THE STUMBLING BLOCK

Greetings and Foolish/Wise Salutations to you and yours. Which category to think you are in... the numbskull or the intellectual? Do you relish in the age of wisdom...or do you languish in the Year of the Idiot? Do you blindly accept every concept that comes down the pike or do you intellectually nitpick every premise until you reason away your life? Is knowledge king...or have you committed intellectual suicide in your quest for the things of God?

I find myself twixt the two...but I'm leaning more to the fool side than the wise. This thing called THE GOSPEL trips me up with its simplicity. The apostle Paul (formerly the Christian hater Saul)...who went from a intellectually righteous persecuter of the church to once was blind but now he sees supporter of Christ...puts it this way..."For I am NOT ASHAMED of the gospel, for it is the power of God, for salvation, to EVERYONE who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (gentile)." (Romans 1:16) Paul begins to lay out in Romans...a theology about FAITH. Not the watered down tool of manipulation that men use to convince God to give them a cadillac while men of the cloth pick their pockets...but a FAITH in the D.B.R....death, burial, resurrection of JESUS. He writes about RIGHTEOUSNESS versus UNRIGHTEOUSNESS....and how to switch from Romans 3:10 to Romans 1:17...to the place of II Corinthians 5:21. The place where we go from there is NONE righteous no not one...to the righteous WALK by faith...to we are the righteousness of God IN CHRIST.

The stumbling block...the scandalon...to this transition is the WISDOM of God versus the WISDOM of the world. In I Corinthians...Paul is writing to a church in Corinth...who were NOT lacking in any gift...and were awaiting eagerly the revelation of Jesus (when he returns). The problem with this group of BELEIVERS in the D.B.R. was that they had a few issues. They were divided over who was the best teacher to follow (Paul, Apollos, Cephas/Peter, or even full of pride about the fact that they listened to Jesus). They were getting drunk at the Lord's Supper, eating up all the food at the dinner on the ground before everyone had a chance to get some, having sex with their mother-in-laws (and not rebuking that behavior), services out of order, etc.

Paul brings them back to the simplicity of the CROSS. "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to PREACH THE GOSPEL (D.B.R.)...not in CLEVERNESS/WISDOM of speech, that the CROSS OF CHRIST should not be mand void. For the WORD OF THE CROSS is to those who are perishing...FOOLISHNESS...but to us who are being saved it is the POWER OF GOD. For it is written (Isaiah 29:14) I will destroy the WISDOM of theWISE...and the CLEVERNESS of the CLEVER I will set aside." Where is the WISE MAN? Where is the SCRIBE? Where is the DEBATER of this age? Has not God made FOOLISH the WISDOM of the WORLD?
(I Corinthians 1:17-20) The wisdom...cleverness all destroyed and set aside. The debater made to look foolish by simplicity.

I find it interesting that in this day and age...where INTELLECTUAL pursuits reign as king... and HUMAN REASON...is queen...that the world in NOT getting better and better...but appears to be on a downhill slide. You cannot come to know God through the wisdom of world. They did not in Paul's day...and not much has changed in 2007. As the song states, "You can go to your college...you can go to your schools...but if you don't know Jesus you're and educated fool." (Denomination Blues). Paul continues..."For since in the WISDOM OF GOD...the world through it's wisdom...did NOT come to know God, God was well-pleased through the FOOLISHNESS of the MESSAGE preached (D.B.R.) to SAVE those who BELIEVED. (I Corinthians 1:21)


"For indeed Jews ask for SIGNS/ATTESTING MIRACLES (the fireworks)...and the Greeks search for WIDSOM (intellectual reasoning)...BUT (in contrast to the fireworks and reasoning) we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED/D.B.R...to the Jews a STUMBLING BLOCK...to the gentiles FOOLISHNESS... BUT (in contrast to the stumbling fools) to those who are called...both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF GOD. (I Corinthians 1:22-24). Remember how we started off with Romans 1:16...with Paul not being ashamed of the good news about the D.B.R. of Jesus, because it was the DUNAMIS...POWER...ABILITY of God for SALVATION to the Jew first and then also to the Greek/Gentile. WHY? Why did God make it this way? After all...he did create the mind and the ability to reason...and give us VOLITION...the ability to make free choices based on our reasoning. Why does the CROSS to trip us up? "BECAUSE...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the wakness of God is stronger than men." (I Corinthians 1:25) "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 (lower) things of the world and the desposed, God has chosen, the things that are not...that He might NULLIFY the things that are." (I Corinthians 1:27,28). WE MUST ENTER INTO THE NULLIFICATION PROCESS...BEFORE WE CAN ENTER INTO HIS SALVATION. The problem is we resist the nullification...because our mind and emotions cry out...THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE. WHY, WHY, WHY WOULD GOD DO THIS TO US? "That no man should BOAST before God. But by HIS DOING you are in Christ (not by your wisdom or your ability)...who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption...that, just as it is written (Jeremiah 9:23)..."Let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord." (I Corinthians 1:29-31)

PROBLEM #1 The simplicity of the D.B.R. is a stumbling block to the intellectual.

PROBLEM #2 Many intellectuals are truly seeking truth...but the stumbling block becomes Christians who do not live their lives as if Jesus is their Lord. It is one thing to be turned off by the D.B.R...it is quiet another thing to be turned of by OBNOXIOUS SAINTS.

