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First Importance

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 15

Are you good at prioritizing?  Can you focus your thoughts and actions on the one thing that makes the most difference? The truthful answer for me is “no.”  I am continuously overwhelmed with the number of choices available to me.  Combine that with external pressures from friends, family, co-workers and Christians and its likely that I will choose poorly.  Apparently, the Corinthian church wasn’t any different.  They engaged every kind of dialogue and strategy to be better people. To “be closer” to God.  To fulfill their potential.  While their effort may have been noble, just like ours, their result was failure.  You see, in our attempt to define what God wants for our lives and how he wants us to live them, we lose sight of the most important thing.  It’s what Paul calls “first importance.”

I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

I love Paul’s gentle reminder in those verses.  He’s telling the Corinthians, and us, in our busy and distracted lives, not to forget the most important thing.  It doesn’t matter what our spiritual gift(s) is, or if we can speak in tongues, or if we can prophesy.  Only one thing matters.  The Gospel.  That’s right.  Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised on the third day.  How is this helpful?  Simply put, it brings us in touch with his perfect grace.  The grace that allows us, sinners, idolaters and haters to live in harmony with our perfect creator.  Paul was clearly in touch with his need for the grace found within the Gospel.  He says, “I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle” (1 Corinthians 15:9, NLT).  Despite Paul’s unworthiness, he knows that hope and abundant life come through, “the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

That’s it.  That’s the thing of first importance.  It’s the understanding that we are sinners and acknowledging that God is willing to look past it, because of Jesus.  When we are continuously in touch with both our need for God’s grace and the reality of God’s grace, new life is upon us.  Looking again to Paul, we can see this at work.  He “[worked] harder than any of them” (1 Corinthians 15:10).  No, that does not mean he was earning it.  Paul’s hard work was a response of worship.  He wanted to be sure that God’s precious gift, his glorious grace was not wasted.  He lived in the reality of God’s grace.  All the time.

Tongues and Tebowing

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 14.

I must have looked at the schedule of dates, chapters, and writers nearly five times just to make sure that my day to write and topic was 1 Corinthians 14 on speaking in tongues. Yes..the schedule was the same the fifth time I checked as it was the first! Thankfully, a few weeks ago my brother in Christ, David LaFrance told me about Pastor John MacArthur’s Grace to You app which has sermons on every chapter in the Bible, and it had 4 on this chapter alone. In listening to a few, I didn’t feel quite as inept and nervous to write on it, not only because of John’s teaching and clarification, but also because John said this chapter was without a doubt the hardest to understand in 1 Corinthians and maybe the Bible. He also said he has read close to 50 books on this chapter and the topic of speaking in tongues and no two authors fully agreed on everything. That was my sigh of relief you just heard that I don’t need to get everything just right, and I just needed to pray for guidance and attempt to do my best.

John gives some great context in that the Corinthians were seeking a state of ecstasy, not only in their own homes and personal time with God, but also while in the church and around others. They were looking for an out of body type experience. It is also important as we read this to understand that John states the word “prophesy” was not used to describe predicting the future until the Middle Ages. In fact, merriam-webster.com defines prophesy as “to give instruction in a religious matter.” It also gives the word preach as a synonym. This is what Paul was referring to. John also states that the purpose of the church is to edify people about God. Merriam-Webster.com defines edify as “to instruct or improve…” If we understand these two definitions, then we can more clearly understand in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 what Paul is saying in that preaching and using your spiritual gifts within the church is to help others more clearly understand and to glorify God is what is important. Being in your own state of ecstasy by speaking in a tongue no one can understand is not right because it helps only yourself. In fact, John  MacArthur goes as far as to say that if you use a spiritual gift only for yourself it is a sin and you are prostituting that gift given by God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 that especially within the church, it is much better to preach because you are helping others.

