Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from March 6, “The Power of the Kingdom”
There is an interesting statement by Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:20, “..the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power.” We talk a lot about the power of words. We speak of the word of God. John refers to Jesus as the Word. So, what does this phrase mean? This is how we get in trouble. By taking this verse from it’s context, we could end up running in circles, but when we consider it as part of the whole letter, it poses no problem at all and teaches us an important truth. The power of words comes from the speaker. Paul addresses division within the church and calls out arrogant windbags that are fomenting that division. To rephrase what he said, if you do not have the power of God within you, your words are empty. These men were also appropriating authority within the church that did not belong to them. Paul lets them know that their time is short. He will come back, Lord willing, and they will be found out. The way he writes this letter shows us something about spiritual authority within God’s church. This too, we explore. Our focus is on 1 Corinthians 4:18-21, but we survey the first 4 chapters of 1 Corinthians for context.
