Power of the Cross

   For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power

1 Corinthians 1:17

  Let's imagine that classes with a group of anonymous alcoholics are led by someone who comes to these classes drunk. A man who is to help others free themselves from the addiction to drinking alcohol is his slave himself. Can such a person help those who want to stop drinking? Another situation. A group of drug addicts who want to free themselves from this addiction meets someone who wants to help them. However, this person is addicted to drugs and conducts classes while under the influence of drugs. What will be the effect of the work of these two people trying to help others?

  And now imagine that classes with a group of alcoholics are led by someone who says about himself that he was an alcoholic, but someone helped him free himself from this addiction and now he not only does not drink, but more importantly, he does not want to drink alcohol. Let's also imagine that classes with a group of drug addicts are conducted by someone who says about himself that he was a drug addict, but someone helped him free himself from this addiction and now he not only does not take drugs, but more importantly he does not want to take them and feels disgust at what he once liked so much.

   Who can effectively help those who seek help, the one who has theoretical knowledge, but is not able to use this knowledge to help himself, or the one, who has not only knowledge, but above all his own experience of overcoming addiction? Is the example of such a man the best proof that you can win with addiction?

  Drug addiction or alcoholism are just two of the many serious diseases of humanity. Every day many people die because of overdose or bring their own body to a state of complete destruction. However, there is a disease that is the most dangerous of all diseases known to us. This disease is sin.

  It is because of sin that many people will die an eternal death, „for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). How many drug addicts or alcoholics are there in this world? And how many are those who suffer from serious illnesses? There are people in the world who do not have such problems, but we are all sinners, which means that we are all sick of sin. „There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). „If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Each of us needs help, we are not able to heal ourselves, we do not have an effective cure for this most dangerous disease of humanity. However, such medicine exists, and that is the gospel.

  What is the gospel? This is good news, which is a revelation of hope and chance for a new life for everyone; it is God's power that brings us back to real life. The apostle Paul wrote: „For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). It is the gospel of Christ that is the remedy for sin. The gospel is "the message of the cross", which is "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). The task of Jesus' disciples was (and still is) to preach the gospel, but it turns out that not all of those who heard the gospel experience its power. 

   There are two reasons why the gospel is ineffective, the first is the listener and the second is the preacher. Whoever listens must be at least slightly interested in the gospel and desire its activities in his life. God's power cannot work in someone who does not want it and consciously rejects the gospel. It may also be that for some reason the gospel is preached in the wrong way, then the problem is the one who preaches it. Can you tell the truth the wrong way? „And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). „Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matthew 23:1-3). There was a clear difference between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes. In what Jesus said, people felt God's power, and Jesus' life was a confirmation of His words. Jewish teachers preached biblical truths, but their words did not move people's hearts, and moreover, their lives were often a denial of those truths they preached. They were like drug addicts who try to convince others to quit using drugs. They were like drunks trying to convince others to abstinence.

   The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that there are situations when the gospel loses its power. „For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect”. Paul gave here the conditions that must be met so that " the cross of Christ should be made of no effect".

   The first condition is that the evangelist must be sent by Christ, and the second condition is that he must preach the gospel without using " wisdom of words".

   Paul knew perfectly well the effects of his own decision to preach the gospel. He did it as Saul, and he knew that his words either did not impress people, or only caused fear in them because of the power he possessed. And although he was eager, God did not send him to this work. Just because Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the gospel does not mean that everyone who does this does his will. Jesus first chose his disciples, then prepared them, and finally sent them to work. How can I make sure I am a disciple of Jesus, that Jesus has prepared me for work, and finally how can I be convinced that Jesus wants me to start this work?

   Jesus trained his disciples for three and a half years. Many people followed Jesus, but the disciples were only those who responded to the call, "Follow me". During the training, Jesus sent students to work alone, but not because they were ready to preach the gospel. It was part of the training. Learning time was not needed for students to acquire specific knowledge, but to stop relying on themselves and fully surrender to the Holy Spirit. This training ended with a ten-day exam in the Upper Room, culminating in an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. From then on, students no longer thought about themselves, they became humble, they were filled with love, and their hearts and minds were open to the Holy Spirit. They did not become perfect, they still made mistakes, but in their hearts, there was no room for the word “I”, because they were filled with the desire to live in Christ.

   The power of the cross removed from their hearts all that was unnecessary, all attachment to worldly values. The students stopped being interested in them. Paul wrote about himself: „I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13). Paweł still had to eat, drink, rest and sleep, he needed clothes and footwear, but he did not attach much importance to these things. When he was hungry, he ate what he had, and when he had nothing to eat he went hungry, he did not focus on his needs, but on being as close to Christ as possible. Those who became Jesus' disciples felt and thought the same way.

