sexta-feira, 12 de setembro de 2014

THE WEAK BECOME STRONG




Paul is a good example of poor transformed into strong. This apostle of the Gentiles was a great instrument of God for the salvation of many people and many people. Before you get to be a divine strength, however, he had to find his weakness until he was convinced that the surpassing power belongs to God and is manifested mainly through insecure channels, such as humans. Thus, even in Judaism, Paul stood out from the wise and learned of the Jewish people, but converted to Christ, he began to see himself as a vessel of clay in the Potter's hand.

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul observed:

For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the intelligence of the intelligent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the inquirer of this century? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. (1 Cor 1.18-21)

The word of the cross, the gospel of Jesus, or weakness seems crazy to some, but for others, those who are saved it is the key to success and victory.

The Jews sought signs of God; Greeks, wisdom. Both could not understand a sermon based on the crucifixion. To them it was illogical that an act of surrender (and weakness), as manifested by Jesus on the cross, could be the greatest evidence of God's power [to save humanity]. The wise and strong they could not understand it, but the ignorant and the weak could [divinely] understand the meaning of the atoning death of Jesus in all its magnitude.

Even today, it is difficult for many to accept that we have to be weak in order to be strong in God. So, are so confused before Paul's statement that when he was weak then he was strong, since it is precisely the weakness that enhances the power of God (2 Cor 12:10).

This reality became clear to a Latin-American pastor from experience that he lived to attend a seminar of the famous evangelist Morris Cerullo.

That pastor was considered important and powerful for driving a congregation of approximately 200 members. At the seminar, met several ministers of different locations worldwide. On one such occasion, was presented to a skinny African pastor frail and physically insignificant. This was also a man of little education, it was a simple farmer when God called him to the ministry.

After the usual greetings and a few kind words, came the anticipated question: "Where is your church? How many members does it have? "- Asked the important Hispanic pastor. The response of the African was in a humble tone of voice so low I could barely hear: "I am a pastor of a congregation of 47,000 members."

The caller, who was white, strong and deep voice, was astonished. It seemed incredible that one black, brittle and muffled voice little man, could be a powerful instrument of God in one situated in the heart of Africa nation; while he himself, who thought himself the most, had a church of only two hundred participants. To him, the lesson is quite obvious: who wants to be strong in God, must acknowledge his weakness and his need of the Lord.

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