Category: Devotions

It is incredible that even now in 2024 people are finding the transformative power of God to change their life in a simple, foolish and childish act in worldly terms. The world has never been looking for a naked, blood-soaked Jewish man on a cross. But when it has done then it has always found a wisdom that is higher, deeper and more profound than anything that came from the world and in any generation.

“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. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭

There is a ‘wisdom of this age’. The generation of Paul had a wisdom and it seeped into the church, it always does. It created church division as it was based on everyone thinking more highly of themselves. But that wisdom ended in that age. If we went back in time and stepped into the church strife we would have something to say because this wisdom is changeable and we would perhaps roll our eyes at why and what they were falling out over. Sometimes I think of how my whole life being spent in church and becoming a Pastor at 26 years of age, contending against the wisdom of the age 32yrs ago, actually seems like a different age in itself. The things my Pastors have to battle with today just wasn’t an issue for me a few decades ago. But is the world getting better with all of our wisdom? We like to think so. But is that blind arrogance. Not everything that is new and  shiny is good. Not every new revelation is from God. Paul would come into our age today and say this wisdom is immature. For his message remains. In contrast there is a wisdom which is timeless. It is not immature and bound to the age that it appeared. In fact it is changeless. More than that it existed before the first age, ‘before time began’. The wisdom of the ages come and go but the crucified Lord of glory is before time and through all ages and the age to come.

There are ‘rulers of this age’. The generation of Paul had their Caesar’s and their high priests with all of their ‘wisdom’ of power, might and spiritual authority. Today who would be the rulers of this age. Would it be names of people that we go to or ideologies or the rulers of our age being perhaps unseen forces that are lived out in the culture of our day? At the cross these ‘rulers of this age’ decided that it was the best thing, the right thing, the wisest thing to crucify the Lord. 2024 the rulers of this age still think it is the wisest thing to bring about enlightenment and advancement in our culture even if it means we are walking all over the message of the cross. However for the ‘mature’ we know that 3 days later the true wisdom of God was made known and the true ruler rose victoriously. 

There is a time limit on the ‘wisdom and rulers of this age’ and a conclusion, which is they both come to ‘nothing’.  But we worship and serve the One who was crucified who is the ‘Lord of glory’, a phrase that points to all eternity as the next verses reveal.

So what?

• Spiritual maturity is often contending against the wisdom and those who rule in the age we live.
• Spiritual growth is counter-cultural.
• God’s plans and purposes do not take into account the wisdom and the rulers of the age. It is as if they ignore what man has to say. And man continues with no understanding of them.
• It is possible to understand and to discern the wisdom of God even though it doesn’t make sense to the world.
• The cross invites you continually into a wisdom that is higher, deeper and more profound than the best human minds and behaviours in any age.

Addressing the divided church and the one-upmanship of who is following which hero, Paul debunks the importance of human wisdom, impressive rhetoric and the prowess of the mind. Not that he is against those things, not at all. In fact his writing in this letter could be classed as one of the greats in terms of eloquence. I mean, who could write about love any better than he did in chapter 13?

But he plays down the human approach because if they/we are going to truly see the transformative power of God then it will be because there is nothing on centre stage but the cross and Christ crucified.

“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. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭

Paul has an acute self-awareness. Something which is missing today in some Christians. “And so it was with me …”

He was determined when he ministered at Corinth that they wouldn’t see him but see Christ.

This should be an enormous encouragement to those Churches who may not have the resources that another church in the same town might have. “If only we had the money for the equipment, the advertising and the musicians etc etc” and Paul would say that “you don’t need all that.” 

He didn’t come looking like the culture of his day with the ability to engage in clever debate and to have the skills of the greatest orators. 

Instead he came with weakness.

Instead he came with great fear.

Instead he came with trembling.

This makes the church with their division of who to follow, Apollos, Paul, Peter or the super-spiritual ones, ‘Jesus only’ (but actually it was more about themselves than Jesus) even more ridiculous. 

You see Paul didn’t come to be noticed, seen, ‘how many views on your social media?!’

The Gospel doesn’t need packaging. The Gospel is about God who undressed. 

Paul preached simply Christ crucified and clearly the cross. Nothing else. And the divine interrupted and the Spirit came down and the power of God was displayed. 

How do we reach the world with the gospel? 

Tell them simply and clearly. Tell them the story of what God did at Christmas. Tell them the fulfilment of that story at what God did at Easter. Tell them of how the cross has changed your life. Simple stories. Nothing of you all of Him. 

The power to save, heal and deliver comes from nothing that we can bring or offer. It comes from the story of God. It comes from His grace. It comes from the cross. 

