CHRIST IS THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM FROM GOD [PART 1]

The text of this teaching is taken from 1 Corinthians 1:17-30 AMP. The man of God, Apostle Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth. There was a lot of division and factions in the body of Christ in Corinth at that time. This was causing a lot of confusion and a crisis in the church there. In order to understand the context described in 1 Corinthians 17-30 AMP, we first need to refer back to

1 Corinthians 1:12-17 AMP What I mean is this that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ. ³ Is Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ Lest anyone should say that I baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ [Yes] I did baptize the household of Stephanas also. More than these, I do not remember that I baptized anyone.

The pioneers of the faith refused to take the glory that belongs to Christ. Why did Paul say this? He said this because He knew that Paul and Apollo’s were both of Christ. He was asking the Corinthian church, ‘Did I die for anyone?’ For Paul to have said this, we can see that he was a broken man whom the Spirit of God had taken hold of. This is why Jeremiah advises us to give Glory to God only.

Jeremiah 9:24 AMP But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon of giving glory to man that Paul was rebuking did not start today. In the contemporary church we are seeing that people no longer believe in Christ but in Pastors, Evangelists and other ministers of God. I will use the word Pastors to represent these ministers of God. Pastors have become superstars, celebrities and I dare say IDOLS. The church has now moved into an era of advertising the ‘face of man’ not that of Christ. Do you go to a church where every other sentence is Pastor [insert name here] said....? Or my pet peeve, Pastor [insert name] ‘healed’ such and such a person. Child of God what about Jesus? Is it not by His power that people are healed? Whose name is being lifted up? Therefore it is no longer the power of God in Christ that is being advertised but a preachers ‘anointing’ or his/her ‘ability to perform miracles’.  Am I saying that we should not honour the gifts of God in the body of Christ? No, give honour where honour is due. All I am saying is, let us be mindful to not take the glory and honour that belongs to Christ and give it to man.

1 Corinthians 1:17AMP For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).

The modern church is full of eloquent orators without power in the word. Verbal eloquence will never replace the power of God. Paul said, “I did not come with verbal eloquence but I came to demonstrate the POWER of GOD [Christ].” If I want to listen to verbal eloquence I will go and listen to Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary or Obama, who speak with such an electrical eloquence and enchantment that will literally send their audience whirling. In the church, the wisdom of God is Christ revealed on the cross of Calvary. He is the Power of God. As a minister of God, when I speak under the unction of God, He uses me as His vessel to impart the wisdom of God through evangelism. When pastors use verbal eloquence on the pulpit they are depriving the cross of Christ of its power, wisdom and authority. That is what we are seeing today. That is why people go to church and go back home the same. Not touched with any change in their lives or situation.

Church is a hospital where people can go and get their sickness and illnesses cured. It is place where they can go and be spiritually diagnosed and be healed. You need to seek the power of God which is Christ revealed on the cross of Calvary and the wisdom of God. You are healed by the word because there is power in the word of God when you listen to it.