1 Corinthians 1:18

NASB	NLT	VOICE
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved is the power of God.	18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.	18 For people who are stumbling toward ruin, the message of the cross is nothing but a tall tale for fools by a fool. But for those of us who are already experiencing the reality of being rescued and made right, it is nothing short of God’s power.

Some people that do not believe in God or do not believe in Christianity will look to the stories taught in the Gospel and believe that they are foolish, made up, and forced upon as if a cult. They look at people who follow the religion as foolish, idiotic, and stupid. They look at it as a waste of time, following in nothing, or following in a god they were taught was mean, angry, and deadly. However, those who following the word, believe in God, accept the fact that Jesus died for our sins to allow us to have a right relationship with God. Those of us who believe, their souls will be rescued from an eternal separate from God and reserved a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

It’s hard to conceptualize this and rationalize this because of the intangibility of these beliefs. None of us were around when these words were written. None of us physically saw Jesus as they did. None of us were around the disciples of Jesus when they taught. This text is approximately 3,500 years old dating back to the Abrahamic days of Genesis, so how would/could this text apply to us? It’s through faith. It’s through faith that we apply the teachings of God to our lives in hopes for the eternal reward. It’s through faith that take these teachings of Jesus and transform our lives in the efforts of being a gracious and merciful as our Savior was for us. It’s through faith that we believe the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and allows us to use his wisdom, courage, strength, and patience to navigate the difficult parts of life in an effort to do what God called us to do.

Romans 1:16

NASB	NLT	VOICE
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.	16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile.	16 For I am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew.

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel because he had first-hand witness to its truth and that it could be explained and argued for by the brightest minds in the Greek and Roman culture. Paul had the message and understanding of how the world should work, and the true story of how humanity worked. The message of God’s salvation is this message. This was God’s rescue plan for everyone, both Jew and Gentile (that’s us.) It’s important to remember that we are the Gentile in this story. We are not apart of the original Jewish community or the original Israelite clan. We are born outside of this, and we are accepted as one into God’s chosen family. When we read the story of the rules and teaching of God’s chosen people, it’s important to recognize the separation from the Jewish audience and the Gentile audience.

When you feel embarrassed to be a Christian, remember what God’s message is all about. We must focus on God’s transforming and life-changing power in the world rather than on your own inadequacy, you will find the confidence needed to boldly speak about Jesus. We might always feel embarrassed to talk about our faith, especially if we’re around people who look down upon Christian or make fun of God and Christianity. Yet, regardless of what those around us believe, we are called to speak about who Jesus is and our relationship with God. Granted, there is a time and a place. However, we should not only speak about this but reflect the teachings of God through what we do and how we treat each other.

The Jewish people were God’s special audience for over 2,000 years, ever since God chose Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12 and promise great blessings to him and his descendants. God didn’t choose the Jewish people because they deserved it, they were as messed up as you and I. God still wanted to show his love and mercy to them. He wanted the Jewish people to be an example of his love and mercy towards their neighbors, just as God had shown the Jewish people. It was always his plan that though them the Messiah, Jesus, would come to the world. God attempted many different ways to have the Jewish atone for their sins, but it would be through the sacrifice of the sinless, spotless, perfect lamb that would ultimately atone for our sins and allow us to go boldly before God and have our right relationship with him. God chose them, not to have a favorite, but to be the ones to go and tell the world about his plan. Now, we’re in charge of sharing that plan of salvation.

For centuries, the Jewish people had been learning about God by following the laws, keeping the festivals, and living according to his moral principles. Unfortunately, the Jewish people would forget his promises and laws and try to do things their own way. They would have to face the consequences of their actions this way and learn from them. There were loved by God. They were still chosen by God. They still had a precious heritage of belief of God. They were still apart of God’s family, no matter how much they mess up. This is important for us to remember. No matter how much we mess up, no matter how much we stray away from God’s teaching and God himself, God will always welcome us back to him with open arms. God will forgive and forget. God will love us unconditionally and help us get back on the path we need to get us back to do what he’s called us to do.

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #202