Performance or Power?
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I told you the secret truth of God. But I did not use fancy words or great wisdom. I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. I did this so that your faith would be in God's power, not in human wisdom.
Did you know that there are over twenty thousand Christian denominations in the world today? Twenty thousand! With that much choice, how do you choose?
If you were out looking for a church to belong to – you know, you visit one this week, one next week, one the week after, checking them all out – what exactly would you be looking for? In a world of polished marketing, it’s easy to be seduced by the style over the substance. By the singing, or the look and feel, or the emotion. Hmm.
Here’s what I’m after. Firstly, a bunch of people who have the power of God at work in how they live. Secondly, a place where they actually open the Bible because they’re seriously interested in what God is saying to them today. And finally, I’m looking for real community. A place where people care for one another, and love one another.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I told you the secret truth of God. But I did not use fancy words or great wisdom. I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in human wisdom.
So … it’s not so much the Sunday performance that matters. That’s nice, but that’s not the main thing. It’s the power and the Presence of God that we should be looking for, not the performance.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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