The problem with these Corinthian Christians was that they thought they were above the rest. That’s what division does. It belittles the other person that you disagree with. It elevates you above the rest. You become someone. If you throw into the mix the blessings God bestows on you then actually you may not look anything like the person who first knelt before the cross. 

But can you remember the previous you? 

“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.’”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭31‬ ‭

Think of what you were years ago. Paul uses words like foolish, weak, lowly, despised and basically a nobody. Yet God called you. In that state. What was the worst thing about you when He saved you? He saved you anyway! Your ‘right thinking, right living, a clean slate and a fresh start (the Message) is brought about by Jesus. You cannot boast. You cannot look down on others who are not behaving the way you are. Your only boast is that of Christ and what He has done. 

So what?

• Your past life does not define who you will become in the Kingdom of God. 
• The call of God on your life transcends anything you have done previously. 
• A life characterised by humility is a life where Jesus is seen.

So climb down from your high horse. Your righteousness, holiness and redemption had nothing to do with what you had achieved, or learnt or earned. Can you remember? It was all of Christ. That day when as a foolish, weak, lowly, despised nobody you heard a foolish, weak, lowly, despised message  from a foolish, weak, lowly, despised and nobody-preacher, it was then that you encountered the power and the wisdom of God. It still happens today. It is remarkable. Every day the foolish are finding that Christ has done it all so that no one can boast. He takes all the glory. 

Never forget who you were and where you came from. The Church should not be divided especially the Church that remembers who they were. 

There are 2 paths of life to walk down. You get to choose. In fact you have already chosen. There are moments in any church and in any generation when correction needs to be brought because the followers of Christ are in danger of veering to the wrong path.

The Apostle is addressing the Corinthian divided church. They have taken their eyes off the path they were on and have begun to speak and behave like the world they were in. The culture of that generation was one where intellectual achievement was something to not only be desired but to be championed. It had creeped into the culture of the Church. Intellectual achievements, philosophical arguments and all the knowledge one can attain had become badges of pride. It was as if this made up for a great church. What about today? Would we say the same? Would we add other things? What is in our culture? What do we see every day? Is it entertainment to attract the masses? Is it everyone has the right to be whoever they want to be? Marketing? Make it look great and it will be more plausible. Attraction is the key. Would Paul mention these things if he was writing to the church today? What techniques are being used today that come straight from the culture we live in?

These questions are difficult to pose and even more so to answer. The reason being is that in themselves there isn’t anything necessarily wrong.

Yet Paul reminds them and therefore we are reminded too: we are people of the cross.

“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? 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 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 human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1 v 20-25)

Where are these people? Step forward. Bring the very best of the culture of the day. Whether that be signs, wisdom, teaching, philosophy, entertainment, social-media engagement, inclusivity, the list goes on throughout the generations. In themselves they are good. But God calls them foolish! Why?

• They do not bring us into relationship with God and they do not bring salvation, v21.

What does?

The Cross! (v23)

It is a complete different path to walk down.

It has a complete different set of expectations.

Victory through surrender, life through death and strength in weakness is the Wisdom of the Cross and the foolishness of the world.

This is countercultural to the world we live in. It was for Paul’s generation and it is for ours.

We are constantly being encouraged to showcase our achievements, win every argument and accumulate either knowledge, money or status. Vulnerability is to be avoided, no limitations, be independent, be you! It sounds good but the cross makes it foolish.

The Wisdom of the Cross says that the real power for living is found in sacrificial love, humility and the radical giving of our lives.

When we kneel at the cross then we see not a man or a woman, not a Jew or a Gentile, not a rich or poor person, neither do we see an individual of the 1^st century or that of the 21^st. We see the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, indeed God Himself.

I have seen all over the world the mutilated bodies at the cross, men, women and trans-genders at the cross, lepers at the cross, HIV and all kinds of diseased bodies at the cross. I have seen royalty and governmental officers at the cross, wealth and education at the cross and I have seen entrepreneurs and entertainers at the cross. All that I have listed are not who is actually at the cross. The genders, the bodies, the status and the achievements are not at the cross. Hearts are. Eternal spirits are. And it is there at the cross where the true transformative power of God is known. It is there at the cross where a radical reimagining of power, success and identity is known. It is there where the old becomes new. The focus is not on the outside but the inside of the person. They become clean, they become children of God and they are repurposed to live the opposite of their world. It may look limiting but it is liberating, it may sound illogical but it is a wisdom that is given not earned, it may appear weak but it is powerful and above all the priorities of our life are changed for we don’t live for personal achievement, status or decision but we live for others, we love with the love of God and we sacrifice the way Jesus did.

This is the Wisdom of the Cross.

Paul is addressing the division of the church.

The reason for division is because we think we are right, wise and we have the whole truth. The reason for division is this, we are right and everyone else is wrong.

