1 Corinthians 1:18--NIV--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.
1 Corinthians 2:2--NIV--For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5--NIV--And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power: 5--That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Paul gives us the greatest clue to the success of his ministry. So many preachers want to flower the gospel up to make it convenient to human beliefs today. Some want to preach the "hidden" and "dark truths" in the Bible.
But, Paul kept it simple and yet oh, so powerful. Jesus Christ, a righteous God-man, suffered and died on a wooden cross to pay the sin debt of an ungodly human race. After paying the price for our sins, He rose again to show His everlasting power over death, hell and the grave.
Simply put, there is no sinner that God won't forgive. There is no sin stain so bad that the blood of Jesus cannot blot out. There is no demonic force, sickness nor ungodly action that Jesus cannot stop. There is no one bound by any addiction the the blood of Jesus cannot break. In other words, everything that the devil has ever done to mankind Jesus "un-did" on the cross.
The problem is that we pay too much attention to the problems that we face instead of keeping our eyes on the problem solver. Jesus promised in John 16:33--KJV--In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
The Henry translation reads like this, "Sure you're going to have problems, all kinds of problems. But every time one jumps in your face you outa get shoutin' happy because I've already got that problem whipped. So quit your cryin' and bellyachin'. Go do something that will make you smile while I take care of your problem. And don't worry any more about it. I got it under control."
Read Paul's letters to the churches and to the people he wrote to. He doesn't go into anything elaborate about all of the problems they were facing. He went right to the answer. And that answer centered around Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead. He got people's eyes off of the problem and got them to focus their attention on what Jesus did to bring them the victory. He taught them that Jesus didn't bring them to a defeat. Rather, Jesus brought them to an overwhelming victory.
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