Christ and Him Crucified!

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” I Corinthians 2:2

As a pastor, I learned very quickly that shepherding a church is impossible to do if God has not called you to serve His people. As a Christian you know it is impossible to follow Christ without the Holy Spirit that dwells in you.

This week I communicated to the men that I disciple, a lesson that we learn from the Apostle Paul in Romans 7. Paul admits his struggles with being obedient to Gods commands; “Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”   But, praise God it doesn’t end there. We read in 7:24-25, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Jesus is the one that gives us the ability to be obedient. Each one of us who are His has been filled with the Holy Spirit. God Himself dwells inside of you. Let that sink in for a moment. So, when you start making excuses that you can’t always do the right thing remember you have the ability because God is the one that works in us to do His will.

Paul understood that he was nothing without Christ and that it was God working through him that gave him the ability to preach God’s word. He didn’t try to impress people with his speech or wisdom. Look what he writes further in I Corinthians 2:3-5;  “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and       much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom  of men but in the power of God.”

Christian, everyone of us is called to proclaim Christ and Him crucified. You are to be a witness to a lost world about what Christ has done. You are called to be salt and light. You are called to obey His commands. But, He didn’t expect you to do  it on your own. Remember that the God who saved you will keep you and that He lives in you through the Holy Spirit. Be courageous Christian and live a life that reflects the one who saved us.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark