2 Corinthians 4:1-7
By Rev. Alan Avera
In yesterday’s devotion, we saw that a supernatural work is required for someone to put their faith in Christ as savior. That supernatural work is an opening of blind eyes so that they see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is described in verse 6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
But God gives us a part to play in the process. Our part is to proclaim and to serve. Look at verse 5, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
What we proclaim is Jesus Christ as Lord. It’s not about us, but about his authority and his glory. We don’t have to put a spin on the gospel to try to make it more attractive. Verse 2 tells us, “We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
That’s one reason the Christianity Explored course uses the Gospel of Mark to present the gospel. We believe the power is in the Word of God. God has given us four books that tell us about his son. Any one of them is a great place to start.
We not only proclaim, we also serve. We serve others for Jesus’s sake. Serving begins by noticing. As Mary Schaller and John Crilly of Qplace Ministries put it, “Jesus was a noticer.” A first step in serving people for Jesus sake is to notice people like Jesus notices them. Jesus noticed people because he came to seek and to save them.
By Rev. Alan Avera
In yesterday’s devotion, we saw that a supernatural work is required for someone to put their faith in Christ as savior. That supernatural work is an opening of blind eyes so that they see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is described in verse 6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
But God gives us a part to play in the process. Our part is to proclaim and to serve. Look at verse 5, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
What we proclaim is Jesus Christ as Lord. It’s not about us, but about his authority and his glory. We don’t have to put a spin on the gospel to try to make it more attractive. Verse 2 tells us, “We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
That’s one reason the Christianity Explored course uses the Gospel of Mark to present the gospel. We believe the power is in the Word of God. God has given us four books that tell us about his son. Any one of them is a great place to start.
We not only proclaim, we also serve. We serve others for Jesus’s sake. Serving begins by noticing. As Mary Schaller and John Crilly of Qplace Ministries put it, “Jesus was a noticer.” A first step in serving people for Jesus sake is to notice people like Jesus notices them. Jesus noticed people because he came to seek and to save them.