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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 1
31 May 2009
Not in Word, but in
Power
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, May 31, 09)
Text: 1 Cor 4:18-21
We have learnt that the firm
foundation of our faith, salvation, doctrines, practices, worship and
service is the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11) and God’s perfectly
inspired and preserved Word, which is God’s truth (John 17:17), quick
(living) and powerful (Heb 4:12), living and abiding forever and able to
regenerate us and sanctify us (1 Peter 1:23; John 17:17), profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
(2 Tim 3:16), and will not be in vain (Isa 55:11). Truly, God has
magnified His Word above all His name (Ps 138:2) and we shall not live
by bread alone but by every word of God (Matt 4:4). Then is there any
contradiction when God moved the apostle Paul to write,
“For the
kingdom of God is not in word, but in power”
(1 Cor 4:20). God forbid! Then how do you and I understand this verse as
many charismatic leaders and members quote this verse and are keen to
seek the Holy Spirit’s power for sign gifts rather than God’s Word? They
proudly criticise our worship as boring, weak and dead while their
worship is “full of life and power” with signs and wonders, speaking in
tongues, prophesying, healing, etc. May God graciously help you and me
understand God’s Word and seek God’s power properly according to His
will and way and with our right motives.
Not to Be Puffed Up but Be Humble
The believers in Corinth received a
lot of God’s spiritual gifts, so they were puffed up, “That in every
thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge”
(1 Cor 1:5) and “Knowledge puffeth up” (8:1) and,
“Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without
us” (4:8). The term “puff up,” in Greek phusioō, means to
blow up, puff up, make proud or arrogant and in passive, become
puffed up or conceited, put on airs (BAGD). Then the believers in
Corinth were proud or arrogant, and too pleased with themselves,
thinking that they were mature, spiritual, powerful and knowledgeable
with all spiritual gifts, but actually they were just deceiving
themselves. They failed to acknowledge their immaturity, weaknesses and
shortcomings, “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
(3:3) and “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among
you… And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned” (5:1, 2).
Paul had to remind them not to be puffed up, “that no one of you be
puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou
didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received
it?” (4:6-7). Paul also reminded them that “God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that
are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1:27-31).
The believers in Corinth had a
head-knowledge of the Lord, so they were puffed up, “Knowledge
puffeth up” (8:1). However, the more we have a
heart-knowledge of God and ourselves, the more we shall humble
ourselves. Let us have a look at the life of the apostle Paul. He used
to be a proud blasphemer and a persecutor (1 Tim 1:13), but by God’s
grace and mercy, he was converted and humbly served the Lord and God’s
people. And the more he knew his God and himself, the more he humbled
himself. In his first epistle to the Corinthians (c. AD. 54), he
confessed, “I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be
called an apostle” (1 Cor 15:9). Then in his epistle to the
Ephesians (c. AD. 60), he confessed, “Unto me, who am less than the
least of all saints,” (Eph 3:8). And then in his first epistle to
Timothy a few years later (c. AD. 62), he confessed, “Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the chief” (1 Tim
1:15). How about the prophet Isaiah? He saw the glory of the Lord and
confessed, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6: 5). How about
Job? When he encountered God and heard God’s Word, he said,
“Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).
Dear friends, may God graciously let
you and me have a heart-knowledge of Himself and ourselves so that we
may be more humble and not to be puffed up.
Not in Word, But in Power
The term “word” in Greek logos
does not only refer to God’s Word and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the
living Word of God (Matt 4:4; John 1:1; 17:17; 1 Peter 1:23), but also
refers to words spoken by human beings in their speech, message,
instruction, teaching (BAGD). The believers in Corinth were puffed up
about their head-knowledge of God and about their preaching and teaching
while they did not have the power to perform what they preached and
taught. They preached love and holiness or sanctification while they
lived in sins and did not have love for one another. Paul had to remind
them that their “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor
6:19) and that “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (8:1)
and that without love, “I am nothing” and “Charity
suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not
her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away” (1 Cor 13:1, 4-8).
Therefore, Paul warned them, “But I
will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the
speech (logos) of them which are puffed up, but the power.
For the
kingdom of God is not in word (logos),
but in power”
(4:19-20).
Dear friends, we should not be
impressed by human words no matter how good and nice they are. It is
easy to speak, preach or write about love, patience, humility, holiness,
etc. or about how to overcome stress, anger, selfishness, pride,
temptations, worldliness or sins. However, having God’s power and
strength to live victoriously according to God’s Word does matter and is
the most important although we may be weak. Paul shared his experience,
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of
speech (logos) or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of
God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus
Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in
fear, and in much trembling. And my speech (logos) and my
preaching was not with enticing words (logos) of man’s wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1
Cor 2:1-5).
Seek God’s Power to Do His Will
Many charismatic leaders and members
are seeking God’s power to perform miracles while they fail to live and
teach and preach properly according to God’s Word. We have to seek God’s
power and strength, not to perform miracles, but to do God’s will and
Word, which is what He requires us to do. Our Lord Jesus warns us,
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt
7:21-23). Then how can you and I have God’s power and strength to do
God’s will and Word?
Humbly Acknowledge Our Weakness
Paul shared his experience, “For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not…O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:18,
24-25). It is always wise for us to acknowledge our weakness and humble
ourselves before God as “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace
unto the humble” (James 4:6).
Wholeheartedly Seek God First, Our
Strength and Power
We cannot enjoy God’s power and
strength if we fail to seek Him first. Our Lord Jesus confirms,
“But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you”
(Matt 6:33). God does not only provide
what we need physically like food and clothes but also what we need
spiritually like power and strength. Truly, “God hath spoken once;
twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Ps 62:11)
and, “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and
my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will
trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower”
(Ps 18:1-2). Do you and I wholeheartedly seek God and His Word first
daily?
Humbly Depend on the Lord and
Submit to Him
God’s grace is always sufficient for
you and me, so we have to humbly seek Him first. Our Lord Jesus said to
Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9) and Paul’s response was, “Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong”
(vv 9-10).
Our Lord Jesus knows that without Him
we cannot do anything properly according to God’s will and God’s Word,
so He commands you and me to depend on Him and submit to Him and His
Word moment by moment like the branch to the Vine so that we may enjoy
God’s power and strength to bear good fruit for His glory, “I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John
15:5). Dear friends, no matter how wide our knowledge is, it is vital
for you and me to always humbly depend on our Lord Jesus Christ with
trust and submission as it is the only way to have God’s power and
strength.
Conclusion
My friends,
“the kingdom of
God is not in
(empty) word, but in power.” God is our power and strength and
His grace in
Christ is sufficient for us to do His will and Word. Shall not we be
wise to humbly acknowledge our weakness, wholeheartedly seek God and His
Word first and constantly depend on our Lord with trust and submission?
May God help us. Amen.
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