preaching Christ crucified

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

February 2016 (26)

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

22 Also because Jews keep asking for supernatural signs, and Greeks keep searching for wisdom; 23 but we keep preaching Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, and stupidity to Gentiles, 24 but to those called ones, both Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because that stupidity of God is wiser than human wisdom, and that weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

preaching Christ crucified

The gospel is not popular. It does not seem to scratch where people are itching. It seems a cruel joke for some, an empty, unexciting faith to others. But we keep preaching Christ crucified on the cross because that is the message that God still uses to draw people to himself. Once a person comes to Christ, repents of his sin, and allows the Holy Spirit to begin renewing his mind, then he begins to see the power and wisdom behind the cross. We do not need another gospel. This one works just fine – thank you very much!

LORD, we are not ashamed of the gospel, because it is your power to deliver everyone who believes.

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saved by stupidity

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

THE GOSPEL WORKS — EVEN IF IT SOUNDS STUPID

February 2016 (25)1 Corinthians 1:18-21

18 Because the word of the cross to those who are perishing is stupidity, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.   19 Since it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”   20 Where is a wise person? Where is a scribe? Where is a debater of this age? Has not God made stupid the wisdom of the world?   21 Because since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not acknowledge God, God decided, through the stupidity of the proclamation to save the believers.

saved by stupidity

The context of this passage is important to keep in mind. Paul had told the Corinthians that he knew about the rivalries that had emerged within their church groups. He was particularly put out by the fact that one of the divisive groups was using his own name to justify their rivalry: they were claiming to be “of Paul” Christians. It was not a complement to Paul, because it suggested that he had won everyone over with his skilful words. No, Paul said. He had come to Corinth with a message the world considered stupid, and it was the stupidity of that message of a dying Saviour that saved the believers.

Christ died on the cross to save us. He was raised to show the world that sin and death are no longer permanent. Through the blood of Christ, we can be saved. Believe this stupid word, and you too can be saved!

LORD, draw people to yourself through the proclamation of this gospel.

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getting out of the way

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

IT’S ABOUT THE ROCK, NOT THE ROCK STAR

February 2016 (24)1 Corinthians 1:14-17

14 I am thankful to God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one might brag about having been baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 Because Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize, not with a skillfully prepared message, so that the cross of Christ should not be emptied of its significance.

getting out of the way

Paul is addressing the issue of rivalries and schisms in the church at Corinth. As he reflects on what has happened there, he is thankful that God had given him the good sense not to try to be the saviour at Corinth. He did not insist on being the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. He let others lead when he could – letting them baptize those he led to Christ. Apparently, after Paul left Corinth, other leaders emerged within the church fellowships who had to be rock stars, taking all the credit for the growth that was happening. Then people started defining their Christianity after the rock star they supported.

The problem with rock star Christianity is that the gospel is not about us. It is the good news of what Christ did for us on the cross. We who are blessed to be leaders in the church need to have the good sense to get out of the way, so that the message of the cross can be heard.

LORD, show us how to share you without pushing ourselves to the forefront.

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church without competition

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

RESIST RIVALRIES

February 2016 (23)1 Corinthians 1:10-13

10 But I am also appealing to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same way, and there be no schisms among you, but that you be mended into the same mind and with the same purpose. 11 Because I have been informed concerning you, my bothers, by Chloe’s group, that there are rivalries among you. 12 But I am asking this, since each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” or “I of Apollos,” or “I of Cephas,” or “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been distributed into separate units? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

church without competition

Corinth was a big city, so it was impossible for all the Christians there to meet in the same building, even in the early beginnings of the church. It was necessary for the church to meet in separate places, and for those groups to be led by different people. It appears that one of those groups was led by a lady named Chloe. It also appears that this small group wrote a letter to Paul, explaining to him that the Corinthian churches were infested with rivalries. Paul had to address this, because he knew that the gospel was at stake. Church is not about competition, it is about Christ, and he has not been divided: distributed into separate units. He is one, and we should be one as well. God is doing his part by gifting us with individual charismatic gifts. We need to do our part by practicing self-control, so that our individual gifts do not lead to conflict and schism.