PROBLEM #3 Non-Christians who use the "They are nothing but hypocrites" excuse for not becoming a Christian. When I first became a Christian...one of my friends played this card...when I tried to share my new found faith. He said..."Boyd...you're nothing but a hypocrite." That devestated me...until the Lord revealed to me that a hypocrite is someone who wears a mask and tries to portray themselves as something they are not. I was someone who admitted that I was a sinner and that I needed a Saviour. I was a beggar trying to tell another beggar where I found a piece of bread....BUT my friend was wearing a mask...and not admitting he needed help. His pride pushed him away from the truth. Paul Little in his book KNOW WHAT/WHY YOU BELIEVE...wrote that he went to a university...the seat of intellectualism...and answered all the questions the students had about Christianity. When then asked them if they would like to receive Jesus...they told him NO. When asked why...they indicated that they were not ready to give up their lifestyle of drinking, sex, fun, etc. It was not a matter of intellectualism...but a matter of SIN.

What is the GOSPEL? I'm glad you asked. Paul lays it out in I Cornithians 15:1-4. Some call this passage THE GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL.

"Now I make known to you brethren, the GOSPEL which I PREACHED to you, which also you RECEIVED, in which also you STAND, by which also you are SAVED...IF you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you BELIEVED in vain." (I Corinthians 15:1,2)

NOTE: Here's the process...(1) Gospel preached (2) You receive (3) You believe (4) You Stand (5) You hold fast the D.B.R. (6) You are saved.

"For I delivered to you of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:3,4)

NOW...I am not saying that as followers of the Christ of the D.B.R...that we must commit INTELLECTUAL SUICIDE. We surely must have a foundation for what we believe...and are ready to share it with those who ask..."but sanctify Chrst as Lord in your hearts, always BEING READY...to make a DEFENSE (apologia...not apologizing but defending) to every one...who ASKS you to give an account for the HOPE that is inyou...yet with GENTLNESS and REVERENCE (not with arrogance and an air of superiority)." (I Peter 3:15)

As Paul defended his faith to Agrippa...about the D.B.R...(not church doctrine)...Festus (not of Gunsmoke fame)...siad that Paul was out of his mind and that Paul's great learning (he was an intellecual before conversinon) was driving him mad. Paul retorted that he was NOT out of his mind...but was uttering words of "sober truth". Paul then turns it back to King Aggripa (who was losing his agrippa on the matter) when he admitted that he was ALMOST PERSUADED to become a Christian. (Acts 26:22-28).

Paul considered his credentials ((1) circumcised the eight day (religious from birth) (2) of the nation of Israel (right nationality)
(3) of the tribe of Benjamin (heritage not hate) (4) as to the Law...a Pharisee (the king of jot and tittle) (5) as to zeal...a persecutor of the church (killed with gusto in what he believed) (6) as to righteousness in the Law...blameless (pride in the fact of perfection)...BUT (in contrast to his right standing)...WHATEVER TINGS WERE GAIN T OME, THOSE THING I HAVE COUNTED AS LOSS FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST. (Philippians 3:4-7) Paul went an extra step in his intellectual, religious, heritage comparison to Christ when he said, "More than that...I count all things to be LOSS in view of the surpassing value of KNOWING CHRIST...MY LORD...for whom I have suffered the loss of all things...and count them but RUBBISH/DUNG in order that I may GAIN CHRIST." (Phillipians 3:8)

The intellectual...wise...clever...can never know this...because of the value that they place on their reason. We (Christians also as the hold on to their spirituality) must come to the place of RUBBISH/DUNG...if we want to KNOW...AND GAIN CHRIST.

Well...that was a long one...but I needed to hear it. Lord forgive me for elevating my thoughts above your thoughts. Forgive me for reasoning out how you need to move in my life...and how you need to answer my prayers. Forgive me for being complacent in my comfort zone.

RECOMMENDED RUMINATOR READING

Here are a few things that will help to stimulate your intellect...

1. www. epecho.net Great website that helps you to think through (and adjust) your believe system as needed. Remember that if you go back and read all the parts of your Bible that you have not underlined...you may change your theology. They are currently studying the book I SOLD MY SOUL ON E-BAY. A perspective of Churchianity from an atheist.

2. The Purple Book: Biblical Foundations fo Building Strong Disciples. This is a great workbook.

3. The Spirit-Filled Believer's Handbook by Derek Prince. Great book for a study of the elementary principles of Christ...and the transition from milk to meat.

4. The Case for Faith...and The Case for Christ by Lee Stroble. This is a Journalist's investigation of the toughests objections to Christianity and a personal investigation for the evidence of Jesus.

5. Know What You Believe and Know Who You Believe by Paul Little. Practical insight into sharing your faith. from this Inter-Varsity speaker.

6. Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Volumes 1 and 2) This is where I first saw GODISNOWHERE. He is either NO where or NOW here. It all depends on how you look at it.

7. A Ready Defense by Josh McDowell This is over 60 "lines of defense" for Christianity.

8. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Jesus is either a liar...a lunatic on the same level as a poached egg...or Lord (who He said He was).

9. Renewal Theology (3 volumes) by J. Rodman Williams Great systematic theology book from a Charismatic perspective.

10. The Jesus Style by Gayle Erwin. The roots of servanthood as we attempt to imitate Christ.

Thanks to all of you Ruminator's who hung in there...not only for this long rambling...but hanging in there all of these years. I would love to hear from you...if you are out there.

Love and Thought Provoking Kisses
Rodney "Simple Minded" Boyd