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| Corinthian Column (see attribution below) |
BACKGROUND
Paul continued his points on the futility of human wisdom compared to the power and wisdom of God. Paul could have wowed the Corinthians with persuasive words because he was a brilliant teacher, but his plain message of salvation in Jesus Christ was guided by the Holy Spirit, demonstrating God's power rather than his eloquence and human wisdom.
The "secret wisdom" (2:6) was God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ for all peoples. It had been His plan from the beginning and was made clear when Jesus rose from the dead. This plan was revealed by the Spirit (2:10).
REFLECTION
Back in the early 80s, I distinctly remember walking down one of the main thoroughfares on the University of Oregon campus trying to memorize verses on the Holy Spirit, and it seemed impossible! I had a mental block; and on top of all that, I kept misplacing the cards! In addition, they went through the washing machine at least once (because I am looking at them right now!). There were many roadblocks to getting through those verses on the Holy Spirit!
I had been memorizing verses for several years, and it had always come quite easy for me until those verses. I was ready to just skip them and move on to other ones until the Lord encouraged me to fight through them and hide them in my heart (Psalm 119:9, 11). He revealed to me that the enemy did not want me to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in my life because if I understood this and relied on the Holy Spirit rather than my flesh (talents, abilities, persuasive words, human wisdom), I would become a powerful tool in God's hands and a threat to Satan's plan. Needless to say, I memorized those verses, and they sit next to my computer this morning as a reminder of a battle won for the Lord!
It is interesting to note that five out of twelve of the verse cards on the Holy Spirit are from the book of 1 Corinthians, and two of those five are from the chapter you have read today. Learn them well. Understand the work of the Holy Spirit in Your life and walk in that knowledge. Your life will be changed forever!
APPLICATION
Here are the verses printed on those cards:
The Holy Spirit . . .
1) Testifies - John 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 12:3
2) Indwells - Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6
3) Controls - Ephesians 5:16, 18
4) Reveals - 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; John 14:26
5) Empowers - 1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:5
6) Gives Gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11
I suggest hiding them in your heart! This particular pack with verses on God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is not in print anymore, but if you want to learn a nice system for memorization, I suggest . . .
The Topical Memory System
Here is a list with links to the verses and a "mini-sermon" by LeRoy Eims. (I had breakfast with him once. So, it is special to hear his voice.)
PRAYER
Help us to understand the work of the Spirit in our lives so that we may walk in newness of life. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Picture By David Bjorgen (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
2023 Update: I have been to some Corinthian columns of my own since I wrote this post. This is from Salamis, Northern Cyprus!
1 comment:
That picture makes me SMILE! :) I am so grateful for my time in the Navigators where I learned to hide God's word in my heart!
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