If Paul was alive today he would be writing to us and probably quoting Isaiah as he does here.

“For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1 Corinthians 1 v 19)

So why quote from the prophet Isaiah? The verse in full is this:-

“Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” (Isaiah 29:14)

He does so because:-

• The prophet is speaking to the people of Judah during a time when they have become complacent and their discipleship has weakened. The Corinthians are in a similar situation. The divisions have weakened their discipleship. It still does.
• God declares He will astound them with wonder upon wonder. The Corinthians thought they were clever: their wisdom, intelligence and philosophy were added to their preaching for better effect. We still do that and we throw in other aspects of entertainment to marvel the crowds or try to create them to listen to our preaching. Yet when did the message of the cross ever need such help? The cross is the wonder upon wonder that diminishes all attempts from the wisdom and intelligence of man,
• The arguments of who they ‘follow’ that have caused the division in the Church at Corinth will come to nothing; they will in fact be destroyed. They are futile arguments because they are not in alignment with the wisdom of God. Today’s arguments and divisions are the same.
• The call that Paul brings springing from prophet Isaiah is still calling to us today. We have to live our lives differently to this. Instead of mere intellectual knowledge we must cultivate a spiritual wisdom; instead of pride we must walk in humility; instead of knowing it all we must acknowledge that we don’t hold that trait for we serve a God who moves in unexpected ways.

Paul is addressing the divisions and the quarrels in the church. He brings them all back to the most unifying of symbols, the greatest act of love, the cross.

“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 1 v 18)

It is the centre of what we believe.

It is the offence of the gospel.

It is why there is only one way to heaven through Jesus Christ.

It is why Jesus is more than a prophet.

It is why Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself.

It is why those who put their trust in Him will never die but be raised to new life.

He was not resuscitated later. He did not faint. The suggestion that the Roman soldiers had somehow crucified the wrong man is ludicrous. The chief priests and Pharisees slandering Jesus on the cross knew it was Jesus.

The soldiers who crucified Jesus were experts in the cruel art of crucifixion. Every historian concedes the truth that crucifixion was the death sentence, no one survived.

In fact many died under the Roman flogging. Prior to this, Jesus had suffered hermatidrosis, where in the extreme stress he was under in the Garden of Gethsemane sweated blood. Jesus was giving out large amounts of blood from the flogging and then he is nailed to the cross.

The word excruciating comes from the crucifixion. There was nothing in the language that could describe the intense anguish during the crucifixion. Excruciating means ‘out of the cross’.

Many people believe that Jesus had also experienced hypervolimic shock during his torture.

If Jesus had come down from the cross and recovered later, what kind of condition would he have been in to inspire and motivate his followers to lay their own lives down for a lie that he had been raised? According to legend:-

Andrew was crucified in Greece

Batholomew crucified upside down in Georgia.

James son of Alphaeus stoned to death in Jerusalem.

James son of Zebedee killed in prison by beheading.

Peter crucified upside down in Rome.

Philip crucified upside down in Hierapolis.

Thomas speared to death in India.

It just doesn’t make sense

It is easier to accept the fact from Jewish writers as well as Christian historical writers that Jesus did die on the cross.

Foolishness to some but for us who are being saved by it we know it is the power of God.

The cross has taken us into a whole new way of life.

The cross has reconciled us to God and God to us.

The cross has provided complete forgiveness of our sins.

The cross has brought about a decisive victory over sin, death and the power of evil.

The cross is a demonstration of the love of God to His world.

The cross is a declaration that we are now made right before God.

The cross is a model of sacrificial love and example to how we should live our lives.

The cross is indeed the power of God to us who are being saved.

And in this context of the division of the church, why is this important? Why does Paul introduce the power of the cross? The death of our Lord Jesus sobers the mind or at least it should do. The sacrifice of Jesus laying his life down highlights whether we are doing the same for others. He does so because the cross is the healer of the church. If we are also carrying the cross then it becomes difficult to hit our brothers and sisters with it. Paul will have more to say. But for now we will dwell on the power of God in the cross.

We come to the division within the church at Corinth.

“What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ”. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1 v 12-17)

We can sum it up this way: they had taken their eyes off Jesus. Even the ones who said, ‘we follow Christ’ carries an air of smugness in the context of the major division with everyone else. Baptism seemed to be playing a part so that you became a disciple of someone other than Jesus. Do we have those problems today? I think we know the answer.

There are times when I struggle to understand the arguments the Church divides over. There are plenty of people who are more well-read on subjects and articulate the arguments better than I could. The more I get older the less I am sure of. However, these verses help me to realise knowing what is NOT is as important (maybe more so) than knowing any new theory or argument etc.

