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"For I determined not to know anything
among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
(1 Corinthians 2:2)
Determination. Perseverance. Resolve. Grit. When you and I can decide that we will not be deterred but will finish, then the sky is the limit as to what we can accomplish. Having a persistent, disciplined outlook when setting and pursuing our goals is a very commendable attitude. Everyone (and I mean everyone) who has accomplished great things in life have been beset with numerous setbacks and failures, but what makes them different is they kept going. They refused to quit.
We see this dogged determination in the life of the Apostle Paul. He was one determined man! He lived his life with this all-consuming passion to know Jesus and make Him known to the world. How amazing it would be if all of us, no matter what our profession or calling in life, had this same determination to be sold out for Christ.
I am currently reading the autobiography of the missionary John Paton, the 19th Century Scottish pioneer in missions to the New Hebrides (the country of Vanuatu today). He served valiantly among a cannibalistic people group and dedicated his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus to them. His brother, James, was also a pastor who supported the missionary work of John. As I was reading the autobiography, I wondered from where these men learned to be so committed to Christ. I found the answer in their parents, especially their dad, a layman who worked out of his home, making hosieries or stockings. John writes about his dad with the utmost respect and details how, as a boy, he and his siblings would watch their father spend time with Jesus in prayer. Each morning and evening, as well as throughout the day after meals, their father would retire to this small prayer room and pray to God. John writes that he and his siblings knew that after he shut the door behind him, "prayers were being poured out there for us, as of old by the High Priest within the veil of the Most Holy Place." (John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides, An Autobiography, p. 10)
In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Paul shares how he would conduct his ministry in Corinth and why: "But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." He believed God for the miraculous; he relied on the Holy Spirit and the power of God to move hearts, bring conviction and salvation, and grow the church in Corinth. He did not rely upon His eloquence, wisdom, rhetoric, reasoning, or charisma. He did not lean on those worldly pursuits and abilities; rather, he relied on the Spirit and His power (dunamis). What will it take for your church and mine to reach people? Whether it is Corinth of old, or where I live, Austin, TX, it will take miracles from God to grow a church that is Jesus-focused, not celebrity or pastor-focused, biblically centered, and not built on worldly wisdom and principles.
When your faith is in men, you will inevitably be let down, terribly so, because that is what men do: we let each other down. But when your confidence is in God, your roots are deep, and you will not be taken off course or derailed in your faith when things go badly.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with and serve Him throughout 2023. I am praying for you to be sold out to Jesus and determined to be faithful to the Lord who has been so very good to you.
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