Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.
For Fools
Today's passage is continuation of yesterday's thought - the cross is not for winners, but losers. Not for those who deem themselves wise - for them it will seem foolish. The cross, the world says, is for fools.
Moo has some thoughts on the implications of this for us:
"The same standards for popularity—wisdom, power, and money—remain in our culture. These determine who receives adulation from their peers in our schools. They form the heart of the lure of most advertising campaigns. And their inroads into the church must always be thwarted. Much Western Christianity has fallen to a “suburban captivity” which domesticates the gospel and loses the central focus of the Scriptures on the spiritually and physically poor and needy of this world. Healthy churches will combat this trend by expending significant portions of their budgets and personal attention on evangelism and social action, locally and globally, in balanced combinations. And 1:30 directs our attention to another pair of priorities that cannot be divorced—correct knowledge and correct behavior. Too many today, both inside and outside of the church, more closely resemble the ancient Greek philosophers who drove a wedge between inward spirituality and outward morality.
First Corinthians 2:1–5 forces us to raise the question of styles of Christian preaching and leadership. Fundamental matters of the faith require forceful proclamation; peripheral ones, more tentative affirmation. The authority of the Word must not be supplanted by authoritarian styles of proclamation and administration. Highly polished turns of phrase must never overwhelm the clarity and correctness of the essential message. In many large and gifted congregations, we need more worship and less performance.
It is interesting to compare possibly the three greatest evangelists in North America during the last 150 years—D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. Neither Moody nor Graham was known for impressing audiences with lofty rhetoric; frequently their sermons were deemed simplistic. Sunday was known for a flashy style, but he still preached a very basic gospel message. But all three centered on the cross and the need for personal conversion. As a result, they gave encouragement to millions of “down-and-outers,” and countless came to the Lord through their preaching." [1]
Also, it's been a while since I've posted media of any kind, and there is a song that is great for today's passage. Enjoy!
Nichole Nordeman - Fool For You
For Fools
Today's passage is continuation of yesterday's thought - the cross is not for winners, but losers. Not for those who deem themselves wise - for them it will seem foolish. The cross, the world says, is for fools.
Moo has some thoughts on the implications of this for us:
"The same standards for popularity—wisdom, power, and money—remain in our culture. These determine who receives adulation from their peers in our schools. They form the heart of the lure of most advertising campaigns. And their inroads into the church must always be thwarted. Much Western Christianity has fallen to a “suburban captivity” which domesticates the gospel and loses the central focus of the Scriptures on the spiritually and physically poor and needy of this world. Healthy churches will combat this trend by expending significant portions of their budgets and personal attention on evangelism and social action, locally and globally, in balanced combinations. And 1:30 directs our attention to another pair of priorities that cannot be divorced—correct knowledge and correct behavior. Too many today, both inside and outside of the church, more closely resemble the ancient Greek philosophers who drove a wedge between inward spirituality and outward morality.
First Corinthians 2:1–5 forces us to raise the question of styles of Christian preaching and leadership. Fundamental matters of the faith require forceful proclamation; peripheral ones, more tentative affirmation. The authority of the Word must not be supplanted by authoritarian styles of proclamation and administration. Highly polished turns of phrase must never overwhelm the clarity and correctness of the essential message. In many large and gifted congregations, we need more worship and less performance.
It is interesting to compare possibly the three greatest evangelists in North America during the last 150 years—D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. Neither Moody nor Graham was known for impressing audiences with lofty rhetoric; frequently their sermons were deemed simplistic. Sunday was known for a flashy style, but he still preached a very basic gospel message. But all three centered on the cross and the need for personal conversion. As a result, they gave encouragement to millions of “down-and-outers,” and countless came to the Lord through their preaching." [1]
Also, it's been a while since I've posted media of any kind, and there is a song that is great for today's passage. Enjoy!
Nichole Nordeman - Fool For You
There are times when faith and common sense do not align
When hardcore evidence of you is hard to find
And I am silenced in the face of argumentative debate
And its a long hill its a lonely climb
Cause they want proof
They want proof of all these mysteries I claim
Cause only fools believe would want to chant a dead man's name
Maybe its true, yeah but...
I will be a fool for you
Oh because you asked me to
A simpleton who's seemingly naive
I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me
I admit that in my darkest hours I've asked what if
What if we've created some kind of man made faith like this
Out of good intention, or emotional invention
And after life is through there will be no you
Cause they want proof of all these miracles I claim
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves
Maybe its true, yeah but...
I will be a fool for you
Oh because you asked me to
A simpleton who's seemingly naive
I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me
Unaware of popularity
Unconcerned with dignity
You've made me free
That's proof enough for me
I'd be a fool for you
Oh if you ask me to
A simpleton who's only thinking of
The cross of love
I will speak Jesus' name
If that makes me crazy
They can call me crazed
I'm happy to be seemingly naive
I do believe you came and made yourself a fool for me
When hardcore evidence of you is hard to find
And I am silenced in the face of argumentative debate
And its a long hill its a lonely climb
Cause they want proof
They want proof of all these mysteries I claim
Cause only fools believe would want to chant a dead man's name
Maybe its true, yeah but...
I will be a fool for you
Oh because you asked me to
A simpleton who's seemingly naive
I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me
I admit that in my darkest hours I've asked what if
What if we've created some kind of man made faith like this
Out of good intention, or emotional invention
And after life is through there will be no you
Cause they want proof of all these miracles I claim
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves
Maybe its true, yeah but...
I will be a fool for you
Oh because you asked me to
A simpleton who's seemingly naive
I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me
Unaware of popularity
Unconcerned with dignity
You've made me free
That's proof enough for me
I'd be a fool for you
Oh if you ask me to
A simpleton who's only thinking of
The cross of love
I will speak Jesus' name
If that makes me crazy
They can call me crazed
I'm happy to be seemingly naive
I do believe you came and made yourself a fool for me
[1] Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 60-61.
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