This Wednesday is week 6 of 8 in Exploring Christianity. Including this Wednesday, we have three more formal opportunities to clearly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. This past week I have been reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthians. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. -1 Corinthians 1:18After (what I believe has been) some very clear, consistent, logical, and biblically theological teaching on God, sin, and the nature of our salvation people are determined to think illogically. There continue to be questions about the inherent goodness of most people, the fairness of God in judging sinners, and the goodness of God in allowing suffering; any kind of suffering. It feels like the truth of the gospel appears to be folly to those who are perishing. O God, help us!
It has helped me to clearly see our dependence on the illuminating and regenerating work of God in the salvation of sinners. It has been a clear reminder of the hardness of my own heart until God breathed life into my dead life. It has been a clear reminder that nothing can penetrate a mind lost in darkness, and folly, and pride except the proclamation of the gospel in the hands of our all-powerful and sovereign God. We are committed to preaching the gospel week after week at Exploring Christianity because,
…it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. -1 Corinthians 1:21-25What I am very thankful for is that these same people continue to come back to Exploring Christianity. There is a real palpable hunger for some truth that will give them hope in their desperate situations. I pray they will find their hope in Jesus Christ at the cost of their pride and self-sufficiency.
Last Wednesday
I certainly felt your prayers last week as I taught on the perfect life, substitutionary death, and life giving resurrection of Jesus Christ. God certainly made me feel the urgency of this moment in time for specific people. I believe, to the best of our knowledge, that last Wednesday we saw our first person repent and place her faith in Jesus Christ. All glory, and praise, and honor to Jesus Christ. Of course, only God knows the state of this person’s heart or who else, in the quiet of their own hearts, have taken this step of faith.
This Wednesday
This Wednesday Steve Handler is answering the question, “What EXACTLY Is The Gospel?” He is going to present four complimentary and biblical pictures of the gospel. First, the picture of the marketplace where God redeems slaves to sin with the cost of his own blood. Second, the picture of the temple where Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice, once for all, to purify sinners from all unrighteousness. Third, the picture from the law court where God declares sinners justified on the basis of their faith in Jesus Christ. Fourth, the picture of the family where God reconciles hostile and alienated sinners to a holy God through the cross.
Prayer for THIS Wednesday
- Pray for Steve Handler as he preaches the gospel this Wednesday – pray for clarity, faith, and conviction in what he is preaching.
- Pray that God would illumine minds and regenerate hearts as Steve speaks. Pray that the gospel will no longer be folly, but it will become the wisdom and power of God to those who are now in darkness.
- Pray for those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ; pray that their faith would prove genuine and God would give them assurance of their salvation.
- Continue to pray that God would bring people back to hear the gospel on Wednesday, even when the gospel appears to be foolishness.
- Continue to pray for the EC workers and children; that God would provided everything we need to care for the children and it would be done with great joy.
- Pray for everyone serving, but especially the discussion group leaders and helpers, that through them non-Christians would experience the love of Jesus and see the truth of the gospel.
