence to "make [his] calling and election sure" (v 10). He has forgotten he was cleansed of his old sins (v 8). He is ignoring the warning in Hebrews 2:3, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"

In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul says that the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal. Spiritually we need to see through the physical to the eternal. We need to keep our eyes on the eternal goal and on the path God has laid out for us to follow. We can afford an occasional glance at the scenery of the journey, but we can't afford to take our eyes off our road for long.

-PG