The Bible –
The Amplified Bible
17
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).
18
For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to
those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being
saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.
19
For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the
learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the
cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will
frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing. [Isa. 29:14.]
Thoughts:
Thank God for seminaries and dedicated theologians who teach and
counsel our pastors. But I am most thankful for the intervention of the God of
this universe sending His Holy Spirit to dwell among men and to impact our lives
daily. I am amazed how God is able to use the uneducated and especially those
having graduated from seminary. As I said, I am thankful for our seminaries, so
I have nothing against them, but a person filled with head knowledge but who
refuses to call on God for help in delivering His message is totally missing
the point, and therefore much of their preaching is in vain. Friends, I know
that all seminary graduates do not fall into the same box, so I am not
condemning them. However, we must all remember that the Word of God is
worthless without the power of God and the presence of God. For without God, we
speak mere words of man, and it is only through the Word of God and His mighty
hand that man is saved, or hardened hearts are touched. In fact, when we stand
before a crowd and attempt to preach or teach without inviting God to direct us
and fill us with His words and His wisdom, we are assuming that our knowledge
is greater than the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. Friends, we are truly
wasting our time and making a mockery of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we meet
(supposedly in His name) yet deliberately leave Him out of our meeting and not
totally depend on His mighty hand. To our pastors, preachers, evangelists and
teachers, please be encouraged that you can't do the preaching or teaching on
your own. Yes, you are capable, but why open your mouths and speak empty words
that can't possibly touch the heart of man? Please allow God His rightful place
as Commander-In-Chief of worship services dedicated to Him. Please allow Him to
use you in spreading His Word to His people that need Him so badly. Friends, we
have a responsibility to pray for our pastors and teachers. We need a word from
The Lord when we go to our worship services. Words from mere man is a waste of
our time, so let us pray earnestly for the hand of God to work actively through
the man of God that stands before us each week. God could demand even the
stones to speak, so as we pray let us do it in confidence that He could speak
through His messenger in ways and with the words that will touch, uplift,
encourage and challenge our hearts.
Prayer:
Lord, to mere man this whole passage
of Scripture must seem very fictional, but to the believer in Jesus Christ who
knows Your power and have read about and seen your mighty works in action, we
humbly pray that You would work very powerfully in the hearts and lives of our pastors and
teachers this week, so that as we gather in Your name, we would receive a word
from You. Please humble the hearts of the educated, and please uplift the
uneducated, so that as they stand before your people this week, they will each
depend solely on the power of the Almighty to do His good work among His people
gathered together. Lord, as we strive daily to live for You and like You
intended, we are constantly marred by Satan and his evil followers in this
world. Please forgive us for our weaknesses and encourage us to draw even
closer to You so the power within us might always be greater than the power in
this old world. Jesus, we depend heavily on You daily, please forgive us of our
sinful attitudes and desires and strengthen us to do Your will, and this I humbly pray in Your name, knowing that only You can grant this, AMEN!
NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today
after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor,
or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or
encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words
underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote
the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to
read or pray.
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