THE WISDOM OF THE SPIRIT GOD’S POWERFUL MYSTERY 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 1 When I came to you, I didn’t come and proclaim God’s mystery to you by means of a superior style of speaking or wisdom. 2 No: I decided to know nothing in my dealings with you except Jesus the Messiah, especially his crucifixion. 3 I came to you in weakness, in great fear and trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in transparent proof brought home powerfully by the spirit, 5 so that your faith might not be in human wisdom but in God’s power. Life is full of mystery. The deepest, richest and most complex theories that science can ever come up with only serve to highlight the fact that there is still a depth of mystery which goes way beyond it all. You can study biology and human genetics, and know everything there is to know about fertilization, reproduction, pregnancy, birth and childhood; but when you see your own new-born child, and two eyes meet yours with a look that seems to say, not ‘Who are you?’ but ‘So—it’s you!’ you glimpse a mystery which no physical explanation can ever begin to explore. It’s the same with music. The physicist can in principle explain what happens when a particular instrument is played. But why Mozart makes us want to laugh and cry and dance, why some music is deeply consoling and some deeply disturbing, remains a mystery. The deepest mysteries of human life—love, death, joy, beauty and the rest—have for millennia been believed to point to the deepest mystery of them all, the mystery of God. Sometimes in the ancient world people developed whole systems for trying to penetrate this mystery, often in relation to a particular divinity such as Isis or Mithras. People believed that by going through particular initiation rites and disciplines they would get to the heart of the mystery, and would discover things that would change their lives completely. Most Jews believed that the one true God had already invited them to share his own life and purpose, so they didn’t go down this route. But they, too, knew a strong sense of mystery as they tried to understand the truth about how and why God had made the world, and in particular what his purpose was for them and for the future. Among the writings of ancient Israel, both in the Bible and in other books, there are many which try to penetrate to this truth, to discover what was going on in God’s world, and where different people might fit into his purposes. This is where Paul comes in. He picked up this Jewish tradition and declared that God’s past, present and future had at last been unveiled in and through Jesus the Messiah. Jesus was the clue to all the secrets of God. Paul spells this out elsewhere, for instance in Colossians 1:26–2:3. And Paul wants the muddled Corinthian Christians to see that, though the message about the crucified Jesus is indeed a foolish, scandalous thing in the eyes of the rest of the world, at the heart of the Christian message there is the clue to the deepest mystery of life. In speaking like this, here in verse 7, and elsewhere, Paul may be teasing them a little about the way their culture and philosophy liked to probe into ‘mysteries’ of the pagan sort. He is pulling them over onto solidly Jewish ground. One of the reasons, in fact, why the mystery of the gospel is a mystery is because nobody in Corinth or most other places would ever think of looking for the secret to life, the universe, God, beauty, love and death in a place of execution outside a rebellious city in the Middle East. Crucifixion was regarded in the ancient world as so horrible, so revolting, so degrading that you didn’t mention it in polite society. Imagine somebody at a fashionable dinner-party going on in a loud voice about how he’d seen rats eating the body of a dead dog in the street; that’s the kind of impression you’d make by standing up in public and talking about someone being crucified. No self-respecting sophist or rhetorician would dream of doing it. But Paul believed, and the new-found faith and life of the Corinthian Christians bore this out, that this was the clue to the mystery of life. Tom Wright, New Testament Wisdom for Everyone (London: SPCK, 2013), 1–3. Preparing a series of lessons on The Seven Stages Of God's Plan. We will be considering each one of these stages, and how they apply in our walk with God. Here's the base scripture and stages we will be studying in the near future. I just wanted to share it with you, and have you meditate upon it.
The Word Romans 8:28-32 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ro 8:28–30. The Seven Stages Of God's Plan 1. He Foreknew. 2. He Chose. 3. He Predestined. 4. He Called Us. 5. He Saved Us. 6. He Justified Us. 7. He Glorified Us. Ahab was one of the most wicked kings to serve Israel, but only God knows how much Jezebel influenced his life (1 Kings 21).
