September 27 -- Part 1 -- Budapest

Well, Good Afternoon, I had typed morning but I looked at my watch.  I am sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Budapest, Hungary.  I have just topped off breakfast with a traditional Hungarian Apple Strudel and a Cappuchino.  Yum !  If what I write today is a bit disjointed, please forgive.  I know I am to write this but I am quite unsure what it is.  I know Holy Spirit gave me the two scriptures below and a few unformed thoughts a couple of days ago.  And I know today I am to write.  But, I am not yet sure of how this will all come together.  Moreover, He said I do not need to know yet; just sit down and start writing.  SO . . . 

I am back after writing a bit.  I am going to publish this in multiple short pieces instead of as one long work.  I will keep the full scripture quotes at the bottom of each piece of the multi-part blog.

I was stunned when Holy Spirit highlighted the verse for me:

          Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

I could not help but immediately see that Holy Spirit was describing the overwhelming majority of the 'church' leadership today.  One group is searching for and finding validation in signs, wonders, and miracles.  Their claim to fame is the amazing miracles that God seems to work through them and their followers -- healings, deliverance, even gold flakes falling out of the atmosphere -- all amazing and all miraculous and all seemingly from God.  The other, and seemingly larger, group is searching for and finding validation in their wise doctrines based on profound logical research of everything from archeological evidence to ancient writings -- they proclaim as 'truth':  Calvinism, Armenianism, Reformed Orthodoxy, Fundamentalism, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum.  

I have no problem with miracles; I have seen far more than I deserve.  And I have no problem with brilliant men applying their intellect;  some folks over estimate my own intellectual prowess.  Holy Spirit is the author of both miracles and wisdom.  But, He is quite concerned with what we are asking, seeking, and searching after.  In Paul's writing He cries out to us for us to seek and search for an intimate relationship with the crucified and risen person of Jesus.  That miracles and wisdom may follow seems to Him quite natural.  But what never seems natural to Him is the idea that the process works in reverse.  We simply cannot find Jesus by pursuing either miracles or wisdom.  We find Jesus in pursuing a love affair with the most wonderful Bridegroom of the Universe.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

I Corinthians  1: 22 - 2:13

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.  Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

II Corinthians. 5: 13 - 21. (NASB) 

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, 

therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.