Thought for May 29

 History:

• 1765: Patrick Henry says, "If this be treason, make the most of it."
• 1912: Curtis Publishing fires 15 young women for dancing the "turkey trot" during lunch break
• 1919: Patent for pop-up toaster filed
• 1922: Supreme Court say baseball is not a business and thus exempt from anti-trust laws
• 1942: Bing Crosby records "White Christmas"
• 1953: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summit Everest
• 1954: Diane Leather is first woman to run sub-5 minute mile
• 1977: Janet Guthrie is first woman to drive in Indy 500
• 2004: WWII Memorial dedicated in Washington DC
• 2018: ABC cancels "Roseanne" after she posts "racist" tweet
• 2019: Transgender no longer classified as mental illness
• Born: Patrick Henry, Bob Hope, John Kennedy, Fay Vincent, Al Unser, John Hinckley, Annette Benning, Camelo Anthony, 
• Died: William Gilbert [Gilbert & Sullivan"], Mary Pickford, Barry Goldwater, Dennis Hopper, Manuel Noriega

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor and remember those who gave their last full measure of devotion. Pause today and thank God for your freedom, for the men and women who died to obtain and maintain your freedom here in America and for the King who died so that you could have eternal life. 

Thought:

Reading a passage I have underlined in green this morning--1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Look at verse 5: "that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." Corinth is in Greece, a center for intellectuals, philosophers, thinkers. Men using reason to figure out the world around them. Paul wants the Christians to rest/establish/found/ secure their faith not on reason but on the power of God. So, how does Paul present his case?

• His preaching was not superior in speech or wisdom [2:1]. He was not trying to convince people to follow Jesus with well reasoned speech, gifted oratory. Reminds me of the Gettysburg Address. At the dedication of the cemetery, Edward Everett delivered the oration lasting 2 hours and consisting of 13,607 words. Lincoln spoke for minutes using 271 words. Lincoln's speech had power and authority, not gifted oratory. What does this verse mean for us? We hear a well prepared, well delivered sermon, but our hearts are not moved. Then we hear a simple truth spoken in the Spirit and our hearts and souls are moved to action. Be careful, Larry, that you do not get enthralled by a gifted speaker, perfect diction, catchy phases. Paul says he came in weakness, fear and trembling [2:3]. This also means that I do not have to be a gifted orator to proclaim the gospel. All I need is a willing spirit. God's power is demonstrated in our weakness.
• Paul says that when he proclaimed the testimony of God, he spoke about Christ and Him crucified [2:1-2]. Someone complained that our pastor used every sermon to talk about coming to salvation by faith alone, through grace alone, by Christ alone. Really? Is there anything else to preach about? Our message is simple--it is Jesus!
• When Jesus is proclaimed by people who are weak, God-fearing and humble, God demonstrates His power through the Holy Spirit. [2:1-5] Now this is good news. I do not have to be a good speaker, educated, wise, gifted to proclaim the simple truth of the Gospel. I just need to tell the world--the only living and Holy God wants to have a relationship with sinful people through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit does the rest. 

Maybe the church can learn that it is not the soft pew, the heat and air, the sound system or videos that has power---the old gospel hymn got it right--there is power in the blood of Christ. 

Blessings

Larry