LORD, may the fruit of the Spirit – self-control – keep us from using the gifts of the Spirit against each other.

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God working at church

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

HOW TO START PRAYING FOR YOUR CHURCH

February 2016 (22)1 Corinthians 1:4-9

4 I am always thanking my God about you, because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 because of all the ways you were enriched in Him, with all kinds of words and all kinds of knowledge, 6 just as what people testify about Christ was confirmed by you, 7 resulting in the fact that you are not lacking in any gift, while you eagerly await the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, standing unaccused on the day our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord — is faithful to do this.

God working at church

Paul was about to let loose a torrent of criticism and correctional advice on the Corinthian church. So, to demonstrate that he was not just being overly critical and judgmental, he begins his letter with a prayer of gratitude for these same people. How could he do this, particularly seeing how dysfunctional and problematic the church had become? The key to thanking God for any church is what Paul found to be thankful for here. He thanked God for what God was doing at church.

1. God was providing supernatural messages and understanding to the Corinthian believers through their exercise of charismatic gifts.

2. God was using the Corinthians to confirm the gospel which others (including Paul) had testified to them.

3. God had instilled in the Corinthians an eager desire to see the second coming of Jesus Christ.

4. God had promised to sanctify them so thoroughly that when Jesus returned they would stand unaccused before him.

5. God had called the Corinthian believers into fellowship/partnership with Jesus Christ. He would be just as faithful to them as he is to his own Son.

LORD, show us what you are doing at our churches, and how to show our gratitude for it.

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we still need grace

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

CALLED FROM BROKENNESS TO HOLINESS

February 2016 (21)1 Corinthians 1:1-3

1 Paul, a called missionary of Jesus Christ by God’s choice, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, holy ones by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, theirs and ours: 3 May grace be given to you and peace from God our Father and from Lord Jesus Christ.

we still need grace

Paul’s salutation as he begins his letter to the Corinthian believers is more than just a formality. As we read this letter, we will be more and more convinced that the church fellowships in Corinth are a confused a broken group. There was a lot of dysfunction there. Yet, Paul called them all “holy ones by calling” and said that they all had been “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” He was speaking of their positional sanctification by virtue of their being in Christ, and their calling to live up to that positional sanctification by manifesting holy lives – “holy ones by calling.”

The Corinthian Christians were having trouble living up to their call to holiness, and so do we. Paul’s prayer for grace to them was no mere formality. It was a fervent plea for the God who saved them by his grace to sanctify them by that same grace. We still need grace too.

LORD, finish the work you began on the cross. Change us into the people who reflect your holiness, because that is what you called us to be.

{For more on the subject of sanctification, see my book, An Advent Christian Systematic Theology, chapters 42 and 52.}

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the last word

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DON’T LOSE PERSPECTIVE

February 2016 (20)Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

9 Since he had the advantage of being a wise man, the collector also taught the people knowledge; and he compared, searched out and arranged many proverbs. 10 The collector sought to find appropriate words to write: words of truth with integrity. 11 The words of wise men are like cattle prods, and these masterful collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But if you want to go beyond this, my son, I warn you: the writing of many books never ends, and excessive devotion to books wears out the body. 13 The last word, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this word is for everyone. 14 Because God will hold us accountable for everything we do, everything which is hidden, if it is good or if it is evil.

the last word

Solomon knew that since he had accomplished a great deal as a scholar and writer, there would be those who would want to imitate him. But he also knew the price that he had paid by his excessive devotion to the written word. So, he warns his sons (and anyone else who might read these words – including us) not to get so obsessed with learning and writing. In the end, only one message is for everyone: fear God and keep his commandments. Our failure or success in life does not depend on how much we accomplish. It depends on his judgment.

LORD, we surrender our ambitions to you. Teach us how to do our life’s work without losing perspective.

