Basic Instructions

Easy to forget

Have you ever done this. (talk about walking into a room with a purpose only to stand in the room and look around trying to remember what you are doing there etc.)

Paul is reminding the people in the church in Corinth of the most important foundational truths. The non-negotiable’s. (talk about what a non negotiable is.)

He does a bit of reminding.

1 Corinthians 15:1–2 CSB

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

I told you the good news

You received the good news you accepted it

You have been taking your stand on that truth

The truth of the gospel is what saves you.

How we believe matters.

Sometimes when we read the Bible we it’s easy to jump over some of the things that should impact us.

When I read the end of verse two notice what Paul is saying.

“Unless you believed in vain.” We need to understand something. Truth is not relative or subjective. God does not exist because I believe God exists, but what I do with that truth is my choice. What I do with that truth matters. (talk about the truth of air etc.)

Equally important in believing the truth of the gospel is knowing that when we pick and choose the parts that we like or that are the most comfortable we are doing it wrong.

It’s not enough to believe Jesus died and was buried, it’s also not enough to believe in the resurrection. We can’t pick and choose the parts of the gospel and have the same effect. Believing part is not enough you have to believe the whole thing you have to embrace the whole thing, otherwise it’s a waste of time. Paul is impressing the church in Corinth with the truth of a living breathing active relationship with God.

That truth is one that is full of one rather large word that has gotten lost in much of today’s world.

The Gospel in a Polarized World

So what good is the Gospel in a polarized world?

One of my favorite authors is C.S, Lewis. A flawed man who’s faith manifest through fantastic stories including the Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, the Great Divorce and the Screw-tape letters. He also dissected the Christian Faith in books like Mere Christianity The Four Loves, The Problem with Pain, and Grief observed.

The story goes that there was a Comparative Religions Conference going on with experts from around the world debated what if any belief was there in all the religions that was unique to Christianity. Upon wandering into the room Lewis asked “What’s all the rumpas about.” His colleagues explained they were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis looked at them and said “Oh that’s easy. It’s grace.”

Paul would agree.

1 Corinthians 15:10 CSB

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

The world is Polarized. So many things divide humanity, especially today, especially in our country . We have lost the will to see the other sides point of view when it comes to science, and politics, and weather star wars or star trek is better.

The tragedy is that this same polarization has happened in the church. We have Liberal and Conservative, Evangelical and Mainline. We divide over the negotiables. Choosing to ignore this one simple truth of the gospel. All of us that claim to be in relationship with Jesus, have that relationship because of grace.

If the church as a whole, if Christ Followers as a whole would begin to realize that our mandate is not tolerance. Scripture does not say For God so Tolerated the world. We are not told Go into all the world and make converts. (expound) We are to make disciples.

Grace must be where we start our dialog with each other and with the world at large. Stepping into a relationship that says we may not agree on some thihngs but on the non-negotiables we are clear.

(story about John Bushling and how gracious he was when I started out)

We must love with the grace that we were loved with. A grace that did not and does not expect us to come to God with all of our ducks in a row, and it all figured out, but instead tells us to come as we are.

This Week’s Challenge

(Explain)

Find someone that you know you disagree with, bonus points if they are a Christ Follower that differs from you doctrinally and talk to them. DOn’t try and convert them to your way of thinking, don’t try prove you’re right and they are wrong. Simply talk to them, pray with them, operate in the grace that you were given, and in so doing see what God will do in you and through you.