That’s Crazy Talk! (This Post is for Spiritual Eyes Only)

Disclaimer: This post cannot possibly cover four chapters of 2 Corinthians, which is on our chronological reading list. Paul packs too much wisdom into each chapter. I can only manage one at a time.

So let's take a look at the 4th chapter of 2 Corinthians. Verse 1 begins with the word “Therefore….” My pastor husband always reminds us to find out what the therefore is there for. In this case, 2 Cor. 4:1 is referring to 2 Cor 3:6. “We have this ministry of the new covenant.” The new covenant of Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament covenant of Moses, which required blood sacrifice. Only because of God’s mercy can we have a relationship with Jesus, because he was our blood sacrifice.  Talk about hope! We do not need to lose heart. Paul is reminding the believers that he has preached the truth plainly, and the reason some cannot understand it is because the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Paul preached that Jesus Christ is Lord, and it was God who made the light of truth shine in their hearts to give them knowledge and understanding of his glory.

Can you even grasp how profound this is? Some of us have been Christians for so long that we have forgotten our days of unbelief. We don’t remember how lost we felt without the truth of Christ in our hearts and minds. We are so far removed from our days of spiritual blindness that we get frustrated with anyone who is still blinded by unbelief. Because we know that truth is within reach for our lost friends, we don’t understand why it is so hard for them to take the leap of faith.

Step back for a moment and consider how crazy our Christian faith looks to anyone not yet saved. We believe that God spoke creation into being, that our God, who has no beginning and no end, formed the universe out of nothing. How crazy is that? We believe that Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, was born of a virgin. Um, crazy right? We believe that Jesus was more than just human, that he was God in the flesh, and that he walked on this earth for 33 years without ever succumbing to the sinful nature. Are we crazy to believe that was even possible? How can the death of one man on a cross 2000 years ago cover all the sins of man, past, present, and future? How about crazy to the nth degree?

No wonder our society asks us how a loving God could let evil run rampant in our world. No one can fathom the plan God designed from before the foundation of the world. It is such a paradox. How can Paul talk about pressure, confusion, despair, and persecution, and still say we do not lose heart? How can both death and life be at work within us simultaneously?  How can our earthly troubles achieve eternal glory? This is crazy talk!

What we see is temporary. Only what we can see with spiritual eyes is eternal. Instead of arguing with your lost friends and family members, take a moment to see life from their perspective. Notice how it feels to have spiritual blindness. Remember how petrified you were to trust Jesus with your eternity. Stop asking lost people to act like saved people. Instead, beg God to give your friends and family spiritual insight into His glory. No amount of convincing from you will persuade them to see what you can see if they are not yet saved.

If you have a lost friend or family member, you need a team of people praying with you. Email me if I can join you in praying for the healing of spiritual blindness for the ones you love. Do not lose heart!

Don't Tattle to the Preacher

The letters that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth are full of wisdom. They teach us how to live as Christians, how to live by the Spirit. The chronological study we are doing gives us just a glimpse of Corinthians. We may need to come back to these two letters when we finish our study.

Today we will look at 1 Corinthians Chapters 1, 2, and 13.  When I read these chapters, I hear Paul talking to believers, not to unbelievers.  As Christians, we are different from lost people because we have the Spirit living in us. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are spiritually lost. Believers do not think like the world, and we can see God at work, unlike lost people. We have the mind of Christ.

Paul began the book by reminding the Corinthian believers that they had every spiritual blessing already available to them. However, Paul was frustrated with them because they were fighting instead of working to mature in their faith. Instead of growing, they were acting like babies. They were taking sides, causing division, and tattling to the preacher. They were acting like lost people.

What is the #1 excuse people have today for not going to church?  "All those church people are judgmental hypocrites. Why would I want to waste my time going to church when church people can't even get along with each other?" If this is the reputation of your church, then it makes it really hard to invite anyone to know Jesus.

So, how can we share the power of salvation with those who are perishing? This was Paul's advice to the Corinthian church:

1. Get along.
2. Try to agree.
3. Don't take sides.
4. Don't argue.
5. Don't divide the church.
6. Don't complain to the preacher.
7. Share the mystery of the cross with those who are lost.

1 Corinthians 13 says the key to sharing the good news is L-O-V-E. Stop thinking of yourselves, and love like Jesus loves. Tattling to the preacher doesn't fix the reputation of your church. Love does.