Letters to the Family of God
by Joe Franzone | October 6, 2021 | Pastor's Blog
October 6, 2021
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ is emptied of its power. 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. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 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. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Brothers and sisters, 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. 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. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. 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.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
And so, it was with me, brothers, and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
Dear Friends,
In the summer of 2000, John Stott preached a well-known message outlining the above passage as follows:
- The weakness of the evangel (i.e., the gospel message—Christ crucified)
- The weakness of the evangelized
- The weakness of the evangelist
Paul would agree. The Gospel comes in weakness. It is a message of weakness to those who have not yet believed, and we who proclaim it—we know weakness as well (1 Corinthians 2:3)
As witnesses to the truth of Christ, we are not Old Testament prophets called to denounce the sins of a nation, but Christians who want others to know Jesus, the friend of sinners, who died in their place.
Non-believers are not our enemies; they are as we once were, and we want them to be as we are now—in Christ. There are so many in need of Him. Therefore, as we continue in our 40 days of prayer, please consider the following in your prayers this week.
- God would increasingly bring men, women, and young people under the hearing of the Gospel.
- By God’s grace, they would believe, accepting Him as their Savior, rejoice in Him as their righteousness, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His church.
- All of us be given the grace to continue to present Christ Jesus in conversation, preaching, and podcast in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- God would enable us to run the race set before us, serving the lost (1 Corinthians 9:19) to win as many as possible.
Thank you for praying. Thank God for the intercessions of Christ, and thank God because of Him we are heard and helped.
God bless you richly in all things this week.
Pastor Joe