In the name of love

 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” said Paul to the people who had gathered at the synagogue to hear what he had to say.

Then one man in back of the room said “but I follow Apollos for he is a gifted, scholarly man from Alexandria” and another man stood up and said “I follow Barnabas for he was chosen by God” and yet another stood up and said “I follow Paul for he was visited by the Messiah in a vision on the road to Damascus”.

However, there were also those assembled there that day, in the synagogue, who did not believe in Jesus to be the Messiah and when they heard the things spoken of by Paul they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 

“It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourself unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the gentiles. For the Lord has commanded us.” said Paul who spoke with boldness to everyone gathered around him in the synagogue. 

Solomon was right, there really isn’t anything new under the sun. People have been arguing about religion, the existence of an all powerful God for millennia. Wars and crusades have raged all over the world at the expense of innocent lives. Various conflicts over Catholicism verses Protestantism have maimed and killed the young and the old and continue to this day in some areas of the world.  Even the Lord, Jesus Christ, was put on trial, condemned to death because He dared to tell the religious leaders of His day the truth about God’s love for mankind. 

These religious leaders insisted on following rigid and strict rules to the point where they ignored people’s needs while assembling religious systems for their own profit. They would go through a variety of religious practices even praying loudly hoping that people would notice.  Jesus once asked these men why they spent so much time cleaning the outside of their cup while the inside remained filthy. Simply put religion is man’s attempt to reach an all powerful, all knowing eternal God. Man in his arrogance and pride embraced religion over the relationship that God had always intended to have with his creation.

Instead, men have constructed denominational walls of separation while turning their backs on God’s simple message of love. Things haven’t really changed much today? Look around and you will find many religious systems that have been built on other men’s dogma and contrived theology. Even within some mainstream evangelical organizations we find the same legalism and lust for gathering large amounts assets; a practice that was increasing in Jesus’ time. No, religion will fail us every time and it will only be through God’s message of love, having a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, that will be the world’s only true hope.

In Jesus’ time, He handpicked twelve uneducated men made up of fishermen, shepherds and tax collectors to witness how God was going to save the world. Even at that time, they jockeyed for position in their own little group, while Jesus was preparing to demonstrate what God’s love is really all about. They were proud; one of the Masters’s chosen twelve but none of them understood what Jesus was trying to teach them. Jesus even gave them opportunity to prove themselves during the last Passover Feast when they all pasted by the towel and water jug that was strategically positioned by the front door. You see, they were all too important to stoop to the lowest position of a household slave. One by one they passed by without washing one another’s feet. 

 “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”

So pride is our downfall, our mortal enemy and we will all struggle fighting against its power over our lives. I have witnessed myself, leaders in the church, men who God allowed to handle huge amounts of responsibility only to fall and cave under the weight of building their own kingdoms and reputations. That’s why I don’t look to men for the answers but keep my eyes steadily fastened on our Lord Jesus Christ, who is both the author and finisher of our salvation. 

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” said Paul.