Some may ask about Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit comes on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and many spoke in tongues. John clarifies this is different because when the Holy Spirit truly comes like in Acts 2, everyone understands each other and the different tongues/languages which are being spoken. In this instance, God is being glorified and edification occurs because everyone understands each other. In Corinth, each individual was speaking a tongue/language which no one else could understand in public in the church. John MacArthur also interprets what Paul is saying to be the singular word for tongue which is also translated as gibberish. No one can understand gibberish, except for the one speaking it, so it is not used to help others better understand God.

So, how can we put this into context within our world and lives today? As I mentioned in our introduction to 1 Corinthians two weeks ago, not too much has changed. We still live in a society seeking ecstasy and personal experience. We are encouraged by others, advertisements, and entertainment sources to do whatever feels good to you, and it is all about you. I could just say one word that sums this up..selfie. However, I will say two words that amplifies even more the gravity and depth of our self-centered nature and the all about me world we live in…selfie-stick.

Paul tells us here in 1 Corinthians 5,12, and 26 that it’s not about you. The purpose of the gifts God gives us is to build up the church and the purpose of the church is to bring beauty to her bridegroom, Jesus. Just a few days ago we studied 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “So whether you eat or dink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” And then in 1 Corinthians 10:33, “just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they might be saved.”

Let me use on example of the gift of athletic abilities and sport. I have heard many Christians even criticize Tim Tebow for his outspokenness about his faith, thanking God in interviews after victories, and for “tebowing” after a touchdown. I once read a book where Bobby Knight was quoted as saying he didn’t have his teams pray before games because God didn’t want his team to win more than the other team, and God was not going to parachute down and make a basket for them when they needed it. I think many Christians take this posture and for example, think it’s wrong to mix sport and faith. They think athletic gifts are just athletic gifts and not for God’s glory and that when Tebow thanks God after winning a game that he’s saying God wanted him and his team to win more than the other team. I didn’t used to like it when athletes thanked God after victories as well. However, I missed the point. Tim is not saying God wanted his team to win more. What Tim is saying is that it’s not about him. God gave Tim the gift of athletic ability in order to glorify him and not only is Tim thanking him for these gifts, but most importantly, he’s actually using these gifts to glorify God, spread the Gospel, and model the love of Christ so others can see and will be drawn to Christ’s love by what he does both on and off the field.

Just like speaking in a tongue (gibberish), what good is the gift of athletic ability if you are only using it to benefit yourself and for your own selfish desires and not to bring glory to God and bless others? I’m very passionate about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The FCA’s vision is “to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.” Tim embodies this. He is impacting others for Christ through sport and the athletic abilites God his given him just as God is instructing us to do in 1 Corinthians 10 and 1 Corinthians 14.

Let’s learn from this and ask ourselves today the following questions. How can we use the gifts God has given us (and he’s given us all gifts) to glorify him? How can we spread the Gospel as Jesus instructed us in Matthew 28:19? How can we help others know him and his saving grace on the cross wherever he has placed us whether that be in our home, neighborhood, athletic field/court, and yes, even our workplace? How can we make wherever we are a mission field for him and his glory?

 

LOVE

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude.

1 Corinthians 13

Need I say more?  LOVE.  Can you hear the Beatles song playing in your head? “All you need is love….”.

Paul’s writing is short yet powerful, one that is hard to say more about – it truly speaks to us, needing no interpretation.  How many times have we read this verse? How many times have we heard this chapter read at weddings or preached upon in sermons.  I love the gentle reminder to be patient and kind. This is a wonderful chapter in Corinthians and just makes me smile, almost melt, reading it. There is a calmness present in the way Paul writes it, almost forcing us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the thought of love. This chapter could be viewed as a bit sappy, but it serves as a reminder to us as to what is truly important:  How love rules over all else.  Oh how we need more love in the world today, not just at weddings!

