The Weak Will Be Strong

It has been awhile, but many headaches from trying to learn Italian later here we are. I won't spoil our language learning escapades as they will be in our newest newsletter ready to hit the streets any day now.

What I do want to talk a little about is how Christ calls the weak to His service. I know its kind of crazy that Jesus wants weak people to preach His gospel, but He does. In addition to attending a church on Sunday nights, Amanda and I usually try to listen to some sermon on Sunday morning. The past few Sundays we have been listening to sermon's of Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City. We listened to one on the Community of Jesus. Some of the interpretations he pulled from Luke 6:12-36 was that Jesus saved us to make us into a people not just forgive our sins. The values that we hold dear are weakness, sacrifice, grief, and exclusion in which His grace gets stronger when we lose the world's recognition.

The last statement along with I Corinthians 1-2 hit me hard. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:17 after he talks about people in the church boasting about who baptized them that God sent him to preach the gospel not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. He goes on in verses 26-31 of chapter 1 that Christ chose the weak, low and despised to shame the strong, powerful, wise and rich according to the world's standards. Also in the first two verses of Chapter 2: And I when I came to you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

So why am I talking about this? I am weak! I have hope! I am right where Christ needs me to be so that He can use me just like He did Paul. Everyone puts Paul on a pedestal but he was just a weak man controlled by Jesus Christ. I do not have compelling eloquent words of wisdom. I do not want to hold dear what the world does. I am totally nothing without Christ and Him supernaturally making it possible in the Spirit demonstrating himself through me in His power as He did with Paul (2:4-5).