Genesis 47, Job 13, Luke 1:1-38 and I Corinthians 1

I Corinthians 1:17 really stuck in my head this morning. It says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." It is not our job to try to make the Gospel of Jesus sound pretty...it is not our job to make the Gospel sound more palatable...to make it easier...to make it into a self-help message. The Gospel is far too dangerous...far too dynamic...far too audacious...far too revolutionary to be watered down. The call of Jesus is to come and die. The call of Jesus is to be crucified on the cross with him...to allow him to put to death the selfish and sinful flesh nature that is within us. It is a call to sacrifice. It is a call to slavery. When we speak of the Gospel as if it is easy...and when we live out the Gospel as if it is all about us...we make a mockery of the strength and power of the cross.