Why do you think Paul writes about love right now?   Maybe he thinks people are caught up in their spiritual gifts? Maybe even in the length of their hair? Maybe he believes people have forgotten the commandment to Love One Another as they show dissent between their beliefs? Paul is trying to bring people back to unite in the church by reminding them of the importance of love, highlighting what love is and what is isn’t. I think of the words “unity” and “harmony”

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

What about this part of the chapter? Dig into this further and Paul presents a view that, at times, love is hard. So you are supposed to bear all things, meaning harmful words or actions from others and still show love? Yes! Endure all things. Another hard part. What about Jesus enduring death on the cross to show his love and sacrifice?  What a powerful sign of his love for us and for his father. Cancer? Endure it with a loved one and still love God when you are questioning why that person or why me? Love is present and should be a source of comfort to help us through tough moments. If you have love, you have enough to survive. Tough sometimes! I have a friend who just lost her father to cancer. So hard to see him suffer and to watch her “endure”. Yet, he was faithful through it all, continuously stating that it was up to the Lord. She showed endurance and strength, loving as much of him as she could and spending time with him as he suffered. A perfect example of love even when it was hard, and I commend her.

8 Love never ends.

My favorite part of the chapter. It truly never ends. God never loses his love for us just like a mother never loses love for her child. It never ends ; “abounding in steadfast love”. How do you feel about this three-word sentence Paul states:  “love never ends”? Does it give you hope in some of your trying days? It does me. No matter if we have a bad day, or we do something or say something that is not right, God still loves us. The hard part for me is sometimes feeling guilty. I might have a thought drift in my mind that isn’t positive, yet God still loves me. I might have a coworker who frustrates me, and yes, I’m still supposed to love that person. Hard, huh? You bet.

3 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The closing to this happy chapter says it all. We have faith in God, in eternal life and in his promises. We hope for better things in the world today and in heaven tomorrow. And we love. I say “happy chapter” because it reminds us of what is important. Loving ourselves, loving others and loving our God. If we pause long enough and ponder just how much love we have for others and they have for us, it is abounding.   Yes, it may seem sappy, but sometimes, we need that! Think about a world filled with more love. If each of us reached out one more time each day to show love to another person, I wonder what we could do together? We don’t have to wait for the next wedding to relish in this chapter. Show your love today!

Hats, Hair and Meals?

Today’s reading is 1 Cor 11

At first glance our chapter today seems to be dealing with some rather strange topics. Does God really care if I cover my head, wear my hair long or short, or have a meal with friends? If we read this chapter literally and don’t look a bit deeper into it’s meaning and purpose, we might walk away thinking we need to make some changes in our appearance. I’m pretty sure that God is way more interested in my heart and my motives than how I wear my hair. So what is the point? What is God getting at in this passage?

In the first 16 verses of this chapter, Paul is using some pretty persuasive writing to the Corinthians to help them understand what was expected of them during worship. Looking at vs 16, it is pretty clear that Paul is dealing with an issue that is a cultural custom in this passage. It seems that the Corinthian women were in the process of working out their freedom in Christ and ended up making some choices that missed the mark of God’s intentions. The cultural custom around head coverings and hair length were in place to help everyone remember that God was the Head of the church and that men were heads of the family unit. When the Corinthian women threw off their head coverings, they were going beyond their freedom in Christ. In essence they were saying by this action that there is no authority, which is a self-serving attitude. Because the Corinthians were pursuing self-interests, they were unwilling to subordinate themselves to the needs of others, and worse, they were placing themselves above God. Now we are getting into some territory that speaks to me and continues to be prevalent in our culture today. This principle behind the head covering issue is something that all people throughout time have struggled with and faced no matter what the cultural norm has looked like.

So the last 17 verses of this passage deal with the Lord’s Supper. It seems that back during early church time, the Lord’s Supper was an actual meal. When the people gathered to worship, part of that worship time was sharing a meal together. It looks like this was getting twisted enough in the Corinthian church that it was actually producing the exact opposite results than it was intended to produce. It appears that just as we sometimes struggle today, the Corinthians were separating by friend groups, forming cliques and eating fancy meals together with their friends, while other people were hurt because they were left out, maybe because they couldn’t afford such an elaborate version of the meal. The Lord’s Supper represents the most selfless and giving act ever known. The Corinthians were, and we are called to partake in this meal to remember the selfless gift of Christ taking our place, paying the price for our sin. Instead of a unifying remembrance of a selfless act, they turned it into a selfish time of fun with friends to the exclusion of others. They were actually doing more harm than good.

