NOTHING BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN!

1 Corinthians 4:6: “Now, brothers and sisters,  I have applied these things to myself and Apollos  for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Why is the church so personality-driven? Today, it seems that churches are competing for the saints. When you ask people why they attend a certain church, they usually list a host of reasons that focus on presentation and programs rather than the faithful stewardship of the Word of God. This is nothing new. It was happening in the new church that Paul had established in the city of Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1:11-12: “For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”  or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”  CSB

The Corinthians were focused on the external appeal of their leaders. Who was the most prominent? Who was the most charismatic? Who was bringing the latest revelation? Paul viewed this as a sign of their immaturity. He asked, “Is Christ divided?” When we focus on the external, on the personality, on the presentation, and leave the substance, we open ourselves up to all sorts of deceptions, and we move further and further away from Christ.

We have fed a consumer mentality in the life of our churches today. We try to attract people to the church and Jesus Christ by what we do or how we look, rather than by the power of God manifested in the unchanged message of the Bible. Some of the greatest revivals that have ever taken place were through unlikely vessels who presented the unaltered truth of the Gospel in sincere and unspectacular packages.

Martin Luther was one of these great revivalists. His works shook the church to its core. He called a church that had wandered from the centrality of Scripture back to the Word of God. His mantra was – Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone. Martin Luther stated,

“I do not want to throw out all those more learned [than I], but Scripture alone to reign, and not to interpret it by my own spirit or the spirit of any man, but I want to understand it by itself and its spirit.”

We do not ignore God’s individual gifting to those He has placed in the church. We celebrate these gifts, but we do not build the church upon them. The church must resist building God’s work with wood, hay, and stubble. We must focus, not on personalities or programs, but on Scripture Alone! We must return to the very focal point of the central message of God’s Word,

Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

When, with Paul, we choose to focus on “…Nothing beyond what is written,”we place Jesus Christ on the throne and make His Word alone our sole authority in all matters of faith and practice. We see that the power of God is not in our delivery but in the substance of our message. We discover that the entire message of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is – Jesus Christ and Him Crucified! We stand with Paul as he writes,

1 Corinthians 4:20: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” CSB

Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew,  and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” CSB

The world does not need more flashy churches, preachers with slick delivery and style, worship teams with skilled musicians and dazzling light shows. The world needs churches that are faithfully proclaiming the unchanging Word of God. Pastors who refuse to go “…beyond what is written.”. And, congregations who lay down their consumer mentality and stop asking “What do they have for me?”, and begin asking…

“What can I do for God’s Kingdom?”.

It is not the big church on the corner that will change the course of human events. It is the faithful church that never makes the headlines. The pastor who pores over the Scriptures prayerfully and prepares their messages to lift up and glorify Jesus Christ. The worship teams that lead us to the throne room and the presence of God without any need for applause or fanfare. It is God’s Army, equipped with the everlasting Gospel, being faithful to the written Word of God, refusing to go “…beyond what is written,” and preaching the eternal message for the ages…

Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Heavenly Father, may it be so!

In Jesus’ Name!