Paul says:

1. I know Christ is NOT divided. For when we have a Christ for this group and a Christ for that group then our eyes are off Jesus and are on ourselves.
2. I know the Cross has NO OTHER NAME attached to it other than Christ. There are great men and women around the world. They carry graces on their lives that are outstanding: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. But their name or their office is not worthy to hang on the cross.
3. I know the Call is NOT TO BE POPULAR, to get a following, to enter into a competition, to be the Saviour. Knowing what I should not do helps serve my true call. Those who are operating within their calling continually realign themselves to the reason why they have been called. For Christ did not send me …. but to ….

Making sure I know what is not helps me to keep my eyes on Jesus and off others and even myself.

This letter from Paul to the church in Corinth came about because of a letter from the church (1 Cor 7:1) but also because of a group pf people that travelled to see Paul in Ephesus. They were from Chloe’s household. Chloe must have been wealthy and she was most probably the house church leader making up part of the Corinth Church. It had not taken long since Paul had left for these house churches to become divided over loyalties and other major problems which we will eventually get to.  In all of them we have to keep the first 9 verses in mind as we now go through the letter. It was like Paul saying, ‘This is who you are, this is what God has done for you, so why on earth are you behaving as you are doing?” Clearly Paul is upset. So let us get in to what he says.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1 v 10-12)

Chloe had trained her people to speak up. It was part of their values of the house church. They were not wanting to see division. They were against party politics. They didn’t like what they were seeing in the Church. This wasn’t the Church that Paul had birthed nor the Church that Jesus died for. Sound familiar?

So they spoke up. And so must we. These are the reasons why I think we should.

• Dissatisfaction

If they had not spoken out then dissatisfaction would have been silenced. Their dissatisfaction was a cry for help. They were not arrogant enough to join in the fight and become as divided as the others. Their dissatisfaction led them to the right person, the authoritative voice who could bring about the change that was needed.

• Transparency

If they had not spoken out then perhaps it would never have been addressed. Paul had a letter from the ‘Church’ (7:1) but it wasn’t about the divisions, rather it was about questions over behaviour and doctrine. Sometimes the Church likes to focus on certain aspects and be blind to the important matters of love (something Paul majors on later in the letter).

• Love

If they had not spoken out they would have denied their own genuine love for a united Church. What you love drives you.

• Responsibility

If they had not spoken out they would have been disobedient to all that Chloe had taught them to be or ordered them to say. They would have turned their back on their commission and for that moment in time, their calling and responsibility.

• Higher purpose

If they had not spoken out then it would have shown they had not understood the vision of the church which was to ultimately glorify God and spread the gospel.

They had to speak out and so should we.

This was a church that had seen many people come to faith in Christ. It was a large church with small groups but these were not healthy, they were cliques and each had their own charismatic ‘hero’. The most challenging of groups were those of rich and poor. They wouldn’t even sit together at the Church fellowship events. Church teaching that called for righteous living had been on the decline and this showed in the pews. The leaders were struggling to hold on to their authority as no one was listening anymore. Everyone was doing their own thing without the slightest concern for one another. Some were taking their fellow believers to court and others were not interested in whether or not they hurt them by their own behaviour. They loved the charismatic gifts, the louder and more dramatic the better. But no one was too concerned about love.

Welcome to the Church. This is Corinth. And this is the Apostle Paul’s first letter to them. He co-wrote it with a man known by everyone, Sosthenes, or perhaps he transcribed as Paul dictated his letter. He wrote it probably from the city of Ephesus around AD53-55 and he did so because someone had told him of how I described the church above.

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1 v 1-3)

So the Church that I described is receiving a letter from the Apostle addressing these problems. How will he commence that letter? If he is angry then the opening doesn’t show this. He certainly doesn’t start letting off steam.

It helps us. We may not write letters anymore but we still respond. When things have gone wrong; when Christians are hypocritical; when the Church is not what it should be: how do we respond? Do we just let our anger spill over to them or about them to others? If you see a Christian wander from the truth how do you bring them back? The final question and probably the most difficult: if you have heard that Christians have spoken against you what do you then do?

The way Paul commences his letter gives us some help towards having a more Christ-like response:

• Be confident about yourself. Know your own position in God. Have no doubts about your own calling. Step forward knowing that you are here for such a time as this appointed by God.
• Remind the person/s of their position in God. They belong to God. They are not just a church they are the church of God. It is God’s church. Not yours and not theirs.
• Bring God into the front end of what you are about to say. It is easier to confront when God’s presence is acknowledged. He has cleansed them and separated them for a life with Him. Paul is thanking God for what He has done in their lives.

There are times in all our lives when we have to confront people who are just wrong. Paul certainly helps us with these 3 principles. Don’t go in angrily but do go in confidently, knowing these people belong to God and they do have an experience of Him.