WWJD

WWJD
9-11-01

1Corinthians 2:1-16

Today we are going to discuss wisdom and its use in preaching and teaching. Because of recent events in New York and Washington D.C. I am going to use our response as a backdrop.

There have been some ministers who have misused the Word of God to further scare people. Those who are saved have been made to feel guilty for not being the �Christian they�re supposed to be.� Those who don�t yet know the Lord have been made to feel that if they don�t �get right with Jesus� they�ll go to Hell and burn. What this all leads to are a false salvation for those seeking him and a religious spirit over those who are saved. It is true that in the book of Jude we are told to save some by mercy and others by fire. I, however, don�t believe that we are to unnecessarily capitalize on people�s suffering to win a notch on our spiritual gun belt.

During the first few days after the attack I heard preachers being lofty in their prayers for the hurt, suffering, and confused. I don�t really believe that the Lord paid much attention to such hyperbole. In verses 1-5 Paul tells us that we shouldn�t use lofty and eloquent words. It takes too long to figure out what someone is saying when they use high-faulutin� talk like that. We should keep things simple. I realize that that�s the way �educated� people talk, but that can be a hindrance. That doesn�t mean we�re to sound like complete morons either.

There is a certain amount of strength in weakness. President George W. Bush demonstrated that when he spoke to the nation just hours after the attack. He wasn�t all that �Presidential.� He spoke just like any one of us, just plain and simple.

When we speak of the Gospel we must use language that�s easy to understand as well as honest. When we don�t know what to say, we should say �we don�t know� or just shut our mouths. We should ask the Spirit to reveal to us what to say or do for the situation. We can take a lesson from the President, his cabinet, and other national leaders. These leaders are a good model to follow, unlike some of our nationally known Christian leaders. Interestingly, when I saw the video tape of Bin-Laden from Al-Jazeera TV in Qatar, he sounded just like some of our nationally known Christian leaders. And, he is a known enemy of God!

So, what should we be doing? We need to read and study the Word of God. We also need to pray and meditate on the Word as well as His goodness. We need to ask the Lord specific questions about the situation we face and expect answers. Verse 10 tells us that God will reveal his secrets to us if we search for them. The problem is that we don�t usually want to know his secret things. We see the Lord as a good tool for paying bills or getting us out of the jams we get ourselves into. Only a few really want a good strong relationship with him.

So, what can we conclude from all of this? What can we say about wisdom? It is ours to have. It is those of us who are filled with the Holy Spirit who can know the �mind of Christ.� Those who aren�t saved cannot possibly know the mind of Christ. Neither can those who are not filled with the spirit. (see vs. 16.)

So, there it is. Next month we will talk about spiritual maturity (chapter 3.) If you have any questions you can email me at Soaring Eagle Ministries

Be Outrageously Blessed!

Pastor Earl

Last updated February 20, 2004



	WWJD 9-11-01 1Corinthians 2:1-16 Today we are going to discuss wisdom and its use in preaching and teaching. Because of recent events in New York and Washington D.C. I am going to use our response as a backdrop. There have been some ministers who have misused the Word of God to further scare people. Those who are saved have been made to feel guilty for not being the �Christian they�re supposed to be.� Those who don�t yet know the Lord have been made to feel that if they don�t �get right with Jesus� they�ll go to Hell and burn. What this all leads to are a false salvation for those seeking him and a religious spirit over those who are saved. It is true that in the book of Jude we are told to save some by mercy and others by fire. I, however, don�t believe that we are to unnecessarily capitalize on people�s suffering to win a notch on our spiritual gun belt. During the first few days after the attack I heard preachers being lofty in their prayers for the hurt, suffering, and confused. I don�t really believe that the Lord paid much attention to such hyperbole. In verses 1-5 Paul tells us that we shouldn�t use lofty and eloquent words. It takes too long to figure out what someone is saying when they use high-faulutin� talk like that. We should keep things simple. I realize that that�s the way �educated� people talk, but that can be a hindrance. That doesn�t mean we�re to sound like complete morons either. There is a certain amount of strength in weakness. President George W. Bush demonstrated that when he spoke to the nation just hours after the attack. He wasn�t all that �Presidential.� He spoke just like any one of us, just plain and simple. When we speak of the Gospel we must use language that�s easy to understand as well as honest. When we don�t know what to say, we should say �we don�t know� or just shut our mouths. We should ask the Spirit to reveal to us what to say or do for the situation. We can take a lesson from the President, his cabinet, and other national leaders. These leaders are a good model to follow, unlike some of our nationally known Christian leaders. Interestingly, when I saw the video tape of Bin-Laden from Al-Jazeera TV in Qatar, he sounded just like some of our nationally known Christian leaders. And, he is a known enemy of God! So, what should we be doing? We need to read and study the Word of God. We also need to pray and meditate on the Word as well as His goodness. We need to ask the Lord specific questions about the situation we face and expect answers. Verse 10 tells us that God will reveal his secrets to us if we search for them. The problem is that we don�t usually want to know his secret things. We see the Lord as a good tool for paying bills or getting us out of the jams we get ourselves into. Only a few really want a good strong relationship with him. So, what can we conclude from all of this? What can we say about wisdom? It is ours to have. It is those of us who are filled with the Holy Spirit who can know the �mind of Christ.� Those who aren�t saved cannot possibly know the mind of Christ. Neither can those who are not filled with the spirit. (see vs. 16.) So, there it is. Next month we will talk about spiritual maturity (chapter 3.) If you have any questions you can email me at Soaring Eagle Ministries Be Outrageously Blessed! Pastor Earl Last updated February 20, 2004