THE WISDOM OF MEN OR THE POWER OF GOD?

 

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

We can immerse ourselves in commentaries, seek to excel at homiletics, hone our public speaking by taking courses on communication, search for the best audio-visual aids—in short, do all we can to wow the congregation on a Sunday morning—and it all be so much wood, hay and straw to be consumed at the Judgment Seat of Christ!  While these things are not evil in and of themselves—as an aid they may prove beneficial—but, reliance on them is abominable.  It is to do the people of God a tremendous disservice and worse—it is to lay a foundation for eternal damnation of the hearers who come to have a faith that rests in the wisdom of men and not the power of God!  There are charming story-tellers who would be effective on the stage, and think that ability will carry the day in the pulpit.  There are comedians who masquerade as preachers, offering enticing entertainment.  Here’s the dirty secret—they are often extremely effective in what they do.  They are celebrated in the evangelical world.  Their congregations overflow their buildings.  People wait with eager expectation for the next internet download or the newest book release.  We judge them a success—and perhaps some are, but only the Day we appear before Christ will disclose that.

Again, there is nothing wrong with trying to express yourself more clearly, competently, compellingly—and to use the tools at our disposal to do so.  God never calls us to haphazard preparation, sloth in our study, and carelessness in communication.  It is just so easy to lean on the wisdom of man—when what we must have at all costs is the power of God!  That is the only source that will produce genuine faith—whether for salvation or sanctification.  Paul was determined to preach in utter human weakness, desperate for the Spirit-anointed message to be unleashed.  At the center of that sermon would be the cross of Christ—a scandal to the Jewish audience and foolishness to the Gentiles.  Yet, preach it he would—for that is the Gospel—and the power of God unto salvation.

My dear brother, on what are you leaning, as you move toward that Sunday morning appointment—and all those eternal souls hanging in the balance?  Are you urgently, fervently praying that God would move in power in your preaching and in the hearts of the people?  Will you settle for nothing less and nothing else?  Will you acknowledge that unless there is spiritual power—no matter the commendations of the congregation—that it is all worthless?

Dear Holy God—we are your servants, and have heard your call—yet, we are totally incapable of preaching unless You work.  We want to see a Divine demonstration tomorrow!  We beg you!  For the sake of Your Son who died on that cross, Amen!

LADDER CLIMBING

 

So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”  (Genesis 32:27)

When God asked Jacob his name, the omniscient Lord was not seeking information, but confession.  They were wrestling in the dark, but God was not in the dark as to his combatant.  He just wanted Jacob to own up to his name—and thus, his nature.  The name meant “supplanter, heel-grabber” and so he was.  From conception, he struggled in the womb with his twin, Esau.  At their birth, Jacob clutches his brother’s heel as though to resist him being the first-born.  Throughout his days, Jacob sought the birthright and blessing of the firstborn—taking advantage of his brother’s hunger and his father’s blindness.  Jacob would have to leave home for fear that Esau was fed up with it and was going to kill him.  That first night away from home, Jacob had a dream—he saw a ladder stretched from heaven to earth—the throne of God above and angels ascending and descending on that heavenly ladder.  How fitting—for Jacob was a ladder climber, if ever there was one!  No matter whom he had to step on or what he had to do as he got to the top—it was only reaching the pinnacle that mattered.  To Jacob, the end justified the means.  Now, in the ultimate turning point, the God who had been disciplining him will break him—and that humiliation will pave the way for real exaltation.

What is the lesson for the man of God?  It is easy to look at celebrity pastors and dream of leading a mega-church.  Perhaps a subtle seed of temptation is planted in our heart—covetousness that leads to compromise—all in the name of God—when it is really about our name.  We say we want to reach more people—and how noble is that!  I do not judge, but the Serpent has a way of twisting the good we are doing into a motive that is carnal, worldly, sensual, and devilish.  In the evangelical world today, size does matter—and sometimes that is all that does.

Please, no one read this as a judgment on mega-ministries and well-known pastors.  Doubtless, that could spring from envy on my part.  God sometimes promotes men to such effectiveness and they remain the same humble servants as ever.  There is no particular sign of God’s favor because our name is obscure or our congregation small.  We may merely be incompetent or indolent!

