1 Corinthians 1:26-For Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring nothing to the things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of the Lord. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified. And i was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and in power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
For Consider- There comes a time in the life of all people to stop and consider. It was said once by Socrates that "The unexamined life is not worth living." In one week I will be graduating seminary after God called me some years back and I am considering just what I was then and just what i am now. I was nothing then, and I am nothing now. I am nothing and yet I possess all things. I consider who I was my first night of seminary, how I was mad at God that night because I entered a classroom where they were discussing theology and issues that I didn't understand. Some weeks before that night, I felt the need to know God deeper, to make what was wrong in my life right. I was cursed out by my boss in his office for quitting a job because I wanted to go to seminary full time. I wanted to know Christ. As I left that night I drove home in such anger and frustration that I didn't exactly know where to turn. If this world lets me down and now God led me in a direction that I cant go, a school that i will never make it in, I wasn't the greatest student, If I'm not as educated as these guys then what can I do, I was 23 at the time, most of them were older and experienced ministers with families and churches. Who am I? I'm out of work, I had moved back home from living on my own in West Palm for 4 years and my friends think there is something wrong with me. On top of all that discouragement I had recently gotten out of a relationship with the only girl that I had ever loved, or thought so i thought at the time. God brought me out of West Palm, a city teaming with young people, downtowns, beaches, malls and all my college friends to move back to Coral Springs, a high school town with no friends left because they had all moved on. I finished driving home, parked and went inside. I picked up to write in an old journal I had from my time at PBA. During my time at PBA i used to drink alcohol all the time, before class and late into the night on weekends. One thing that I remember so clear is that despite my wickedness at that time God was pulling me, chasing me down similar to John Stotts description of the Holy Spirit as "The Hound dog of heaven". I would take up the scriptures and read late into the night at the small library that was there at the time. I would journal and pray, with great fear of God, because I felt unworthy and small. I didn't grow up in the church although I did go to Catholic church out of obligation and what felt like mundane tradition. During my time in high school my mother and uncle were moving closer to the Protestant understanding of scripture and i was introduced more to it at my school. I learned about redemption but it didn't make sense, nor did i care until i was a senior. Instead of obligation I had a fire inside me to know God and pick up his word, a passion that is stronger even now. I went from late nights, random girls, drugs and alcohol to worship, servitude and a thirst for God. Its not something that I can entirely explain, but I do know that it was not my doing, it was not a decision that i made, but it was a capturing and a consumption. It was involuntary and yet all the while more than voluntary. So being saved in my senior year of high school I left for college and still lived as though I didnt know God but he was watching over me and drawing me to himself daily. I remember one instance where i was out until about 530 am from the night before. I was trespassing on a certain part of school property where I was caught by security. For some reason I refused to leave and i cursed out the security guard threatening to harm him physically. I left only to find myself in the headmasters office the next morning. Security had taken me out of the cafeteria where i was eating a late breakfast. After promises to expel me I asked the security guard to identify if it was me. He said it was not me and that he had never seen me, I was allowed to go free. To this day I have no idea why he said it wasn't me, not after i was so loud and violent with him. Maybe he was just being nice, or maybe it was just the grace of God. And that is one of the many stories, some of which i would not dare to put down on a blog because of my shame and embarrassment. All that to say that the journal I picked up that first night of seminary had a verse scribbled across one of the first pages. Discouraged, alone, frustrated, unemployed and upset with God i read 1 Corinthians 2:2- For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. That was the verse that allowed me to keep on in seminary. That was the verse that erased my past, the verse that reminded me that my shame was removed on that cross and that if i knew the simple truth, that Christ laid down his life that sinners may go free, i could keep on. That was over three years ago and after all these years and all the classes i.e Greek, Hebrew, Systematics, Apologetics, Church History, Missions, Preaching, Counseling and the list goes on (100 credits long). And before you think that I think I had anything to do with it understand that despite the spattering of "I" in this short post it was not I at all, but Christ in me. It is hard to say that without sounding cliche and self righteous but I hope this finds the reader in humility, It was all him every time. Throughout seminary I've had bouts with all types of temptations, but through it all i have realized one thing, that only in Christ is there redemption. There is redemption in Jesus Christ alone, a savior that can take me, a nothing and work in me to make his name glorified. So no, we are not a people that are wise or strong or of noble birth in this world, but in the eyes of Christ not even one hair falls off of our