by Pastor John Boone
“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
John F. Kennedy was President when I was young, and I remember watching him on black and white television reciting his now-famous expression: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” This quote comes to mind because many in the church today have the ill-advised focus of what God can do for them. While I believe that God is our benevolent Father who wants to pour His blessings upon His children, our focus must be on who He is and what He has already done for us, not primarily on what He will provide.
In the passage above, Paul states what his focus is: “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” The Apostle’s focus was on Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross. Everything we need both now and eternally was provided through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. This is the foundation of Christianity. In fact, later in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul goes on to say, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17)
Early in the book of Acts (chapter 2) Peter is addressing the crowd who had accused the disciples of being drunk after the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and declares, “…You put him (Jesus) to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead…” Later, in chapter 3, Peter is again speaking and says, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.” Again, in chapter 4, Peter appears before the Sanhedrin and states, “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead…”
The death and resurrection of Jesus not only provided our eternal salvation, but sealed the doom of Satan. It provided everything we need for righteousness and holiness, for health and wholeness, for peace and joy and for victory over the flesh and the devil! It provided everything we need! That’s a good reason why our focus should be on what God has already done for us.