My simple plea is this for all of us—do not be a ladder climber!  Don’t seek the big position.  Seek a great God!  Desire His will above all.  Submit to the place He has for you—and that is mega-ministry whether you are ever asked to speak on the denominational stage or quoted on the national news.  Jacob finally found the favor he longed for—not by his self-effort and self-promotion, but in brokenness and pain.  He limped from the scars of that struggle with God for the rest of his life.  That was a needful reminder of his need to humbly walk with God rather than seek to climb the ladder.  God knows where you are and is quite capable of getting you where He wants you to be—without your help!

 

ONE HOLY PASSION

 

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  ‎But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

 

It is easy to let the demands of doing ministry overwhelm the delights in being ministers.  Our schedules become dominated by the tyranny of the urgent rather than being directed by the authority of the Lord.  Seeking to please Christ can be supplanted by a desire to please people.  We may do the same things we ever did, but inside we are hollow—just going through the motions.  Many good things have moved us from the one great thing—a heart for God!

 

“We have as much of God as we actually want.”  The late A.W. Tozer said that.  Tozer was a man who practiced what he preached.  He had a great zeal for God.  Tozer wrote one of the Christian classics on this subject called, “The Pursuit of God.”  Honestly, on a scale of one to ten, with one being unconcern and 10 being obsession, where would you rank your heart for God?  In Luke 10:38-42, do you identify more with Martha or Mary? 

 

Martha was DISTRACTED IN SERVICE (v.38-40a)   We recognize that service is a vital part of the Christian life.  The Christian ministry is no place for slackers!  We should commend Martha for her service, and not condemn her.  She saw a need and met it.  But, the danger is that we can easily lose our focus—and become more concerned about what we are doing than why we are doing it—and to God motives matter much.  Martha was distracted from Christ.  It is easy to do.  There are so many demands on us.  Life can be frantic.  Many pastors confess to schedules that crowd out time alone with God.  That is a dangerous place for the pastor to be.

 

Martha was DISGRUNTLED BY SELF-CENTEREDNESS (v.40b-41)   Martha was madder than a wet hen.  She shifted from concern about Jesus to concern about herself.  It is bad enough that she is angry with her sister, but she dares to attack Jesus also.  She says, “Do you not care?”  Nobody seemed to notice the effort she was making—not even Christ.  Do you become disgruntled when you don’t receive recognition for your hard work?  Then you aren’t doing it for Christ anymore—you are doing it for yourself.  Do you ever feel that way? 

 

In contrast, Mary was DEVOTED TO SEEKING (v.42)   Christ must be central in all of life and ministry.  It is about knowing Him so we may make Him known.  The great Bible heroes understood this.  Enoch and Noah, “walked with God.”  Abraham was called, “The friend of God.”  Moses communed with God face to face.  David was a man after God’s own heart.  Paul had one magnificent obsession (see Phil.3:7-14).  Is Christ your one holy passion?

 

Weigh the promise of 2 Chronicles 16:9a, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Jesus warned that apart from an abiding, intimate connection with Him, we can do nothing (read John 15:5-11).  Our fruitfulness depends on it.  His Word must abide in us.  This will be marked by His joy flowing from us—not the frustration Martha exhibited.  Man of God, sit at the feet of Jesus, and you will have much forcefulness in your messages and much fruitfulness in your ministry!

PREACH JESUS!

 

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all  (Acts 10:36)

“What are you preaching?”  Do you ever get that question from fellow pastors?  I understand the question—they wish to know what topic we are addressing or what text we are using.  Let me suggest, however, that the overarching concern should not be what we are preaching so much as whom we are preaching—and that sermon subject should always be JESUS!  We may labor to be cute and creative, and waste a lot of energy on our part during the week—and the people’s part on Sunday morning—trying to be novel and hip.  I have nothing new to say—just the old, old story of Jesus and His love!  Men, keep Jesus as the central theme of your preaching.  The congregation has a mass of needs, but nothing is as needful as an encounter with Christ.  Do we believe that He is all sufficient and that all grace flows from the atonement?  Do we believe the Bible is adequate to testify of Him—and that the Gospel is still the power of salvation to everyone who believes?