   How can I find out that I became a disciple of Jesus? Is my knowledge confirmation of my discipleship? Certainly not, knowledge is important, but having knowledge does not make me a disciple. My discipleship is demonstrated by my priorities, what is important to me, what I like to think, talk and read; what I follow when I make decisions, especially in situations where the choice is to show obedience or disobedience to God. When obedience to God is a truly ardent need of my heart, I am not looking for excuses and pretexts not to do what I know I should do. The very thought that I might not do something for Jesus is then disgusting and awful to me. Do I think and feel that way?

   Is Jesus' disciple someone who cultivates his attachment to something bad, even if it seems small and unimportant to him? Does Jesus' disciple reveal such features as jealousy, anger, revenge, pride and loftiness in his life? John, Jacob and Peter walked with Jesus and were chosen as apostles, yet they still showed negative character traits, still matters of this world were important to them. It had to change so that they really could become disciples. And this change took place in the Upper Room, and when it happened, those who went through this chanfe became Jesus' true disciples. The Holy Spirit could take control over them, because their desire became total obedience to God. From then on, they began to proclaim the gospel with power.

  What should we learn when we look at Jesus' first disciples? Maybe that preparation for the proclamation of the gospel is not about gaining knowledge and gathering arguments confirming the validity of our doctrines and principles of faith, but about knowing and loving God so that He can cleanse our hearts and characters, and thus make us evangelists . In this way, a man who was possessed by a legion of demons loved Jesus. He did not know much about Jesus, he did not listen to his sermons and teachings, but he knew His love and desire to free sinners from the slavery of sin. This made him an evangelist, and when Jesus told him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you" (Mark 5:19), he just went and did this. His desire was to do whatever ask him the One, who revealed him His love and power. And although according to human criteria he was not prepared for this work, because he knew nothing about the doctrines of faith and did not know the interpretation of biblical prophecy about the times of the end, as a result of the work he did, when Jesus and his disciples again "came to the land of Gennesaret", people recognized them and "ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was" (Mark 6: 53-55).

   This man did not even try to find an excuse not to do what Jesus asked him to do. He didn't think that following Jesus with his disciples was more important to him. He didn't think it would be better for him if he knew what his Saviour is teaching. He just went to preach what Jesus told him. And it is this readiness to carry out God's orders, not the desire to implement their own ideas, that distinguishes real disciples from those who only consider themselves followers of Jesus. A real disciples not only knows his Teacher's voice well, he not only talks to Him every day, but understands well what God is saying to him and wants to follow His instructions. A real disciple does not make action plans or make decisions on his own, but awaits what God will tell him. That's how the apostle Paul lived. When together with Timothy they wanted to preach the gospel in Phrygia and Galatia, "they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6), to lead Paul to Macedonia, because God wanted it. During the first synod in the apostolic church, which was held in Jerusalem, the apostles had to decide on the principles of observing Mosaic law by non-Jewish Christians. However, they did not make this decision alone. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things ..." (Acts 15:28). Even Jesus did not plan what he would do, but he received orders from the Father every day. "In all that He did, Christ was co-operating with His Father. Ever He had been careful to make it evident that He did not work independently" {DA 536.1}. "Every act of Christ’s life on earth was in fulfillment of the plan that had existed from the days of eternity. Before He came to earth, the plan lay out before Him, perfect in all its details. But as He walked among men, He was guided, step by step, by the Father’s will" {DA 147.2}.

  The one, whom Jesus freed from legion of demons, opened his heart and surrendered to the Holy Spirit. His life changed, and the most important change occurred inside him. He not only began to live differently, but above all he wanted to live differently. He met Jesus, felt the action of His love and this caused that, in addition to love and gratitude to his Saviour, he felt the need to share with others what he knew about Jesus. By revealing what had happened to him and how his life had changed, he revealed God's love and preached the good news to sinners. He talked about the fact that everyone can be freed from the bondage of sin just as he was freed. And although he spoke about himself, he did so under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He received the Spirit of which the apostle Paul said: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God". He did not preach the gospel "in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches" (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

   We consider ourselves to be Jesus' disciples and we want to talk about Him to people who have not yet known Him. We want to preach the gospel, but how do we do it? Are we telling people the truth in the form of principles and doctrines that we can confirm with the help of the Bible, or are we talking about a God who has become close and important to us because he has changed our lives by removing attachment to what is bad? Are we telling people what they should believe or why we believe and love God? If we preach the good news in "with wisdom and eloquence", then we empty cross of Christ of its power. But when we do it guided by the Holy Spirit and we reveal the action of God's power by presenting our own experiences to people, then they will feel the effect of this power and if they submit to it, their lives will also change.

Am I an example of how the power of the cross works and I want to tell people about it to reveal God's love for fallen and sinful humanity?