Words for The Wise, No Eye has seen, 1 Corinthians 2 The Voice

1 Corinthians 2 The Voice (VOICE)

2 My brothers and sisters, I did not pose as an expert with all the answers. I did not pretend to explain the mystery of God with eloquent speech and human wisdom. 2 I claimed to know nothing with certainty other than the reality that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who was crucified on our behalf. 3 I was moved to utter despair during my time with you. I would find myself trembling in dread and fear. 4 The sermons I preached were not delivered with the kind of persuasive elegance some have come to expect, but they were effective because I relied on God’s Spirit to demonstrate God’s power. 5 If this were not so, your faith would be based on human wisdom and not the power of God.

Christianity is not merely a set of ideas and propositions. One can agree with all the truths in the Bible and still miss the power of God. Paul knows the brothers and sisters in Corinth might attempt to reduce Christianity to a new philosophy based on human understanding, but the power of God cannot be fully grasped by our eight-pound brains. We must approach God humbly as creations, not as those aspiring to fully explain the Creator of the universe.

6 However, in the presence of mature believers, we do impart true wisdom—not the phony wisdom typical of this rebellious age or of the hostile powers who rule this age. Despite what you may think, these ruling spirits are losing their grip on this world. 7 But we do impart God’s mysterious and hidden wisdom. Before the ages began, God graciously decided to use His wisdom for our glory. 8 This wisdom has not been grasped by the ruling powers of this age; if they had understood, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. 9 But as the Scriptures say,

No eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard

    and it has never occurred to the human heart

All the things God prepared for those who love Him.[a]

10 God has shown us these profound and startling realities through His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep mysteries of God. 11 Who can see into a man’s heart and know his thoughts? Only the spirit that dwells within the man. In the same way, the thoughts of God are known only by His Spirit. 12 You must know that we have not received the spirit of this rebellious and broken world but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we may experience and comprehend the gifts that come from God. 13 We do not speak of these gifts of God in words shaped by human wisdom; we speak in words crafted by the Spirit because our collective judgment on spiritual matters is accessible to those who have the Spirit. 14 But a person who denies spiritual realities will not accept the things that come through the Spirit of God; they all sound like foolishness to him. He is incapable of grasping them because they are disseminated, discerned, and valued by the Spirit. 15 A person who walks by the Spirit examines everything, sizing it up and seeking out truth. But no one is able to examine or size up that kind of spiritual person, 16 for the Scripture asks, “Does anyone know the mind of the Lord well enough to become His advisor?”[b] But we do possess the mind of the Anointed One.

Dictionary of Bible Themes

7027 church, purpose and mission of

The church is called to praise and glorify God, to establish Jesus Christ’s kingdom, and to proclaim the gospel throughout the world.

God’s purposes for the church

To praise God 1Pe 2:9 See also Eph 1:5-6,11-12,14; Heb 13:15; 1Pe 2:5

To share God’s glory Ro 8:29-30 See also Mt 13:43; Jn 17:24; Ro 9:23; 1Co 2:7; Php 3:21; Col 3:4; 2Th 2:14; Rev 2:26-27; Rev 3:4-5,21

God will build his church Mt 16:18-19 See also Mt 27:40 pp Mk 15:29; Jn 2:19-22; 1Co 3:9; Eph 2:21-22; Eph 4:11-13; Heb 3:3-6; 1Pe 2:5

To challenge Satan’s dominion Eph 3:10-11 “rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” refers to the powers of evil. See also Mt 16:18; Eph 6:12; 1Jn 2:14

To go into the world in mission 2Co 5:18 See also Mt 5:13-16; Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:48; Jn 20:21; Ac 1:8; Php 2:15-16; Col 1:27

The church’s mission

To preach the gospel to the world Mk 13:10 pp Mt 24:14 See also Mt 28:19; Lk 24:47; Jn 10:16; Ac 13:47

To do good to all Gal 6:10 See also Mt 25:37-40; Lk 6:35; Ac 9:36; Eph 2:10; 1Ti 6:18; Jas 1:27; 1Pe 2:12

Images of the church’s mission Mt 5:13-16; Jn 15:5-8 A fruitful plant in a fruitless world: Mt 7:18-19; Ro 7:4; Eph 5:9-10; Php 1:11; Col 1:6,10; Jas 3:17 Salt in an insipid world: Mk 9:50; Lk 14:34-35 Light in a dark world: Ro 13:12-14; Eph 5:8; Php 2:15; 1Th 5:5-6

