Church in Crisis: The Message of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:17–31 (CEB)

Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the good news. And Christ didn’t send me to preach the good news with clever words so that Christ’s cross won’t be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent.Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. So no human being can brag in God’s presence. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. This means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. This is consistent with what was written: The one who brags should brag in the Lord!

Football without the football

I had the weirdest thought as I was watching college football yesterday.

IN THE game of football, there is no game without the ball. Players can put on the gear, wear the helmets, and walk in the cleats, but there is no game without the pigskin. Nothing really matters much in football if you don’t have the ball. When you think about it, that little piece of pigskin controls a lot. A touchdown is only a touchdown measured by where the ball is. A first down is only a first down measured by where the ball is. You’re on-side or offside in relationship to the ball. Whether it’s a catch or an incomplete pass depends on control of the ball. Everything has to do with the ball. Three points or a lack of three points has to do with where the ball went. Isn’t it amazing? You can have all the other stuff right, but if there is no football, you just wasted your Saturday afternoon.

Christianity without the Cross

What increased the weirdness was that this thought process trickled over into my thoughts about Christianity.

In the Christian faith it is possible to have a bunch of stuff right. You can go to the right church, carry the right Bible, and use the right “Christian-ese.” You can have all the accessories of Christianity and still not have the main thing. If you don’t have the main thing, everything else is a waste of time. Just like we can’t play football without a football, we can’t be effective Christians without the message of the cross.

The Consequences of a Church Without the Message of the Cross

When a church attempts to function with the message of the cross displaced, they have services, they have events, they do service work, they may even grow numerical but there is no redemption, there is no transformation, there is no forgiveness nor righteousness. They can perform all the activities that churches do, they play church but no salvation takes place.

When a church is trying to function without the message of the cross being at the forefront and foundational, they find themselves in a crisis.

Historical Evidence of A Church attempting to Function Without the Message of the Cross

The church in Corinth was is a crisis. They had division, cliques were forming. There were abusive practices happening within the membership, causing disorder to occur. They had some problems going on. And Paul, who started this church wrote this letter to them to make their issues know to them and offer them solutions.

In the opening to this letter Paul informs them that one of the reasons you are having these issues is because you have displaced the cross.

The Message of the Cross had been displaced by Human Wisdom

Paul points out to them in verse 21 that In God's wisdom, God determined that the world wouldn't come to know him through its wisdom. Paul brings into contrast the fruit, the end result of God's wisdom verses human wisdom. With a focus on salvation. How do you come to know God, how do you get in a right relationship with God, how are able to live a life pleasing God and how are you forgiven of sins. How does one obtain salvation. Paul tells them that it is impossible, what you are attempting to do is against the design. You will not and can not accomplish the goal you desire through the thinking, logic and practice of human beings. The message of the cross is the wisdom and power of God, it sounds foolish to humans, but is saving us who believe it. Matter of Fact, Paul says the message of the cross has already made the wisdom of the world look foolish. Because what human wisdom said couldn’t occur happened by way of the cross.

The Message of the Cross

When Paul was in Corinth he states that he preached the good news without clever words. He didn't dazzle them intellectual facts nor did he perform miraculous signs. He preached to them what was given to him. He proclaimed the unaltered message of the cross, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That God so loved the world the he gave only begotten son, that whosoever believed in him would not perish. Whoever believed that God took on human form, came to earth, was beaten, talked about and crucified, and buried. That he was put in a borrowed tomb and on the third day he rose from the dead with all power in his hand. This is the gospel I proclaimed to you, the message that saved, transformed your life and provided you with love, joy and peace. He rhetorically ask them before accepting the message of the cross and experiencing its power, were any of you wise, were any of you powerful, were any of you part of the upper class. You are who you are today by the wisdom and power of God, not because you followed and adhered to human standards.

Explanation of “How” they Displaced the Message of the cross

You got saved by believing the gospel, following God’s wisdom, and now you put aside for human wisdom. You have now displaced this message, living by and aspiring to the customs of the place in which reside. You are equating salvation with human succuss, power, and class identity.

