|
Welcome
to Faith Family’s website. As we face the new year, we are excited to
see what our Lord Jesus Christ is going to do to extend His Kingdom
through us, as we continue to focus our attention on the cross.
The
cross on which Christ died, is the hub of history. All that the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ does, revolves around its relationship
to the cross. Faith Family’s entire exist, as does mine and yours,
revolves around the cross: our lives, our sustenance, our healing or
wholeness, our salvation, our direction, our ministries, our
relationships, our counselling, our marriages, our singleness, our
parenting.
We find this difficult to grasp, because in our intelligence it sounds too narrow, and oppressive.
But His death and resurrection truly is where the entire of our lives hold together, and finds it meaning.
You may want to read it for yourself in 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 2:16.
18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is
written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of
the intelligent I will frustrate.”
20 Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God
made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God
the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through
the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews
demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach
Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness
of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger
than man’s strength.
26 Brothers, think of what you were when
you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many
were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the
foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things
of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to
nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for
us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
2 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence
or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much
trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and
persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so
that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
6
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the
wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to
nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been
hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of
the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not
have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The
Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who
among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within
him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit
of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit
who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in
words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual
words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The
spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not
subject to any man’s judgment: 16 “For who has known the mind of the
Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
As
Faith Family, this is where our loyalty lies. Where does yours? In your
own wisdom and intelligence, or in the Lord Jesus Christ’s?
Pastor David
|
