1 CORINTHIANS 2

Heart Issues
Today I am very challenged in how much faith and hope I place in a good sermon. I am grateful that God has given me the mind of Christ and allows me to think as I do, but I do not want to put so much hope in myself. If I truly allow Christ to come through then it will be His power not mine that has done great things. I can far too often come up with a great idea, either from me or from the Lord, and marvel at how good is sounds and how cool it is. Then I will teach from my mind more about it, I want to continue to point back to the cross and allow the cross to do its work. I long to see God do what I know He can in and through my life. I know that the Spirit lives in me and I want to continue to take the risks and trust Him in crazy things. I long to be the warrior that He has called me to be. I am so grateful that God has set it up this way or I would have to be the convincer of everyone and I would need to do a lot of work because it would all rest in my power and wisdom. As it is, God is at work and in control, all I need to do is trust. Lord, help my unbelief and my lack of trust in you. This year I truly do want to make prayer a greater priority in my life.

Notes
-Paul could have come with eloquence, but he instead laid down his knowledge and rhetoric and displayed for them an example of the cross’s power. There is great power in God and little power in man.
-It is easy to rely on men’s wisdom and allow others to come in and take over because they are better at leading bible studies or are better preachers. This enables emotional responses to God, but it makes me wonder about the display of the Spirit’s power.
-Among the mature believers there is a message of wisdom that needs to be spoken, but not earthly wisdom. The secret wisdom of God that is spoken of here is the pouring out of His spirit through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gospel is the wisdom that the world had been looking for, but did not and could not understand it for only by the Holy Spirit can it be revealed.
-God has truly given us His Spirit and He did to allow us to know His thoughts and be like Him. We can speak knowing spiritual truths because God has made them clear to us.
-Men without the Spirit cannot understand the things of God unless God enables Him. That is why prayer is such an important component of evangelism. It is God’s compelling; not our convincing that leads someone to Christ.
-We have the mind of Christ. That is amazing, God has never had a counselor and we cannot teach Him anything, and He has given us the same mind. We need to continue to get out of the way and allow His thoughts and words to become our own. He is powerful, I am not.