You have displaced the message of the cross and now the church is a crisis. You have divisions caused by loyalty to human wisdom and the boasting of human capabilities rather than the unity that should occur by way of the cross, where only God can be glorified and receive credit. How you treat each other, your life aspirations, the values of power, glory, honor, and success you seek are based on who can provide you with the most intellectual, or sweet sounding or sinful appealing message.

You have displaced the cross, placed human wisdom above Godly wisdom, emptied the message of its power and became determined to lean on your own understanding.

Putting the Cross in the Proper Place

A good way to demonstrate the proper place of the message of the cross in by walking you through the Three circles. The three Circles is method designed to assist people in the sharing of the gospel. Especial during casual conversations. Because in casual conversation people open up, share what is going on in their life. And the deep issues that most people deal with is brokenness.

1st circle

They have this yearning, this desire that causes them too always be unsatisfied. The evening news consists of 28 minutes of bad stuff and 2 mins, 1 story about something good. That is because the world we live in and most of the people in it are broken.

2nd circle

But it wasn’t always like that. When God created the world it was perfect. Everything was beautiful, in order and it was setup for all of humanity to live happy lives with a purpose. love, peace, joy, health, and rightness was the norm and not an aspiration. But “SIN” came about. Sin is not what happens when bad things occur, evil, murder, greed are the result or the outcome of sin.Sin is the choice to leave God out, to do things our own way, and not respect God’s World.

Because of sin that we all are born with, we stay in this state of brokenness. We stay trying to return back to God design. People don’t like living in brokenness, so they try various things to get out of it. Human wisdom tells us that Money, or success, or achievement, or relationships, or philosophy, or good works, or religious activity will remove this feeling and bring us out of this state of brokenness. The problem is, none of these things actually get people out of brokenness and most times it help for a short time, but then you find themselves in a worse state than before.

3rd circle

God knew nothing we could do by ourselves would get us out of this brokenness. But God loves us and didn’t want things to stay this way, so He sent his Son Jesus to the earth. He was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead three days later.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment we deserved for our sin. When He rose from the dead, He defeated sin and made a way for us to experience salvation.

Love, peace, joy and salvation is possible through Jesus Christ. If you believe you can be forgiven. If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord Savior, be baptism, submit to the authority of Jesus Christ, follow his command, consistently fellowship with other believers by studying God’s word, being accountable to each other and worship you will spiritually mature, begin to take on the characteristics of Jesus Christ and return to God’s perfect design.

The three circles shows the fallacy of human wisdom. But more importantly the proper place of the message of the cross. The message of the cross is what is needed for a better life. The message of the cross is what changes lives. The message of the cross should be what we should be sharing at all times and in all places.

And as Paul points out we don’t have to make it sound good, look pretty or prove it. We are to just share it. For the power is not in the method but the message.

Closing

The message of the cross is not just our foundation or even the starting point of our faith. It is lens, the view, the basis of all our actions, behaviors and interaction. It is the substance, the essence of all we are. Without it we are not only not Christian but broke people with no hope.

Keep the message of the cross in its proper place, At the forefront.

Altar Pray

All fall short of the glory of God. As we go about our lives, that glory is diminished but not absent. In making our confession, let us remove the dull sheen of what is wrong and allow the glory to shine through God’s grace. Let us pray, first in silence.

Silent prayer Loving and gracious God, you are so patient with us. We run away, and you seek us. We make foolish choices, and you teach us the better way. We hurt you and others, and instead of hurting us back, you forgive us. Help us, we pray; help us reveal your glory and goodness in our living, That we will bear the imprint of Christ throughout the world. Amen.

BENEDICTION

Go forth today as a people being transformed by the message of cross. Go forth living a life patterned after God’s grace and may you share the hope, joy, and love you receive from God with your neighbors wherever you go. Amen.