“but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭23‬ ‭

Signs, wonders, prophetic, are all things that God does. They are good in their time. They are necessary and helpful. But there is a reason why the New Testament spends essentially no time preaching them. The New Testament preaches Christ. The Bible records what God did, but we are to preach what the Bible preached. So when you cast about large portions of the messages today and see the preaching of signs, wonders, and the prophetic, you know that another spirit has entered. This spirit does not want Christ to be preached.

Signs are something God does. Miracles are something God does. Giving gifts of prophetic utterance are something God does. But the thing God really wants is the fullness of his Son in a people who have emptied themselves for him to fill.

They have emptied themselves emotionally. They do not need to feel the thrill of what God does. They have emptied themselves mentally. Their mind is not occupied with things, but with Him. They have emptied themselves as for time. They leave much room for seeking the Lord. They have emptied themselves as for defilement. They are not full of sin and have laid off the encumbrances so they can run the race. Which race is that? The race to lay hold of that for which we were laid hold of in Christ. A high heavenly calling, rooted in the fruit of the spirit and the display of wisdom. Wisdom is hidden in Christ, the fullness of God.

This messaging that we hear disguises itself as evangelism. Therefore, it plays on our root compassion to save the lost. The idea is that if we just had more power, we would see more salvations. If so, then we should find that preaching in the New Testament. Instead, what we find is, Romans six, consider yourself dead to yourself, and then Romans eight come alive in Christ. That’s the preaching that we need to hear and that’s the preaching that the Bible gives. Calls to holiness, calls to cleanliness, calls to worthiness. Any other call is a false call. Any other call will not lead us to Christ. Because preaching what Christ does does not produce the preaching of what Christ is in us. It is the foolishness of preaching Christ that allows God to perform transformation.

And so we come to this crossroads where our generation has made its choice. It has become convinced as to the way it will follow. And so it will now receive the storm test. Jesus predicted two kinds of houses. One built on what he actually said, and one built on what he didn’t say. At the end of the storm we will see what glorified Jesus, and what did not. Now is the time to question our messengers and find those who can only lead us to Christ.