2nd Sunday after Epiphany 15 Jan 2012

Dr Lutz Ackermann (Christ Church, Polokwane)

The Power and the Spirit (1 Cor 2 1!1") #race and Peace $e with %ou &rom our Lord 'esus Christ( )#nade sei mit *uch und +riede ,on #ott und ,on unserem -errn 'esus Christus. Last week &or two da%s / sat in m% o&&ice and read a $ook( That is 0uite unusual1 normall% / am ,er% $us% on the computer most o& the time( 2ut on Tuesda% and 3ednesda% / ne,er e,en touched the ke%$oard o& m% desktop in the o&&ice 4 and i& / did, nothin5 happened, the screen remained dead6 $ecause there was no power7 A&ter a hu5e thunderstorm the electricit% went o&& on the whole campus and it took them two da%s to restore it to workin5 condition( / am mentionin5 this to remind us, how di&&icult our e,er%da% li&e can $e at times without electrical power( (And / hear that happens not onl% in Limpopo)( 2ut then the same is true in a ,er% di&&erent sense( 3e use the word 8power9 not onl% when we talk a$out the ph%sical power which dri,es our computers or 5i,es us li5ht( 3e also use the word power in a metaphorical wa%( 3hen we are tired and e:hausted a&ter a lon5 da% we ma% sa% we &eel powered!out( ;r, when somethin5 (like a 5ood education) allows us to $e success&ul in li&e, we sa% that it empowers us( /n the $i$lical te:t which we read earlier we hear the Apostel Paul, as he 5oes on a$out a power o& a special kind( /n his letter to the Corinthians, he sa%s

2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

8So when / came to %ou, / was weak and trem$led all o,er with &ear, and m% teachin5 and messa5e were not deli,ered with skill&ul words o& human wisdom, $ut with con,incin5 proo& o& the power o& #od<s Spirit( =our &aith, then, does not rest on human wisdom $ut on #od<s power(9 So, he talks a$out his work o& a preacher, he talks a$out the proclamation o& the #ospel( And he talks a$out an e:perience that man% preachers o& the #ospel ha,e made up to this da% that in ,iew o& the messa5e that he or she has to proclaim, a preacher ma% well &eel rather inade0uate( / sometimes &eel ner,ous, 5et a dr% mouth and start sweatin5 when / am supposed to preach( >ow that also happens when / ha,e to 5i,e a talk at the uni,ersit% or at a con&erence( /t is ?ust the stress o& speakin5 in &ront o& people( (also &eein5 inade0uate when not well prepared) 2ut when / am preachin5, there is also somethin5 else 5oin5 on1 $ecause preachin5 is more than an act o& 8pu$lic speakin59( @ather it is a pu$lic speakin5 on $ehal& o& #od7 An%one, who would not &eel inade0uate, when he or she is supposed to speak on #odAs $ehal&, would $e a &ool7 2ut then Paul makes a ,er% interestin5 o$ser,ation the impact o& his preachin5 is not caused $% 8skill&ul words o& human wisdom9, as he calls it( @ather, there is somethin5 else at work the power o& #od and the Spirit o& #od7 >ow this power he speaks o&, thatAs not ?ust a wa% o& compensatin5 &or his weakness, &ear and trem$lin5( >or is it #odAs wa% to &ill in, where there is a lack o& a$ilit% on the side o& the preacher( 3e know that Paul was 5reat at &indin5 and producin5 wise and inspirin5 words, at least in his letters1 $ut
2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

surel%, someone who is a$le, intellectuall%, to write letters like Paul did, would also ha,e $een a$le to deli,er sermons, which had 5ot su$stance, which had 5ot somethin5 to sa%( >o, &rom what the Apostle sa%s here, it was a rather deli$erate choice, &or his messa5e to $e simple( And the reason has 5ot to do with the result he wanted to achie,e( 2ecause preachin5, in Pauls understandin5, is supposed to create and nurture &aith( And, he sa%s =our &aith, then, does not rest on human wisdom $ut on #od<s power( So, a &aith that is restin5 upon the power o& #od is created $% a wa% o& preachin5, which is restin5 upon the power o& #od( And where does that power come &romB +or Paul it is ,er% clear the Spirit o& #od( >ow make no mistake, this is not some &orm o& anti! intellectualism( / want to repeat it the apostle Paul, as a writer and as a preacher, was ,er% well a$le to produce con,incin5 ar5uments( And we can see that in the second part o& the te:t he ,alued wisdom and understandin5( The% are important &or &aith to 5row( 2ut Paul also knows that 5reat words, the% can impress and the% can enrich 4 $ut the% cannot chan5e li,es( /t is the power o& #od and the Spirit o& #od that chan5es li,es( Paul knew that ,er% well( ;n the wa% to Damascus, #od had chan5ed his li&e 4 not onl% $% speakin5 to his mind 4 $ut $% a demonstration o& power( /n the ei5hties there was a pastor in Cali&ornia, who spoke a$out 8power9 all the time and we ha,e learned &rom him a lot( -is name was 'ohn 3im$er (some o& %ou ma% know him), and he used to talk a$out 8power e,an5elism9, 8power healin59, 8power
2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

