The Power of the Cross

Text:1 Corinthians 1:18, 2:2

Our text tells us that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to them that are saved and foolishness to them that  perish, that is the unsaved. When we are preaching the cross, power is evidently released to manifest the blessings of God in the life of the believer. The Cross is the place of exchange of unconditional love for hatred and wickedness,eternal death for eternal life, curses for blessing, sickness and disease for wholeness and good health, poverty for riches, shame for glory, rejection for love, defeat for victory, failure for success, captivity and imprisonment for freedom and liberty, lack for abundance and prosperity, barrenness for fruitfulness, darkness for light, short life for long life etc, etc.

No wonder when Paul came to the Corinthians  church , he was unequivocal in tellling them  that all he was interested in  knowing among them was Jesus and Jesus crucfied.(1 Corinthians 2:2). There was a lot happening in this church:strife, fornication , all sorts of division and different types of sinful acts.Paul was only concerned about their focus on Jesus Christ and Him criucified. Why? This is because, the root cause of those problems was their lack of attention and focus on the Cross of Jesus which will release power to overcome the spirit of iniquity plaguing the church.((2 Cor.2:11, 4:4,11:3). The happenings were symptoms of the fact that their minds and hearts were focused on lying vanities, resulting in them forsaking God's mercy and grace to live right.(Jonah 2:8). The Cross of Jesus depicts the pure amazing grace, love  and mercy of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures say  in Romans 6:14 sin shall not have dominion over us, because we are under grace and not under the law(doing right or doing wrong). So focusing on the happenings in the Corithians church would have brought Paul ubder the law and made Christ of no effect, God forbid.(Galatians 5:3). You are controlled and limited by what you focus your mind and attention on; and if on the  Jesus Christ(the word of grace) and the cross of Jesus, then we are under grace, and if on our performance and effort, the good things and the bad things we do or not do, under the law. So beware.

Also Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:14 said the only thing he glories in , is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to him and he unto the world. The cross of Jesus represents a climatic exchange of heavens good for the evil of the earth that crosses out the world out of our minds and brings inti our heart affection for heaven and the King of kings.

So spend time to think and imagine the beatibng of Jesus with stripes for your healing and the shedding of Hios blood for your righteousness that requirement for anserwered prayers  and for the flow of the covenant blessings into your life.

May the Holy Spirit give you understanding in Jesus Name, Amen.