When Peter went to the house of Cornelius a revolution was to take place.  The Gospel would come to the Gentiles—and the world has never been the same!  This was a pivotal moment—and what would the old fisherman do?  He preached Jesus!  He shared His death, burial and resurrection.  He pointed his audience to the Savior:

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.  ‎And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.  ‎Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.  And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.  To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.  (Acts 10:38-43)

Peter proclaimed Christ’s virtuous life, vicarious death and victorious resurrection—and the implications of that upon every soul. 

In the morning when you stand, stand up for Jesus!  As you open your Bible to speak, speak about Jesus!  If you are no longer excited about preaching the old, old story then get on your knees and stay until you get a fresh glimpse of Calvary and a new encounter with the Risen Lord—or do yourself and your flock a favor, and stay at the house tomorrow!

Brothers, I say it again—PREACH JESUS!

LIVING TRUTH FOR A DYING WORLD

 

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  (2 Corinthians 3:5-6)

Preaching may be Biblical, yet barren.  The letter of the law may be presented with accuracy, and bring only death—while the Spirit of Truth breathes life into the congregation by anointed preaching.

Luther put it this way, “I preach as though Christ were crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and were coming back tomorrow!”

Let there be REALITY in our preaching—having taken a trip to Calvary, we can lead others there.  May we ever gaze in awe at the cross and make it central in our sermons.

Let there be VITALITY in our preaching—experiencing the Living Christ in our hearts, that we may present Him from our pulpit.  A Living Lord is the antidote to dead preaching.

Let there be URGENCY in our preaching—sermons delivered in light of Eternity.  We are accountable for souls, and the Judgment is looming for them—and for us!  That will ignite passion in your preaching, or perhaps we are spiritually dead too!

God has given us living truth to expound to a dying world.  Orthodoxy alone—and it cannot be compromised—is insufficient.  We can bore a congregation to death with Greek terms, Hebrew roots and theological terminology that comes from a book and not a heart aflame with love for God.  May the Spirit come in power as His Word is both faithfully and fervently proclaimed!  Pray for unction, brother!  Let the truth move you in your study or it will not move the people in your sermon.

PENTECOST: THE BIRTHRIGHT OF BLESSING

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  (Acts 2:1-4)

Pentecost marked the birth of the church.  Should it not also be seen as establishing God’s blessing as the church’s birthright, as well?  We might debate how many of the supernatural signs of that original event are meant to be replicated today.  There are those who insist on ecstatic utterance as a valid gift still.  Do we then demand a rushing mighty wind and tongues of fire over our heads also?  My purpose, however, is not to degenerate into a debate on those matters, but to focus on where we all ought to agree—that it is certain that there are elements of the first century Pentecost that every pastor should seek for the church in the twenty first century.  I am not a Pentecostal in terms of denomination, but I ought to be in terms of dynamic!

The church’s birthright today, as then, is one of PENTECOSTAL PRAYER (v.1).  This is where the blessing began.  They didn’t work something up with a program, but they called something down in prayer.  Until the church recovers fervency and faithfulness in our prayer meetings, we will never see the blessing God desires for us.

The church’s birthright also includes PENTECOSTAL POWER (v.2-13).  We have come to a time Paul warned us about when churches have, “a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim.3:5a).  Old evangelist Vance Havner used to say, “You can be straight as a gun-barrel theologically, and empty as one spiritually.”  While we dare not abandon doctrinal purity, we must insist on divine power to accompany it!

Furthermore, the church’s birthright features PENTECOSTAL PREACHING (v.14-40).  Peter set the pattern that Spurgeon would later imitate, “Wherever I take a text, I make a beeline to the cross.”  Preaching that God honors is that which is founded on the Scripture and focused on the Savior.  There is exposition, application and invitation.

Another aspect of the church’s birthright is PENTECOSTAL PRODUCTIVITY (v.41-45, 47b).  Sinners were evangelized and saints were edified.  The church grew outward in its Gospel witness, grew upward in its glad worship, grew deeper in its grounding in the Word and grew stronger in their unity and support of one another.  Is that how it is at the church you and I lead?

Finally, the church’s birthright leads to PENTECOSTAL PRAISE (v.46-47a).  Joy was pervasive.  Celebration marked their gatherings.  They were swept away in love for Jesus and what He had done for them!  Nobody dreaded going to a gloomy church service, but were drawn to a glad worship expression.

I pray that our churches will experience a taste of Pentecostal wine this Sunday!