23RD AUGUST
1 Corinthians 1:22-24
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
The gospel is the most foundational message of Christianity and cannot be changed, whether people like it or not!
The Apostle Paul took the gospel to two very different kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles who had been deeply impacted by Greek culture. These two groups expected very different things from a religious message. The Jews expected miraculous signs and the Gentiles expected a deep intellectual philosophy.
But despite their expectations, Paul’s message had neither of these things. “We preach Christ crucified,” he said. A new message from God without miraculous signs was hard for Jews to accept. A religion whose foundational truths were simple seemed foolish to the Gentiles. But although Paul desperately wanted to connect these people with God, there was one thing he could not alter: the gospel.
He knew that there would be those whose hearts God had already been working in, and for them his simple message of “Christ crucified” would be “the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Share our beautifully simple message with as many people as possible and like Paul you will find those that God has already been working in. To them, this simple message will be life-changing.
MAKE IT PERSONAL:
How did this simple message of “Christ crucified” impact you when you first heard it?