“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.“
~ 1 Corinthians 1:18
Hi James and Ellen,
How smart do you think that you are? How wise to you think that you are? Would you like to become one day a scholar? Scholars can be guys and gals who are intellectuals, academics and researchers. Scholars are guys and gals who want to know everything. Would you like to become one day a philosopher? Philosophers can be theorists, logicians and dreamers. Philosophers think that that they can know everything. Do you know kids who think that they know and/or that they can know everything? Do you think that it is in the perfect plans that God has for you that He will have you become scholars and/or philosophers? Do you think that God wants you to be smart for His sake or do you think that God would rather that you be fools for His sake? What does being a fool mean to you? Solomon in his mini message proverbs wrote a lot about fools. Solomon calls a guy, gal or kid a fool if he or she does not listen to good advice that is given to him or her by another guy, gal or kid but instead does whatever that will make himself or herself happy. Paul also wrote about being a fool. Paul had a different take on being a fool. Solomon saw guys, gals and kids who were living just in their own worlds as being fools while Paul saw guys, gals and kids who were living their lives for Jesus’ sake as being fools. Guys, gals and kids who are Jesus-followers will know that guys, gals and kids who are not Jesus-followers are fools as these guys, gals and kids – who are guys, gals and kids who always doing whatever to please only themselves, will never enjoy the peace of knowing that eternal life lies ahead on the other side of death’s door. No matter how smart or wise that you are, you are going to be seen as fools by some guys, gals and kids. If you are Jesus-followers, the non-Jesus-followers will think of you as fools. If you are not Jesus-followers, the body of Christ – which is made up of only fools for Jesus, will know that you are fools because you are always centering your lives around yourselves
Would you tell another kid that he or she is a fool? Your grandpaa thinks that no guy, gal or kid would ever like to be called a fool. Paul begins his first letter to the Jesus-followers in Corinth – in 1 Corinthians 1, explaining what true wisdom is. Paul in verse 18 tells the Corinth Jesus-followers “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” When Paul wrote this letter to the Corinth Jesus-followers, Corinth had become a very influential city. Paul on his second missionary journey had spent a year and a half in Corinth. During the year and a half that Paul stayed in Corinth, Paul was the impetus for implementing a Jesus-follower community in Corinth. About 700,000 guys and gals lived in Corinth when Paul spent time there. Of the 700,000 guys and gals who lived in Corinth, two-thirds of these guys and gals were slaves. Corinth was situated at a very strategic spot at a very narrow place between the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Corinth guys and gals had very bad reputations for pursuing degenerate, immoral lifestyles. The Corinth region was known for idol worship. Corinth became the place to visit – a place where guys and gals could be just as depraved as they wanted to be. Guys and gals who were living in Corinth did what they felt like doing. Guys and gals who were living in Corinth lived as fools. How would you like to be able to do what you felt like doing? While Paul was in Ephesus enabling guys to be church leaders, Paul received a letter from a very concerned Corinth Jesus-follower family – the Chloe family. The Chloe family in their letter to Paul told Paul about the quarreling and fighting that was going on in the Jesus-follower community that Paul had begun in Corinth. Apparently different Jesus-follower guys and/or gals in Corinth were arriving at a belief that they should follow different guys versus believing in and following only the teachings of Jesus. Apparently some supposed Corinth Jesus-follower guys and gals thought that because they had been saved that they could do whatever in their own wisdom instead of obediently following the teaching of the cross. The teaching of the cross to Paul is to accept God’s wisdom of entrusting His righteousness, holiness and redemption on every guy, gal and kid who believes in what His Son – Jesus Christ, did on a cross.
Do you like to boast? It is good to boast if you are boasting to other kids about Jesus. It is not good to boast if you are boasting to other kids about yourselves. If you boast about Jesus, the guys, gals and kids who have never made a decision of faith will say that you are foolish. Paul called the Jews foolish who waited for miraculous signs to save them and the Greeks foolish who looked for wisdom to save them. The Jesus message – which is about how Jesus suffered and died on a cross for the sins of guys, gals and kids who believe in Him, makes guys and gals fools who wait for a miraculous sign or wisdom to save them. Paul wants you to know that no matter how wise that you are you that you will not even begin to be as wise as God. Paul also wants you to know that no matter how strong that you are that you will not even begin to be as strong as God. Your grandpaa knows that it does not really make any sense to believe in God yet when a guy, gal or kid believes in God, he or she just knows that the guys, gals and kids who do not believe in God are nothing more than fools. Your grandmaa and grandpaa do not want you to grow up being fools. You will be fools if you refuse to believe what the Bible tells you to believe. You will be fools if you do what Corinth Jesus-followers started to do – which was to compromise their faith in Jesus by doing things which a guy, gal or kid would not want to do if he or she had made a decision of faith to accept Jesus as his or her Savior. There is nothing wrong with living your lives as Jesus fools. Ask your dad and/or ma how you can be Jesus fools.
1 Corinthians 1 (189)