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remember him before

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

IT’S ALMOST TOO LATE

February 2016 (19)Ecclesiastes 12:5-8

5 People should remember him before they get afraid of a high place and of scary things on the road; before the almond tree blossoms, before the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caper berry does nothing. Because the man is walking to his permanent house while mourners surround him in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver cord gets severed and the golden bowl crushed, the pitcher by the well gets shattered and the wheel at the cistern crushed; because 7 then the dust will return to the ground like it was before, and the breath will return to God who gave it. 8 “Completely impermanent,” says the Collector, “everything is impermanent!”

remember him before

Solomon concludes his allegory describing old age and its consequences. He had first outlined the loss of personal pleasures because of the parts of the body failing (1-4). Now he describes the emotional and psychological changes that can occur with aging, including phobias, lethargy, and loss of sexual desire (capers were used as an aphrodisiac). Basically, Solomon describes an old man as if he is a dead man walking to his own funeral, trading his temporary house for a permanent one: the grave. His friends are just mourners walking along with him.

Solomon’s point is simple. Do not wait until you are half dead to remember the one who gave you life in the first place. That life is a gift. You should appreciate the giver while you are enjoying the gift. Remember him before. The world needs young people who love and respect and obey the one who created them.

LORD, forgive those of us who have waited almost too long to remember you. Show us how to reach the next generation, and instil in them the love and respect and obedience that you deserve.

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no pleasure left

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DON’T WASTE YOUR PRIME TIME

February 2016 (18)Ecclesiastes 12:1-4

1 But you should remember your Creator in those days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “There is no pleasure left in them for me”; 2 before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after it rains; 3 in that day the guards of the house will tremble, and the strong men slouch, the grinders will stand idle because they are sparse, and those who look through the windows will grow dim; 4 and the doors on the street will be shut as the sound of the grinding mill softens, and he will wake up at the tweet of the bird, but all the daughters of song will only sing quietly.

no pleasure left

In this wonderful allegory, Solomon describes old age. He contrasts it to the prime of life, when everything is light and strength, and all your parts function correctly. The eyes look through their windows and see everything clearly when you are young, but the older you get, the darker the days get. Your bladder is like a full rain cloud, that seems to fill up again so quickly after you go. Those strong legs that guard your body/house turn to jelly. Your teeth are sparse, and just sit there idle, no longer serving to grind up your food. You no longer venture away from home because your doors of opportunity for productive work are shut. You miss the sound of business, and busyness. You wake up early, at the sound of the first bird’s tweet, but you don’t hear sounds as often as you used to.

Solomon’s point is the same that he has been making all along. Life is short, don’t waste it. Enjoy life to its fullest, especially when you are young and can enjoy it most. But, while you are enjoying the gift of life, remember the creator who gave it to you. Your relationship with him (and the pleasure you can gain from it) is what is left when everything else goes.

LORD, give us the wisdom to not waste our time, especially our prime time.

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from dark hair to dark days

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

LIFE IS SHORT, ENJOY IT

February 2016 (17)Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

7 That morning light is sweet, and it is a good thing for the eyes to see that sun rising. 8 Even someone living many years can rejoice in them all; yet that someone should remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is temporary. 9 Rejoice, young man, during your youth, and let your heart please you during the days of young adulthood. And walk where your heart wants to go, and see what your eyes want to see. Yet be aware that God will hold you accountable for all these things. 10 So, take away any irritation your heart feels and let any pain your body feels pass, because youth and the times of dark hair are temporary.

from dark hair to dark days

There is a play on words in this passage that is lost in every English translation I know of. It is a contrast between the days of darkness (yemey ha choshech) in verse 8, and the times of dark hair (hashachrot) in verse 10. Solomon is an old man now. His times of dark hair are past. As his hair and beard get greyer, he wants to tell the next generation to enjoy life while they are living it, because the prime of life does not last. He does not want them to forget that they are accountable before God for what they do, but he does not want them to miss out on living life either. He tells them that as long as they realize their accountability, they should go where they feel like going, and see what they want to see. Enjoy life!

LORD, give us the wisdom to walk with integrity, without losing the joy of completely experiencing life.

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