Coffee With The Lord

…An ol’ Bible college/university prof here – one who has taught “hermeneutics” (how to interpret the Bible accurately) and “homiletics” (communicating the message of Scripture effectively) for many years…

I just finished reading 1 Corinthians 2 in my Bible this morning during my time of personal devotions (you ought to read it for yourself!) and I’ve got a few reflections based upon what that chapter in the Bible declares…

First of all, Apostle Paul, in that chapter, champions the incredible power of a simple Gospel message shared in the power of the Holy Spirit! He asserts that it is life-transforming and life-giving to the hearer who hears it, believes it, and responds to it with faith!

Secondly, he declares that our preaching/teaching must be more than simply what a good class in speech skills, communication essentials, or rhetorical essentials, or persuasive techniques can deliver!

Inspired by the Holy Spirit He informs us, that if individuals are going to grasp, respond to, and be transformed by “What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind imagined – things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (i.e. eternal truth – Divine revelation – God’s Word!; 1 Corinthians 2:9 quoting Isaiah 64:4) we’re going to need the Holy Spirit’s help in…

– In both communication AND comprehension
– In both proclamation AND perception!
– In both rhetoric AND reception

Which brings an old worship song to mind… “Come Holy Spirit, I need Thee! Come sweet Spirit I pray! Come in Your strength and Your power! Come in your own gentle way!”

Listen, here’s one preacher/teacher who will declare to you, I need the Holy Spirit to be very active in the study when I am seeking to interpret a passage of Scripture, I need Him to be very active when I’m crafting a message, I need Him when I am seeking to communicate that message to a group of people, and I certainly am depending on Him to work in the mind and heart of those who hear the message of God’s word! I JUST NEED HIM – “top to bottom, beginning to end, inside out” if lives are going to be changed!

Three great cultural diseases… entitlement, arrogance, self-sufficiency!  Look around – the symptoms are everywhere… And in Western culture, we affirm, even idolize, the disease.

Problem is these things run completely contrary to Kingdom culture (i.e. the Kingdom of God) – and the message of the Gospel!

Apostle Paul confronted them head on… pride in education (worldly wisdom), power, wealth (money and possessions), or position (influence).  Here’s his inspired appraisal of it all (read it slowly and let it sink in!)…

Remember, few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.  Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.  And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.  God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.  AS A RESULT, NO ONE CAN EVER BOAST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!

“God has united you with Christ Jesus! For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself! Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.  Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “IF YOU WANT TO BOAST, BOAST ONLY IN THE LORD.”  From 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 NLT)

What a slap in the face to everything the broader culture idolizes, depends on and esteems!

Know what I wrote in the margin of my Bible today?  Here it is: “LeRoy, never forget it either!”

I just finished reading the account of two similar miracles of Jesus in Matthew: Incredible miracles of provision…

Matthew 14:13-21 (5 loaves and 2 fish fed 5,000 men + women and children with 12 baskets of leftovers) [Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-13 are the account in other gospel records)

And Matthew 15:32-39 (7 loaves and a few small fish fed 4,000 men + women and children with 7 large baskets of leftovers) [Mark 8:1-10 is a parallel account of the miracle]

You should read them for yourself! Here are some lessons about “ministry” I learned from the accounts…

1. Mercy/compassion motivated ministry for Jesus! (It should motivate our ministry as well)

2. When faced with overwhelming need, organize to meet the need as the Lord directs! (Organizing to meet needs with meager resources expresses faith and obedience – God honors those qualities!)

3. Jesus takes whatever is available to meet needs! (Jesus expects us to use the resources that are available to meet needs in ministry)

4. Jesus took what seemed insignificant and met the needs of a multitude! (“Little is much when God is in it! Never belittle or underestimate what God can do with meager resources!)

5. A incredible miracle of provision occurred when He blessed the loaves and fish! (His blessing of what we offer Him makes all the difference in the world – what He blesses becomes miraculously adequate!)

6. The job of Jesus’ disciples was to distribute what He broke and blessed! (We have a “hands on” responsibility to serve the needs of others with what He provides “in His name!”

7. We not only are stewards of immediate resources – He expects us to preserve and steward what is left over – what remains. (Stewardship of His blessing and provision is an ongoing responsibility!)