If you were to ask me what one thing is keeping the Church of Jesus Christ from walking in the fullness of the Glory of God, I would have to say that this is revealed in today's reading in 1 Corinthians 1! First of all, let's look at verses 10-11:
10 But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments. 11 For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.
Paul was instructing the believer in the church at Corinth to walk in unity. We ALL may have varying ideas about certain subjects and we all may have different ways of expressing out faith, but we should ALL be speaking the same Gospel! Paul says is best in the next chapter when he says this:
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.
Our main job as born again believers is to carry out our Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) by sharing the Good News of the Gospel with everyone we come in contact with! When, as the Body of Christ, we concentrate on what we don't agree with each other on, we stray off of the main focus of seeking and saving the lost! And never forget to add the Resurrection along with "Jesus Christ and Him crucified!" AMEN! Then back in 1 Corinthians 1 we'll look at verses 17-18:
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.
We are instructed here NOT to pay particular attention to using fancy words or speaking in a great "pastoral" voice! It is NOT eloquence or smoothness or flashiness that will get the attention of the world! It IS the POWER of the WORD of God, spoken out of the mouth of a born again believer, that will draw people to HIM! Pay more attention to WHAT you say! Speak the WORD of GOD and allow Holy Spirit to have HIS free reign to speak to the hearts of the people! Make HIM to focal point of every service and YOU will begin to experience an understanding of Who He is that you have never known before! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Where You Are":