heads without him knowing it. Moving forward we are reminded that he is the true vine and we are the branches, without him we can do nothing. (Jn 15). This has been very reassuring for me, a truth that my whole life is about Christ and that my life does not belong to me. No human can boast in his presence, we are to small, to weak and to unknown. But he is not small, he is not weak and he is not unknown, he is God and he has been throughout the ages. My boasting is in the Lord. Our boast is in Christ and him crucified, our boast our love and our lives are nothing but that. Sinner, because Christ has been crucified you can go free. With all this said, it is a somber reminder that we are going to continue to make mistakes and let others down. Our lives, our speech and our wisdom are faulty, they are not perfect and they are not perfect for a reason, that our faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. So while we live, let us live with all of our might, remembering that all the while he is working, despite the pain and frustrations. One thing is sure though, when we fall and get back up we learn and grow and desire the word even more and with more fervency. God is using the things that are not to shame the things that are, growing and sanctifying us, removing the world from us and replacing it with an unquenchable longing for his word, knowing that we can always pick it up and commune with him. THis forgiveness is handled during the Lords Supper as well, we can handle and get a hold of this forgiveness, this passion that we live for. In the time of the Greeks when a man would pass away there was often no eulogy or speech at the burial, but one question. Did he have passion? Our passion grows stronger every day, even though we ourselves are weak. It is not by might but by the Spirit which is consuming us and making us into Christ himself, although it may not appear as such at the moment. All this so that we can say with Paul in 2 Cor 6 "as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things. We know that serving God will bring sorrow at times, since I started ministry i have had so many people ask me what it is exactly that im doing. Normal young adults aren't doing these things, normal people in their 20's are having fun, working and moving on with their lives. If God loved you why are you still single, I know the perfect person for you? Why aren't you making a lot of money? Why don't you stay out on Fridays and Saturdays all night like you used to? Don't you want to be in sales or business, why do ministry, there is no money there, that is one of the lowest paying jobs. What's seminary? All these things are discouraging and they can hurt at time but I am learning to handle all things in love and I am working on learning this deep truth, that my audience is one, that although on the outset there is absolutely no reason on the surface why a guy like me should be following God, I believe in him. I may be poor, but I would rather be doing nothing than sharing the gospel and making many rich, this is what we are, poor indeed, misunderstood, unknown to some, but making so many rich in Christ. The gospel is simply all we possess and all that we are, and I can confidently see there is nothing else that I can do but this, not because I am not able, but because it is the only thing that I believe in, the pulpit changes lives, it is where God is glorified, the Spirit goes out, it is where Jesus is. The gospel ministry is everything, it is eternal work, work that will bring reformation and revival. And to answer the question Who am I? I certainly don't appear to be blessed and I have nothing to my name, but I can give up my life for Jesus and really I'm fine with knowing that I am one follower of Jesus, even if I have nothing at all that would appear blessing, as long as I have Christ he's doing big things with us behind the scenes. Im often reminded that the man who preached the night Charles Spurgeon was saved is to this day nameless. God promises that his word will go out and not come back void, so we humble ourselves and preach that word and then we walk away and let it do its work. I was speaking with a man who told me that a servant in parts of the business world is a nobody and it is interesting how the church rejoices and takes pride in its servants. One amazing example of how the church is different, remembering that Jesus said that the one who serves is the greatest of all. So as Christians this verse is helpful with humility and service to out king as we remain nameless that his name might be glorified for all that it is and all that it will be. Who are we, servants, lives that have counted the cost and found it all the more worth it to follow him, all the more worth it for sure, i've experienced it and so have some of you. Our bank accounts wont always look great in order that we depend on him and not our moneys, and that as an apostle Paul had nothing at all but his message. That with Paul we have nothing at all that isnt going away on this side of eternity, no, only one message, one hope, one reality, one encouragement, a promise and a truth that is in deed all things- and the message is Christ and him Crucified. So maybe your reading this and your asking yourself who am I, im no scholar. With faith and in him all things are possible, offer your faith and offer your life to Christ and just watch what he will do, more than you cold ask think or imagine, he will make you flourish and overflowing with joy, despite the hardships. Some People will always be there to tell you you cant, at which point you can remind them that there are two of you, yourself and God at work in you. If we have that we possess all things, even if we ourselves are so small to the world, and yet Kings and Queens in the eyes of our Lord. He is a God of Grace, a good God. So we pray that our Lord might help us to deny ourselves, to count the cost, to bury our names and make his name known amongst the nations and into eternity.
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