Our bible passage from Sunday’s sermon contains such a unique, profound, and revolutionary concept. As I preached, I noted that Paul’s approach to the Corinthian church’s problems consisted of getting back to the basics. Here is how he articulated his view in verse 2:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The only thing Paul is sure of is who Jesus is. If you think about it for a moment, this is a very strange statement. Surely Paul would claim to know other things, right? Instead of boasting about his credentials or personal accomplishments, however, he rests his knowledge in the cross alone.

I say this is a strange statement because we often are prideful about our knowledge and abilities. For starters, we love to know things (or at least think we know it all!). We crave to be an expert. We look up to other people who might be smarter. It is tempting to think we are correct while other people are wrong. We like to be sure of ourselves about everything, from opinions about sports and politics, to much more important things like life values. In fact, one of the most common ways people insult one another in our world is by challenging an individual’s intelligence. We use words like “idiot” and “stupid” to cut someone else down. Even in our insults and crude language do we find this toxic idolatry of self knowledge and assurance.

Our supposed desire for truth and being right is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it is embarrassing to be proven wrong. It’s uncomfortable to be corrected. But many times, we allow our hunger for being right to transform into a boastful attitude. Thinking that you know all the answers and that you could never be wrong is a dangerous, prideful way to go about life.

So Paul’s solution to the Corinthian church of knowing nothing except the crucified Christ is so opposite our desires to be right about everything. To Paul, the only “truth” that matters is who Jesus is. All the other things–our insignificant opinions about other matters–truly don’t matter in comparison to how we think about God.

So as you reflect on religious knowledge and our sermon on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (how scripture, tradition, reason, and experience are ways God reveals truth to us), it is worth asking yourself this simple question: How can I be more confident in believing in Jesus this week?

When I get into an augment with my spouse… Will I try to prove him or her wrong above all else? Or will I remember to love that person like Jesus does and be slow to anger?

When a conflict happens at work or school… Will I be so addicted to “being right” that I run the risk of making everyone else miserable? Or will I be more humble and flexible about my knowledge?

When I see someone do something I disapprove of… Will I rush to judgment and condescension? Or will I try to be more understanding and helpful?

All those opinions we have don’t really matter compared to the truth found with Jesus Christ. Jesus died for the sins of our world and shows us how to live in God’s kingdom. That is the most important truth we could ever know.

Several folks asked me on Sunday about John Wesley’s quirky writings on “home remedy” medicine… here is a link to his famous one: Primitive Physik, or An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases. Enjoy!

It can be difficult to summarize the entire message of God’s grace in just one sermon, so on the church blog this week, here’s a recap with several bible passages. What makes our Methodist approach to grace unique? The big idea is that we believe God’s grace is revealed to us in three main ways.

Prevenient Grace

Theologically speaking, prevenient grace (or “preventing grace” as John Wesley wrote of it) is God’s grace enabling us to make a decision for Christ. We humans are sinful and broken, and when faced with the choice between right and wrong, we will inevitably choose wrong. Fortunately, God’s grace works in our life and we are able to come to the knowledge of Christ. This might sound somewhat complex, but it really is quite simple: God works in our life even before we realize it! This idea of grace is supported by many bible verses:

• Jeremiah 1:5- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
• Luke 19:10- “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• John 12:32- “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.”
• Romans 2:4- “[Do you realize] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
• 1 John 4:19- “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Justifying Grace

This is possibly the most common understanding of grace among Christians. When we accept Christ, we are granted new life in God’s kingdom. Something wonderful happens during this moment. We are justified and freed from our life of sin. We no longer face condemnation, but experience the love and redemption of God. As with the previous grace, there are many verses supporting this conception of grace:

• Romans 3:28- “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
• Romans 1:17- “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous person shall live by faith.”
• Galatians 3:24- “Therefore the Law has become our teacher to lead us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith.”

Sanctifying Grace

This kind of grace might be the most commonly forgotten one in our world today. When we accept Jesus, God’s grace ought to work in our lives and make a tangible difference in who we are. If we continue on in unrighteousness and disobedience, without feeling conviction, then chances are we haven’t experienced that grace in the first place! Following Jesus each and every day will inevitably lead you closer to Godly character. Consider these verses from the New Testament about sanctification:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:23- “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• Galatians 2:20- “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
• 1 John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Here is a way to remember how all these kinds of graces connect with one another. God’s grace is like our interaction with a house. God’s prevenient grace is like the house we have not entered yet. Even before we go inside, God already created it for us to hopefully use. Justifying grace is when we walk through the doorway. Upon that process of entering, we get to initially encounter the benefits of the house. And finally, sanctifying grace is the ability to enjoy all the house has to offer us–dwelling inside of it, having shelter, and finding a place to belong. We continue to experience God’s grace or “house” even after the initial construction and our entering it.

There is an old story from the early church about a fellow named Saint Lawrence. At the time, the church was persecuted by the Roman Empire. If you followed the way of Jesus, that might even end up in martyrdom! But as the church grew in numbers, the leaders found themselves with more and more resources. Members of the faith community would donate out of their abundance and generously give to the church and its mission.

A Roman leader under Caesar’s command plotted to seize the supposed treasures of the church. Upon hearing this plan, Lawrence acted shrewdly and immediately took all the gold they had collected and distributed it to the poor of their community. When Lawrence was imprisoned and appeared before the public official to hand over the church’s treasure, Lawrence then brought a group of impoverished people–disabled, widowed, orphaned, and elderly–to stand before the Roman authorities. Lawrence motioned to these fellow poor brothers and sisters and said: “Behold, these are the treasures of the church!”

Lawrence’s witness reminds us that the church must always be in the business of helping out other people. Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are the most valuable treasures the church could ever possess.

John Wesley realized this truth when he wrote that religion should never go from the greatest to the least, or that religion would be human-made.

Church sanctuaries and buildings might be nice for ministry. Proper budgeting can obviously help, too. Even having good stewardship and planning can help a church thrive and do Godly work in the community. But we must never forget that the most valuable thing is not found on paper, brick and mortar, or even a bank balance. The most valuable thing any church could possess is children of God.

Author CS Lewis once put it this way: God delights in you as an artist does in a piece of artwork. That means that God find you valuable and something to be cherished. We often need to remind ourselves of this timeless truth. Too often we define ourselves by what we make, the kind of career we have, or the reputation we develop among other people.

But we also need to remember that God thinks this way of absolutely everyone in the world, especially the downtrodden and lowly who truly need it. The one thing that might make the church “richer” and more treasured is your fellow neighbor who needs to experience the love of God.