Solomon was influenced by his wives to the point that he did unspeakable things. My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded. If they say –“Come with us!” don’t travel that road with them. (Prov. 1:10-11a, 15a) Friends can make all the difference in the world, though, when we are going through difficult times. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. (Prov. 17:17) Ralph Carter, You Make the Call: Choices That Make or Break Us (Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2015). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father …” says James (James 1:17). It is obvious that God’s gifts are perfect, but we need to be reminded that the mortal channels, through whom they are expressed, are not. Just because a person manifests the gifts does not mean that he is walking closely with the Lord. As the word “gift” implies, the gifts are not earned or retained—even by living a good life. The Book of Romans tells us, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29 KJV). Don’t follow a person just because he has a “gift ministry.” Instead, look for the fruit in his life, for honesty and purity brought about by the Spirit of Truth—the Holy Spirit—and a hunger for and appreciation of God’s Word. Look for balanced teaching between literal and spiritual meanings of the Scripture, look for fellowship with other brethren; and then receive only that which is quickened to you by the Holy Spirit and which agrees with the Scripture. Remember, Christians don’t follow signs; signs follow Christians.
Found this quote in an article concerning the writings of John Calvin. I thought I would share it with the FBC family.
God Understands The Motive Behind Every Thought.
Sometimes motives are not evaluated as necessarily important in some purposes, as so many feel the ends justify the means. However, don't be deceived when it comes to the Lord. When you are called to do something under heaven's direction, God searches the mind and the heart, weighing your motives. When David desired to build a temple, the Lord cautioned him. Telling him it wasn't for him to do because of the blood on his hands. Instead, Solomon would be appointed to do so, building the House of the Lord. With that in mind, David called upon the elders and leaders of the nation to gather. Then he began to declare the will of God for his people, and instructed them to remember the commands of the Lord, and gave promises of God's grace if they kept his Word. 1 Chronicles 28: 1-10 CEB David assembled all of Israel’s leaders in Jerusalem, the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, as well as the officers, warriors, and all the valiant men. 2 Then King David stood up and said: Listen to me, my relatives and my people. I wanted to build a temple as the permanent home for the chest containing the Lord’s covenant, our God’s footrest. But when I prepared to build it, 3 God said to me, You must not build a temple for my name because you are a military man, and you’ve shed blood. 4 The LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole household to become king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and within Judah’s family, my household, and among my father’s family he was pleased with me, making me king over all Israel. 5 And from all the many sons the LORD has given me, he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the LORD’s kingdom over Israel. 6 He said to me: Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards, for I’ve chosen him to become my son even as I myself will become his father. 7 I’ll establish his kingdom forever if he remains committed to keeping my commands and case laws as he does now. 8 So now, in the presence of all the LORD’s assembly and with God as our witness, carefully observe all the commands of the LORD your God, so that you may hold on to this good land and pass it on to your children forever. 9 As for you, Solomon, my son, acknowledge your father’s God and serve him with enthusiastic devotion, because the LORD searches every mind and understands the motive behind every thought. If you seek him, he we will be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever. 10 Now then, since the LORD has chosen you to build a temple for him as the sanctuary, work hard. There are so many areas of thought we could pursue here. However, I want to focus on verses 8-10. Recognizing David's personal admonition to Solomon. Here is where we as pastors, fathers, mothers, leaders, and mentors need to center upon. For it will help us in passing on this legacy of Faith the Lord wants us to share. 1. Observe all the commands of the Lord. Warning! Don't pick and choose what best fits your preference, your denomination, or nature. Remember His complete covenant and recognize God's motive behind it. 2. Serve leadership within the church with enthusiastic support, it will accomplish amazing things for the church. Warning! Don't serve half-heartedly or timidly. If the leadership you are following has lifestyles that have revealed a shepherd's heart you will see astonishing things in your midst. 3. The Lord searches every mind and motive within the heart of man (or woman). What motivates you or drives you in your life? Warning! If your heart is filled with pride, arrogance, selfishness or just plain lack of transparency. You will have a reckoning with God sooner or later down the line. 4. If you seek Him, He can be found, and He will find you. God loves those who cherish and chase after the heart of God. Warning! Don't abandon or give up on the Lord. Why? For He is never far off, He will pursue you, and the opposite side of His grace is a life missing out on His love, protection, mercy, and power. 5. Let Him build a temple for Him within your life. That way His covenant can abide in you, His Word can come from you and His blessings will overtake you. Warning! Let go! Let Him come in to remodel and establish His presence in your life today. If you follow these instructions in these passages, and allow for these steps in your life. You will establish a legacy of Faith within you where Christ is King and His Kingdom has no end in sight. However, if your motives are impure, or your ambitions are not right before the Lord. They will be revealed, and His Kingdom life in you will be short-circuited from within. Leaving you with broken dreams and lost opportunities. What are you motivated by in your life? Where is your heart today? What drives you? Won't you allow the Holy Spirit to give you a Spiritual Checkup from the neck up? That way, you can pursue your calling in life, with God's grace and full blessing revealed each day. We have finished three full workbook and audio series in our Short Courses curriculum at FBC. The newest addition will be on " Ten People In The Bible Like Me. " We will examine ten biblical characters in truly amazing fashion, and get into some very revealing insights into our very lives in so doing. I hope you will be a part of this journey in the Word.