As I read this passage and think on the ways that these Christians got off track, I sometimes wish that I had Paul as a personal friend and that he would send me letters pointing out the places I have twisted God’s truth, and missed the mark trying to live by God’s principles. I tell myself that it would be so much easier to know where I am messing up if I got direct instructions in a letter like so many of the people in the new testament did. (The truth is that I would probably melt into a puddle of shame if that actually happened!) The good news is that we have a loving God who knows our hearts and minds. He knows us perfectly and knows how we learn best and at what pace we are able to make changes. He has also gifted us the Holy Spirit who is willing to point out our messes if we are brave enough to ask for help. Let’s choose today to take the time to ask God to show us where we are missing the mark. Let’s ask Him to show us the places in our lives where we are putting ourselves and our desires ahead of others needs, or worse Him.

Intentional Purpose

 

Today’s Reading: I Corinthians 9

Several years ago, there was a very popular bible study called the Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. The study is a forty-day guided journey of self-reflection and inspiration. When I was a young graduate, I studied this book and learned several ideas that were life changing and forced me to make adjustments. But I as I write this post, I have forgotten the majority of what I had gained from the book. At that time I was essentially going through the motions and not actively seeking a more in-depth spiritual journey.   I felt that I was walking around aimlessly without a specific purpose.   James puts it so well

James 2:14-17

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good [b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

 I was trying to increase my faith relationship with God, but my works or actions were not aligned with His Plan.

These past several weeks, I have been reading and praying more with intention than I have done in quite some time. I have been faithful in my bible study, my personal spiritual reading and prayer time. This has allowed me to be more in tune with what God has positioned for me to understand and conquer.   As this journey has continued these past couple of weeks, I have been met with more affliction and adversity. I take this as a positive outcome, I have been growing in my relationship with God and the enemy is upset, for this reason alone I am overjoyed.   That is were Paul has revealed to me this week in

 I Corinthians 9: 24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Unlike my younger self, I have found purposeful intention in my faith and my actions. I am continually seeking to win the race and obtain the goal. I am no longer aimless in my fight or run. I have driven focus and dedicated purpose to win and not be slothful in my prayers, aspirations, relationships, and connection with God.  My prayer is for us a community to become more intentional with our desire and relationship with God.

Love One Another

Todays reading is from 1 Corinthians 8

Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.   1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NLT)

When I first read this chapter, I got caught up in the question of eating meat that was offered to idols. I thought, “ugh…what does this have to do with me, today, in my life???”  Eating meat is not an issue that I deal with.  The crazy thing is that this chapter is about LOVING GOD and LOVING PEOPLE, not about whether you eat meat or not.

The people in Corinth were caught up with rules and what they should do about eating meat that had been offered to idols. Paul reminds them that it really does not matter, because there is only One God.  But, you need to always think of your brother/sister, is what you are doing affecting them in any way. Is it leading them to God or astray?
In todays culture, it is not often an issue about whether one eats meat or not. Today, we face questions and issues about whether it is ok to have a glass of wine? A beer? A tattoo? A Belly piercing? (yea, we have just had that question in our house) Is it ok to listen to explicit music? Do my kids have too much screen time? Am I too involved in social Media? Where do I stand on LBGTQ issues? We are bombarded by so many issues! Do I offer my knowledge on these issues to others and make a stand on what I think I know to be true…or do I show genuine LOVE? Paul makes it known in this 8th chapter, that we are to show others our love.

I can’t break this down any better than Francis Chan has already done. I have watched this video 3 times now and am so convicted to LOVE people more. We get so caught up in what is going on in our lives, in doing the right things, making the right decisions and hoping we look good to others, that we forget to focus on what God calls us to do…to LOVE people.

If you have time…this video will definitely impact how you face your day today and LOVE OTHERS!