The growth of the church

Numerical growth among the first Christians Ac 11:21 See also Ac 2:41,47; Ac 4:4; Ac 5:14; Ac 6:1,7; Ac 9:31,42; Ac 11:24; Ac 12:24; Ac 13:49; Ac 16:5; Ac 17:4; Ac 18:8; Ac 19:20

The church is to grow to maturity Eph 4:12-13 See also Php 1:6; Php 3:13-15; 2Th 1:3

Aspects of growth Growth in character: 2Co 9:10; 1Th 3:12 Growth into Christ: Eph 4:15; Col 1:10; 2Pe 3:18

Heb 6:1 growth in understanding

Prayers for the growth of the church Eph 3:14-19 See also Eph 1:17-19; Php 1:9-11; Col 1:9-12; 1Th 3:11-13; 2Th 1:11-12

Visions of the church’s final destiny

Rev 7:9-10 John’s vision of the church in glory. See also Mt 24:31; Jn 10:16; Eph 1:10; 1Th 4:16-17; Heb 12:22-23; Rev 21:2

The Bible Panorama

1 Corinthians 2

V 1–5: RESOLVE Paul’s determined resolve in preaching to the Corinthians is never to parade his excellent vocabulary or wisdom, but to concentrate solely on ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’. He admits that he feels his great weakness, fear, and trembling and that it is not human wisdom or persuasion that gives power to the message, but the Holy Spirit, as he concentrates on the message of the cross, the true preaching of which always is accompanied by God’s power to save.

V 6–10: REVELATION God’s revealed wisdom is shared with those who are spiritually mature. The world has rejected this wisdom and this is why ‘the Lord of glory’, the Lord Jesus Christ, was crucified. But, through His Spirit, God has revealed the truths of His word and the blessings He has prepared for His redeemed people. The same Holy Spirit, who reveals the word of God, is at work in the hearts of men to reveal to them their sin and need for this gospel of Christ crucified.

 V 11–15: RECEPTION The Christian has received ‘the Spirit who is from God’ who teaches him both the truth about God and the truth about himself, underlines his need, and intensifies his desire for God’s revelation through His word. The unconverted man (the ‘natural man’) cannot understand these things, because they are spiritually discerned and only become real to a person who has turned from sin and received the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ. God’s enlightenment follows the receiving of the Holy Spirit in conversion.

 V 16: RÉSUMÉ No one can have God’s mind unless he or she has been converted. The simplest person who trusts Christ, through grace, receives ‘the mind of Christ’ within through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

"Immeasurably More" from Rend Collective (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)

Mark Driscoll's Books Yanked From Baptist's LifeWay Stores, Charisma Magazine

The nation's second-largest Christian book retailer has pulled megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll's books from its website and 186 stores.

Leaders at the Southern Baptist Convention's LifeWay Christian Resources informed stores on Friday to stop selling books by the Seattle pastor who has been in hot water.

Last week, leaders of the church-planting network Acts 29 removed Driscoll and his churches from the group he helped found and asked that he "step down from ministry for an extended time and seek help."

Driscoll has been an influential but edgy pastor within conservative evangelical circles for several years. His Mars Hill Church, based in Seattle, attracts some 14,000 people at 15 locations across five states. He has been provocative, occasionally profane and has faced allegations of plagiarism and inflating book sales.

The mushrooming set of allegations led the publishing arm to suspend sales while it "monitors the developments of his ministry," said LifeWay media-relations manager Marty King.

"It was a cumulative effect," King said. "The Acts 29 leadership asking him to step down was certainly a part of that."

At the time of the decision, LifeWay's stores were selling just one of Driscoll's titles, A Call to Resurgence, King said.

A spokesperson for Mars Hill did not respond to LifeWay's decision

Read more here:

Elim Missions, Iraq Appeal

MANY WILL HAVE SEEN NEWS REPORTS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ BY THE MILITANT GROUP ISIS. WE STAND ALONGSIDE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN IRAQ, PRAYING FOR GOD’S PROTECTION AND STRENGTH TO BE WITH THEM.

A statement by CSW, our partners for persecuted Christians, says: “We are deeply saddened by the appalling treatment of the Christians in Mosul, which clearly constitutes religious cleansing. We are also concerned at news that Turkoman, Yazidi and Shabak Iraqis are facing abductions, murder and the destruction of property in areas controlled by IS. Despite its religious pretensions, the so called Caliphate is no different from the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It has enacted its own “Year Zero” by erasing every ancient monument or community that predates its own. Whilst IS can destroy buildings, seize property and intimidate, humiliate, extort or even kill unarmed civilians, it will ultimately discover that it is impossible to extinguish faith from the human heart through the use of force.”

