The Gospel Makes Everyone Useful

The Gospel and Your Life
1 Cor. 7:17-24
Listen to this message here: (The Gospel and Life)

There are worse jobs than yours!

We are all caught from time to time wishing our lives were different. We long for a different job in a better house living in a nicer city blah, blah, blah. We learn from Paul in this passage that the Gospel makes everyone's station in life a ministry. God didn't make a mistake saving me in the time period and the context that He did. Its no accident that I have the job I do, the neighbors, the activities or any event in my life. My life is a mission field today, now, exactly like it is.

The Gospel has me caught up in something greater than the things I'm caught up in. My job now is not to fit Jesus into my life, work, hobbies or activities. He IS all those things. He is already here and we are to be focused on Christ's mission for me in these things.

#1 Live where I am.
Not just surviving but living for Him. Any Context! Verses 17-20 clearly show that my station in life now is a personal assignment from the Lord. The most amazing God displayed sovereign activity in someone's testimony is no more amazing than mine. The Gospel does this. It makes the most meaningless activity or work a God ministry.
#2 Forget where you'd rather be. Vs. 20-21.
If you are in the worst possible job, someone's property as a slave no less, then it just doesn't matter. Its a heart issue not a situation issue. Christ comes in and makes life context powerless. (vs. 22) The power of the Gospel transcends my life's circumstances.

(vs. 16) was Paul's start on all this. We don't know what God is going to do in our context to save a person around us. We just don't know so we serve Him where we are.  (vs. 24) My ministry is where I am right now! Life is a short term mission trip.

Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Tweets from the seat: I'm taking a different approach to this week's sermon wrap up. There were so many quotes in this message that were worthy of tweets that I thought it would be fun to format with them. (What are tweets and twitter? Click here:http://twitter.com/)

Click here to read the sermon's key passage: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Listen to the sermon by clicking here: Him Crucified

Message and methodology can't be separated. "And when I came" methods match the message. simply the cross of Christ. 1 Cor 2:1

Every true conviction is fleshed out in your methods. How you are going about in ministry reveals your convictions

What are the primary aims of ministry? The gospel is driving it. The pressure for pragmatism is intense. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

Ministry aim 1: I hope to be an embarrassment to you, a fool for Christ. That my devotion to Christ would make you uncomfortable. 1 Cor. 2:1

Ministry should be raw, direct and the same like a guy mowing his grass in black socks and a wife beater t-shirt. No frills

Ministry aim 2: I want to be redundant. 1 Cor. 2:2 nothing but Christ. Paul was not the poster child of the church growth gurus.

Preaching is ignoring criticism especially when its, "your message was irrelevant to me!" Christ is the power not my program.

"May every sermon I preach sound like spikes being driven into human flesh"

Ministry aim 3: I want to be forgettable. 1 Cor 2:3 You wouldn't  follow Paul on a podcast. Same simple message over and over.

Paul's messages were like simple flannel graph kids Sunday school lessons. Basics on Christ and the cross. 2 Cor. 10:10

Paul's fear was not his audience but his message. He didn't want anyone to be impressed by him and thus minimize the cross.

Not what a great sermon but what a great savior

Your faith should not rest on the method or the messenger but the message of Christ and the cross. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

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