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The Two Types of Wisdom and Strength

What I am sharing in this post helped me a great deal, I hope it can help you as well.  If you are not a follower of Christ this may sound like foolishness.

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Are you a follower of Christ who seeks wisdom and strength? Wisdom and strength sounds good right?  We are taught to do this by our parents and our teachers from a very young age.  Most of us study and pray and listen to sermons just for this purpose, but…

There are two types of wisdom and strength, there is God’s wisdom and strength and there is fleshly wisdom and strength. How do we tell the difference?

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There is a big difference between the wisdom and strength of God and wisdom and strength “according to the flesh”.  We should not mix the one with the other because we don’t see the difference.  This difference should be thoroughly understood by every follower of Christ.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,…30 But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” -1 Cor 1:26-27, 30

According to this passage God chooses the foolish and weak and He shames the wise and strong. If we are becoming wise and strong and excellent “according to the flesh” (1 Cor1:26), we are setting ourselves up to be opposed by the Lord.

If you are anything like me the difference between Godly and fleshly wisdom is not always obvious, but there is a clear distinction. We know from the passage above that “Christ Jesus has become to us wisdom from God.”  But from the same passage we also know that God chooses the weak and foolish in order to shame the strong and wise.  There is Jesus-wisdom and there is fleshly-wisdom and these are diametrically opposed to one another.

The fastest and easiest way to tell the difference between fleshly and Godly wisdom (either in yourself or in the advise of others), is to ask the following questions:

  • Are they trying to dominate and compete with others?
  • Am I building or seeking hierarchies putting myself at (or near) the top?
  • Are you or others finding pleasure in out-doing, out-witting, or one-upping others?
  • Am I demanding or trying to see my way (or my vision) and will be done? (even Jesus prayed “not my will but your will be done..”)

Answering yes to these questions suggests a strength and wisdom “according to the flesh”.  I’ve been guilty of walking according to fleshly wisdom, I’ve also heard entire sermons of nothing but boasting in fleshly wisdom and in fleshly strength. God opposes this, we should not pretend to follow or serve God when he is actively opposing or shaming us.

Someone who always gets or is accustomed to getting their way is a menace to what God is doing in the earth.

Gods “wisdom and strength” looks like turning the other cheek when it is struck (Matthew 5:39), it looks like sitting down and letting others speak (Luke 4:20), it looks like giving the coat and the shirt to the guy demanding just the shirt (Matthew 5:40). Gods kingdom, (his ruling presence) is with the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3).

We who seek to serve and follow the Lord should know beyond all confusion what God opposes and shames and what ‘he chooses’ and ‘gives the kingdom’ to. There is a big difference and it becomes easy to notice within yourself and others, once understood.

Jesus Christ is our wisdom and strength, no need to mingle and mix him with fleshly strength. He and his wisdom is all we need.

Remember that the world is passing away and its ruler, but at the same time, the kingdom and rule of Jesus Christ is ever increasing and it will never end.

What about you, do you live your life according to fleshly or godly wisdom and strength? Or a little of both?  Please comment below.

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Nine Paradoxes of The Christian Life

The Kingdom of Christ Began in the Midst Of The Satanic Kingdom

Jesus Christ is himself the kingdom of God, whether he is located in heaven or on earth. He began his kingdom here on earth dwelling in his people by and through his Spirit. He did this within and on an earth which was entirely enslaved by death and Satan. Within and among Satan’s domain and kingdom. This fact causes there to be paradoxes that can be confusing if we do not have understanding. An understanding which only comes with knowing Jesus Christ.

Jesus began his kingdom right in the midst of the old Satanic kingdom already in existence. What a brilliant takeover, now we who have Christ within are to trample Satan underfoot as planned in the beginning. The presence of God within Jesus Christ is the presence of the kingdom of God.

The future of everything and everyone…his future is present in his people from every time and age. We are now living in the age after the kingdom has begun but before Satan’s expulsion and death’s final defeat.

For more on this gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ click here or here:

Taking Over

We are living during the expansion of the kingdom of God on earth. Through the ages of time and expansion of the human race. This expansion is hostile and unwelcome and results in spiritual and sometimes physical violence (Matthew 11:12).