 

Surrender

Today’s reading:  1 Corinthians 7

In my Bible, the heading for 1 Corinthians 7 is ‘Principles for Marriage’. While the majority of the text talks about marriage in some way, I don’t think the main point of the chapter applies only to marriage.  Look at the section titled ‘Live as You are Called’, beginning in verse 17 –

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him (1 Corinthians 7:17).

As our creator, God knows what is best for us and has a plan for our lives. He designed everything to work together for good and to bring glory to him.  This is why his word outlines principles for key parts of our lives like marriage, jobs, kids, and so much more.  (Food for thought – with a divorce rate over 50% and a job satisfaction rate under 50%, I don’t think we can claim our plan is working better than God’s).

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

God’s plans do not promise happiness, but they do promise hope and purpose. The wisest choice I could ever make is to trust God and rely on his plans.  I am not that smart.  To think I could ever come up with a plan that is better than the omniscient, perfect creator of the universe is just foolish.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

I know I used this verse in my last post, and I will probably use it in a few more before the year is over, but I love it. It is so humbling, and it illustrates the superiority of God’s ways so beautifully.

Here is the rub… If I know God has my best interest in mind, and if I know that his plan is better than my plan, what is the problem? Why is it so hard to follow his ways?  As much as I hate it, I know the problem is me.  I get in the way of God’s perfect plan.  In his book, The Purpose Drive Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?, Rick Warren says it well –

“You cannot fulfill God’s purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans.”

Will you get on your knees with me today and ask God for help surrendering to him and his ways? I know I can’t get there on my own, but I don’t want to miss out on the great things God has designed for my life.

Beloved

How many times per day do we inquire about the price of something? Morning coffee, an on-the-go snack, fuel for our vehicles, a car wash, lunch with a friend, groceries, the electric bill, that cool new shirt, pants, jacket, etc. at our favorite clothing store, etc. In general, we are conscious of the price we pay in exchange for goods and services.

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20)

Today’s reading link: 1 Corinthians 6

I’m without my family for several days and this time alone has presented the opportunity for spiritual renewal, reflection, some loneliness, and even some crying out to God as I seek His will where my will is clearly in the way.

This morning’s reflection is filled with the thoughts of my wife’s smile and the many reasons why I married her. She is a part of me; we are one. My love for her is deep.

I think of my children; their silliness, some of the unexpected things that they say or do and how much joy they bring to this home. My love for them is deep.

When we take a step back to reflect on the love in our lives, what we would do for these people, how deeply we feel for them, and how important they are to us it is a feeling like no other. They are our beloved.

All of this leads us to the cross. Jesus was and is the son of God. Not only did Jesus sacrifice his own life, it was the plan of his loving father for him to be sacrificed. Jesus was beloved in the eyes of his father.

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

When I think about how much love I have for the people in my life, I can hardly fathom the agony of the cross; God observing his son being beaten and tortured as a sacrifice for our sin. There has been, nor will there be any greater price paid for anything, ever. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

United In Christ

Good Morning, today’s Bible Journal post is by my friend and brother in Christ Jeremey Helmer.  Praise! 1 Corinthians 3

As I read through the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians, especially Chapter 3, I can’t help but be reminded of the spiritual journey my wife and I have been on to find a church home since we wed ten years ago. I grew up Catholic while she spent her childhood in Baptist and evangelical churches, so we began our journey miles apart from a theological and liturgical perspective. I think we’ve regularly attended somewhere around ten churches in the ten years we’ve been married. Now, some of the changes were due to relocating from city to city. However, others were admittedly due to the fact that we just couldn’t find a pastor or church that (insert subtle sarcasm) represented a perfect blend of our Catholic/Baptist backgrounds.
Or, to put it another way, since we were both walking away from the faith traditions of our childhoods, we wanted to be sure we found a pastor that was undeniably “right” in both our minds.

Fortunately, through the frustrations of this journey, I’m thankful we’ve returned to Christ as the foundation of our walk together. And now, hopefully we’ve come to a minimal level of spiritual maturity to see the how what we’ve been searching for has been here all along. So with this context in mind, Paul’s opening of Corinthians speaks volumes about spiritual maturity and the roles of the church and its leaders.