Join with us in praying and giving to those who are caught up in those horrendous situation.

Follow this Link to donate or for further information

http://www.elimmissions.co.uk/iraqappeal

'We are outnumbered 285-1': Calais police admit they cannot prevent UK migrant surge, Daily Express

FRENCH police today admitted they were "powerless" to prevent thousands of migrants attempting to enter Britain illegally.

The border crisis is now so severe one officer shrugged, saying: "We are overstretched and there is not much we can do."

Experts estimate as many as 12,000 refugees make a bolt for Britain through Calais each year.

Today the Daily Express witnessed chaotic scenes as gangs of vagrants risked their lives attempting to jump on the back of moving freight trucks.

The migrant epidemic is now so bad officials believe at least 30 attempts to make it to the UK as stowaways every day.

The 2,000 who have congregated in the port town from a variety of countries including Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia outnumber police by 285-to-one.

One exasperated officer said the blue line policing the perimeter of the port is so thin border guards are overrun by the migrant tide.

Giving the first detailed account from the front line of the fight, the unnamed officer aid: "There are just two or three patrols - just seven of us maximum - and hundreds of them trying to get to the UK. We are powerless to do anything.

Read more here:

Britain considers sending Chinook helicopters to aid fleeing Yazidi refugees in Iraq as the public swings behind air strikes on rampaging Islamic State fighters, Daily Mail

  Ministers are considering deploying top-of-the-range Chinook helicopters

  Tornado fighter jets are also on their way to the region to help aid effort

  Three aid drops have been carried out - one on Saturday and two last night

  A mission had to be aborted on Sunday as too many refugees crowded plane

  Poll shows narrow public support for air strikes on ISIS fighters in Iraq

  David Cameron is still on holiday in Portugal and Nick Clegg is in Spain

Britain is considering sending Chinook helicopters to Iraq, as the Government rapidly ramps up its response to the sweeping advance of Islamist extremist threatening to massacre thousands of non-Muslims.

The military helicopters, which could be used to rescue Yazidi refugees trapped on Mount Sinjar after fleeing rampaging Islamic State fighters, would join two RAF C130 Hercules planes already carrying out aid drops.

A squadron of six to eight Tornado jets are also on their way to the region amid growing alarm over the plight of up to a quarter of a million people trapped in northern Iraq.

The proposal to send the Chinook helicopters was being discussed in a meeting of Government’s emergency Cobra committee this afternoon.

The meeting was chaired by the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, with David Cameron still on holiday in Portugal and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg with his family in Spain.

Defence sources said the helicopters could be sent to the region in case they were needed at short notice.

The RAF Hercules and Tornado aircraft are flying aid missions from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, but the Chinooks may need to operate from a much closer base.

Up to a quarter of a million people have fled the advances of Islamic State fighters who crossed the border from Syria to create an Islamic ‘Caliphate’ stretching across the region.

Iraqi Christians and members of the Yazidi sect have been given an ultimatum to convert to Islam or die. 

Read more here:

Peter Jones: Independence or the pound - which?. The Scotsman by Peter Jones

WHEN POLITICIANS accuse each other of desperation and panic, I tend not to listen, reckoning that it is the usual campaign hyperbole that tries to turn a minor slip of the tongue into a monumental credibility-destroying gaffe.

But I begin to think that it is an accusation that can be fairly levelled at Alex Salmond over the currency issue in this referendum.

There are certain tools that can be used to make the political equivalent of a clinical diagnosis of desperation. One is whether the arguments being used to shore up a position that has come under attack are robust or fatuous. And Mr Salmond is now making claims which, under any serious inspection, are complete nonsense.

In an article in a Sunday newspaper, he wrote that Labour leader Ed Miliband’s “hasty gambit to include a block on Scotland’s continued use of the pound in Labour’s next Westminster manifesto” would be “saying to Scots ‘I will defy the sovereign wish of the people in a referendum’”.

On umpteen grounds, this is gibberish. Actually, the only sovereign wish that will be expressed in the referendum will be the answer to the question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” If it is Yes, the sovereign will of the people will be that Scotland becomes independent.

If Mr Miliband said he would prevent Scotland from becoming independent, then that would certainly defy Scotland’s sovereign will. But he isn’t saying that at all. He is saying that Scotland can be an independent country if that’s what people want, but they won’t get a sterling currency union.

Read more here:

Further Reading:

Beyond the Scottish Independence Question, Looking at a Greater Devolution in The United Kingdom, A Perspective,

Promise of £348m shipyard contract for No vote

Independence issues: Financial, economy & currency