The Present Power of the Cross Udskriv
Skrevet af Alan Navaratnam   
Tirsdag, 31. januar 2023 16:24

“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!”  1 Cor. 1:18


You may have noticed it says “us who are being saved” and not “us who are saved.”  It is in the grammar in “partizip præsens” meaning something that happens now and is constantly happening.  Oh, praise the Lord, it´s being renewed again and again. My new heart says, “Amen!” and it´s true how the NEB translation puts it, “it´s constantly renewed!”  (Col. 2:10).


With that sweet freshness I welcomed this morning my nurse who asked me the usual question, “How are you doing?” and my heart prompted me to give the happy answer, “I´m super fine, and I so wish you “might become such as I am”  (Acts 26:29) except for the frailties of my body.”  He rejoiced with me, not being a born again Christian himself though.  “The joy of the Lord is my strength” was my morning greeting to him.


The confrontation with legalists last Monday made me more zealous to point to the foolishness of the cross.   What is really the stumbling block of the cross?  (Gal. 5:11).  It´s the place where we get stripped for any saving hope in ourselves, be it ever so religious, to humbly realize that our salvation is in Him and in Him only who was stripped at Calvary for our sins.


I was young and immature when I witnessed to the fellowship with the New Tribes Mission´s bootcamp two full mornings about the sufficiency of Christ and the nothingness of ourselves.  It was really a testimony of the cross.  That became too much to some and I was bitterly opposed.  They didn´t want to see themselves stripped and made nothing that way.


Something similar happened last Monday.  “What do you mean?  We are Christians, or what do you think?  Do you think we´re backsliders?”


One day a godly woman came across to the boot camp and heard about the bind the fellowship was under, and she said, “It´s the gospel that is at stake!” and she was right.  It still is.  Religion won´t do.  Christ crucified will. 1 Cor. 2:2.


Sept. 30, 2022 - jn

Senest opdateret: Tirsdag, 31. januar 2023 16:24