The chapter begins with Paul essentially saying, “Look, the fact that there’s division among you regarding which pastor you choose to follow is demonstration that you’re still spiritual infants.” Basically, Paul pointed out that the envy and strife among them should have been evidence that they were completely missing the point. Neither camp was going anywhere fast because they had taken their eye of Jesus as the foundation of their faith. So for Andrea and I, the more we clung to our theological background and held on to our own right-ness, the more prone we were to take our focus off the person of Jesus Christ.

Paul then goes on to explain “Apollos and I are just servants. Don’t boast or brag that you follow either of us. And, even worse, if you can put together a 43-point narrative about why I’m right and Apollos is wrong, you’re even further from the truth.” Several times this past week, I saw a post pop up from a pastor at a small church calling out and refuting some remarks made by Franklin Graham. I won’t go into details on the post, but I was struck by some of the conversations and remarks between sympathizers of the small-town church pastor and fans of Franklin Graham. Each side was firmly entrenched, supporting the leader of their cause to the detriment of their brotherhood and sisterhood. At one point, I too, caught myself thinking “yeah, this guy is completely right, and anyone that supports the other guy just doesn’t have a clue.” It’s so easy to fall into that trap. But then I wondered, “where and how does the reconciliation begin? How could these two sides ever come together to form a body of Christ that would be a beacon of light to the world?”

I could be wrong, but I have to think the communal reconciliation begins the same way that Andrea and I have reconciled our differences through the years – returning to Christ as the foundation, and laying down our entrenched “wisdom.”

Christ Alone ~ Hillsong

Ambassadors for Christ

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

In preparation for today’s post I read several commentaries from sources that usually help me to distill the scripture into a clear message.  I spent a good amount of time studying the Holy Spirit and how we as Christians should rely on it when sharing our testimony of faith. Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth around 55 A.D. near the end of his three year ministry in Ephesus and during his third missionary journey. In chapter one we hear him address problems of division within the church. We know Paul is a brilliant scholar, but we see him here choose to write to the Corinthians with a simple message. In my mind this means so much. In fact, when I think of the spiritual experiences that have drawn me closest to Jesus are the sermons or small group meetings that connected our modern life directly to the scripture. Paul does this by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his message. My favorite commentary on today’s reading is from Blue Letter Bible. The author, Paul Guzik says this:

“Paul didn’t come as a philosopher or a salesman; he came as a witness declaring the testimony of God. Paul was certainly a man who could reason and debate persuasively, but he didn’t use that approach in preaching of the gospel. He made a conscious decision to put the emphasis on Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. Paul was an ambassador, not a salesman.”

If that didn’t just change your life, please read it again. An ambassador, not a salesman. Paul draws his strength and confidence as a preacher not on his intellect but on the knowledge that the Holy Spirit will guide him. He tells us in verse four:

“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.” 1 Corinthians 2:4 (NIV)

I love the NIV here because it says “my message and my preaching…” Paul is encouraging the members of the church to become ambassadors.  If we are truly led by the Holy Spirit and if we simply live Christianity then we don’t have to sell it. For me, selling it is hard. I really struggle to invite people that don’t know Jesus to church.  I feel like I have to somehow sell the idea of church and a life with Christ. But Jesus is not a product. There is no next thing after Him. There is no salvation 2.0. This is it. Paul reminds us later in the chapter that God’s hidden wisdom was revealed when Jesus rose from the dead:

“No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began….What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2: 7 and 9 (NIV)

There is no way for us to imagine what God has planned for us. There will come a time when we live in him forever. Until then, this Holy Spirit comforts and guides us. Knowing that there is more for us, encourages us to keep going.  To endure the challenges and hardships here on earth. We know that we can battle against temptation and greed because the best is yet to come. God asks us to be an ambassador for Him. There’s nothing to sell, there is no upgrade, He is not a product.  He is the product.  We don’t have to sell him or a life with Christ.  He only asks that we live it and through the living we’ll bring others to Him.  Have a great Monday.