There are at least nine paradoxes of the Christian life. Actually there are probably many more than nine but for the sake of a short post I highlight nine. Living within paradox is confusing and so it helps to have understanding.

paradox – (noun) a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

Perhaps our confusing existence is one reason Jesus made our top daily priority be ‘seeking the kingdom of God.]

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things will be added to you” – Jesus

Nine paradoxes of the Christian life:

  1. We are to live by the Life of Christ and we are to die to our own lives. For a Christian, death to the self-life yields the life of Christ on the earth.  (1 Corinthians 15:31)
  2. As we are weakened we are made strong in Christ. (1 Cor 1:27, 2 Cor 12:10)
  3. As we are made poor we are enriched, and we enrich many. (2 Cor 6:10)
  4. We are in the world yet, not of the world. (John 17:16)
  5. Some of us suffer and are persecuted yet we are more than conquerors. (Rom 8:18 and Rom 8:37)
  6. All things, even bad things, in our lives work together for the good of those called to God’s purposes. (Rom 8:28)
  7. Defeat, losing and humility lead to our victory and success.
  8. God and Jesus’ greatest moment of defeat and man’s cruelest moment of sin was at the same moment. The well-planned and greatest victory for them both. (Matt 27:46-64)
  9. Self abasement and servanthood brings greatness not promotion and authority we so often pursue. (Matthew 20:25)

Bonus Paradox: ‘God so loved the world’ vs ‘love not the world’, click here for more on this one.

These paradoxes are mind-blowing to me, what a brilliant and amazing takeover of humanity by Jesus Christ. What seemed like the biggest defeat for Jesus, his killing, was the plan all along. It resulted in the greatest defeat of Satan. What a Lord who saves in the midst of so many paradoxes, what a priceless gift we have in Jesus Christ.

Which paradox is the most amazing to you?

What other paradoxes have you found in scripture?

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Knowing Him is Knowing His Church

thechurchAt the start of 2015 I set out to seek the Lord Jesus in a much greater and more organized way.  I did this by answering 7 questions about him and categorizing the endless answers.  I have two 40,000+ word documents still growing and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I think when anyone sets out to study him they are naturally moved to study the church, it is a natural and unavoidable progression.  This is because Jesus Christ is attached to his church, we are his body on earth.  Christ in us and we in him, a mutual outpouring.  Any comprehensive study of Jesus Christ inevitably leads to a study of his church, theologians call this ‘ecclesiology’.  Similarly, as we grow in understanding of him we naturally must grow in understanding of the church.  Jesus Christ is inseparable from his people, we are inside of him.  We are not his fan base, we are not his groupies, we are not those who simply study him as a topic.  We are his members, we are inside of him and he inside of us.

Christ in you the hope of glory. (Col 1:27)

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3)

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. (Col 3:4)

…he gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph 1:22-23)

For many, study of the practices, tactics and philosophies seen in most modern churches leads to difficult conclusions. It forces one to come face to face with some difficult realities.  Realities which can provoke one to speak out and want to call people out.   It is one thing to know about the problems of the church as if it were just an intellectual topic, it is another thing to emotionally react to them to share the Lord’s heart on the matter.  It is convenient to not care and call it unity, it is difficult however to deeply care with the Spirit and try to effect change.

I find studies of Jesus Christ to be wonderful, fulfilling, deeply and inexplicably satisfying.  However when I study the church, (both what Jesus and the apostles set up and openly taught) and I compare this to what we do in church meetings, what we as a people demand from our pastors, it quickly becomes frustrating and painful.

Painful because I see traditions built around something pure and holy and flawless which misrepresent the Lord to the world, painful also because the idea of changing the mindset of people appears almost impossible.  It’s difficult for me to not become openly cynical and critical about the status quo.  Critical about the places Christians are led and about the lack of spiritual preparation for what may be coming.  However, critical cynicism helps no one and changes nothing.

Jesus himself does not react to us with critical cynicism so why should we?

Jesus is building his church, Jesus is cleansing his bride, Jesus is forgiving anyone who comes to him, Jesus acts merciful to his people while he corrects and molds.  So for those in whom he dwells (like myself) there is no other reaction to have but his reaction.

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