Important Lessons for a Very Peculiar ChurchSample

Are you intoxicated with Jesus Christ?

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

When Paul fell for Jesus, he fell hard. He fell in love and never recovered from that fall. In one fell swoop, he went from hating Jesus to loving Him. He went from vicious opponent to devoted follower.

For the rest of Paul’s time on earth, life was pretty simple: Jesus was everything. He expressed his heartbeat in Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ.” Christ was everything to Paul.

So, it’s no surprise that early in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he emphatically states that he has made the decision, firm and irrevocable, to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is, Paul has resolved to live for Jesus, surrender to Jesus, glorify Jesus, obey Jesus, and love Jesus.

More specifically, Paul focused on Christ crucified. That is, he focused on the fact that Christ had died on a cross, because on that cross Christ paid for our sin, won our salvation, demonstrated the Father’s love, conquered Satan and all the enemies in hell, dealt a death blow to death, and shattered the barrier separating us from our God.

Yes, Christ crucified. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Paul never felt he needed to advance beyond the simple message of Christ and Him crucified. Paul didn’t need some esoteric wisdom, deeper teaching, or special knowledge known only by the spiritual elite. Oh no! Not Paul. For Paul it was simple: Just give me Jesus. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He’s my life. My love. My Lord. 

What about you, dear friend? Are you intoxicated with Jesus Christ?