I will post on the College website, as well otherwise when the first lessons become available. All Short Courses are free to listen to and take advantage of the study materials. If you desire college credit, the course is discounted to 50.00 for two credit hours at Focus. God bless you all, and have a fantastic upcoming Thanksgiving. In His Grace, Dr. Patrick Vossen, President Focus Bible College One of the early leaders in the Charismatic Movement was Father Bennett. We highlight a little bit of his experience concerning his quest concerning the Holy Ghost baptism in this recent post at Focus Bible College.
Dr. Patrick Vossen Early in 1959, Bennett finally began to seek the “baptism” with the aid of a fellow Episcopal priest and a young couple in the church who had already received the experience. In an early morning home prayer meeting, hands were laid on Father Bennett as his friends prayed over him. His “nine o’clock in the morning” experience could be considered typical of the thousands that have occurred among the clergy in recent years: I suppose I must have prayed out loud for about twenty minutes—at least it seemed to be a long time—and was about to give up when a very strange thing happened. My tongue tripped, just as it might when you are trying to say a tongue twister, and I began to speak in a new language! Right away I recognized several things: first, it wasn’t some kind of psychological trick or compulsion. There was nothing compulsive about it.… It was a new language, not some kind of “baby talk.” It had grammar and syntax; it had inflection and expression—and it was rather beautiful. In a short time, several members of St. Mark’s parish received the same experience. In their joy and exhilaration they began to use such typical Pentecostal expressions as “praise the Lord” and “hallelujah” in the church office and parish house. As word spread among the church members about the pastor’s strange new experience, some members of the vestry began to accuse him of fanaticism. In order to quell false rumors and to answer questions circulating in the congregation, Bennett soon felt it necessary to tell his church about his experience of speaking with other tongues. Thus, on April 3, 1960, he shared his testimony in the three morning services of his church. The reaction in the early morning service was “open and tender,” according to Bennett, but in the second service the “lid blew off.” In outrage, Bennett’s curate “snatched off his vestments, threw them on the altar, and stalked out of church crying: ‘I can no longer work with this man.’ ” After the service concluded, outside on the patio, those who had set themselves to get rid of the movement of the Holy Spirit began to harangue the arriving and departing parishioners. One man stood on a chair shouting, “Throw out the damn tongue speakers.” After some members complained that “we’re Episcopalians, not a bunch of wild-eyed hillbillies,” the treasurer of the vestry called on Bennett to resign. Rather than cause disharmony in the congregation, the mild-mannered rector promptly resigned his parish, partly because he lacked enough understanding of the Pentecostal experience to defend himself. Thereupon the bishop sent a temporary priest to St. Mark’s armed with a firm letter to the parish officers forbidding any further tongues-speaking under church auspices. Synan, Vinson. 1997. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Our Last Lesson In The Ten Parables Of Jesus Series On " The Prodigal Son And Me Is Uploaded.11/3/2021 We now have the last audio portion of our study on The Ten Parables Of Jesus available for all our students, and friends of FBC. In this final installment you will hear a wonderful message of Grace that will leap of the pages of the Word.
Enjoy and be blest. |
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