encounter9 and so on( +or him, the proclamation o& the #ospel had to do with words $ein5 spoken and power $ein5 demonstrated( The power o& #od, the power o& #odAs Spirit7 And in man% o& his seminars and con&erences, this was not ?ust a theoretical concept1 this was e:actl% what he did and what he tau5ht others to do7 3hat is this 8power o& #od9B /t is 8#od at work79 And it is here, at the +riedenskirche7 2ecause here is where #od is at work( / am sa%in5 that, not $ecause %ou are so special 4 $ut $ecause #od is special( / am sa%in5 that, not $ecause %ou are such 5reat and wonder&ul $elie,ers (ma%$e %ou areB) 4 $ut $ecause our #od is a 5reat and wonder&ul #od7 3e ma% not alwa%s $e a$le to reco5nize #odAs work, $ecause when we hear a$out the 8power o& #od9, ma%$e we think o& 5reat re,i,als, o& si5ns and wonders and healin5, o& mi5ht% outpourin5 o& the Spirit( And it is true, thatAs what we can e:pect &rom #od and it is m% pra%er that %ou will e:perience all that amon5st %ou( 2ut the power o& #od doesnAt alwa%s show itsel& in a $i5 and loud wa%( /& it did, we mi5ht not $e a$le to $ear it( /n &act, it all starts hum$l%, with the cross( Paul sa%s Amon5 %ou6 / made up m% mind to &or5et e,er%thin5 e:cept 'esus Christ and especiall% his death on the cross( Can% Christians down the centuries ha,e e:perienced the power o& #od in ,er% hum$le wa%s 4 $ut in li&e!chan5in5 wa%s( ;,er the Christmas holida%s / read a $ook $% a lad% &rom -olland (her name is Corrie ten 2oom) who, durin5 the in,asion in 33// helped persecuted 'ews to hide and to &lee( And she (and her sister and her &ather, who were a &amil% o& ordinar% watchmakers) did that, $ecause she was a Christian1 she did it in the power o&
2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

#od and in the Spirit o& #od7 And she e:perienced that power o& #od, as #od protected her and others( ;r, think o& a ,er% di&&erent person in the histor% o& this countr% Ste,en 2ico( -e spoke a lot a$out 8power9 and 8empowerment9 and he had to su&&er and he was persecuted &or it( 2ut one o& the sources that ener5ized him was his Christian &aith( 3ithout the power o& #od at work in his li&e, could he ha,e said and done what he did sa% and doB And so / could 5o on ,er% di&&erent people, &rom the most prominent and cele$rated Christians to the most unknown ones (let me call them the saints &rom around the corner) 4 the% ha,e e:perienced the power o& #od and the% ha,e li,ed and still do li,e in that power( So this is not somethin5 &or the super!heros amon5 the $elie,ers 4 there is no such thin57 /t is ,er% &undamental to the Christian &aith itsel&( An%one who is a &ollower o& 'esus Christ 0uali&ies &or a li&e in the power o& the li,in5 #od( That is what $ein5 a Christian is all a$out7 3hat no e%e has seen, what no ear has heard 4 #od has re,ealed it( And it is in the power o& #od and throu5h the Spirit o& #od that we ha,e access to #odAs new horizon &or our li&e( As we continue this ser,ice, as we turn to #od in pra%er and as we ha,e communion with him and with each other, let us do so with the e:pectation that #odAs power will trans&orm our li,es( /& Paul sa%s that &or our &aith this power o& #od is more important than 8$i5 words and 5reat learnin59, we should $e more than ea5er to come under the in&luence o& this power 4 and that means, under the in&luence o& #odAs Spirit7 / donAt know, in which area o& %our li,es some o& %ou &eel a need to e:perience #odAs power &or themsel,esB +or someone, who is
2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

unemplo%ed, he or she mi5ht cr% out Lord show %our power in m% li&e $% helpin5 me to &ind a ?o$( +or someone, who su&&ers o& an addiction o& some kind, he or she mi5ht realize onl% the power o& #od can help me out o& this7 +or someone, who is sick or in some other desperate situation, the% mi5ht come to a point where the% e:perience the power o& #od is 5reater than these challen5es( +or someone, who stru55les in relationships there mi5ht $e this 5reat need &or #ods power to inter,ene and to $rin5 healin5 and &or5i,eness( +or someone who is su&&erin5 &rom a low sel&!esteem or &rom ,arious &orms o& inner $onda5e the power o& #od can set %ou &ree and empower %ou to li,e the li&e #od wants %ou to li,e to $e &ull% ali,e in his Spirit7 And there ma% $e man% other wa%s, in which some o& us will sa% %es, / need this power, %es / want this power to $ecome real in m% li&e( 3hen there is a power &ailure in our electricit% 5rid, it ma% incon,enience us( 2ut i& there is a lack o& #odAs power in our li,es, we are 5ettin5 nowhere( So, it is m% pra%er &or all o& us that we will encounter #ods power and #ods Spirit in our li,es 4 toda%( *ach one in the wa% that he or she needs it( Amen( And now, ma% the 5race o& our Lord 'esus Christ, the lo,e o& #od and the &ellowship o& the -ol% Spirit $e with us and remain with us now and &ore,er7

2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

3hen / came to %ou, m% &riends, to preach #od<s secret truth, / did not use $i5 words and 5reat learnin5( +or while / was with %ou, / made up m% mind to &or5et e,er%thin5 e:cept 'esus Christ and especiall% his death on the cross( So when / came to %ou, / was weak and trem$led all o,er with &ear, and m% teachin5 and messa5e were not deli,ered with skill&ul words o& human wisdom, $ut with con,incin5 proo& o& the power o& #od<s Spirit( =our &aith, then, does not rest on human wisdom $ut on #od<s power( =et / do proclaim a messa5e o& wisdom to those who are spirituall% mature( 2ut it is not the wisdom that $elon5s to this world or to the powers that rule this world!!!powers that are losin5 their power( The wisdom / proclaim is #od<s secret wisdom, which is hidden &rom human $ein5s, $ut which he had alread% chosen &or our 5lor% e,en $e&ore the world was made( >one o& the rulers o& this world knew this wisdom( /& the% had known it, the% would not ha,e cruci&ied the Lord o& 5lor%( -owe,er, as the scripture sa%s, D3hat no one e,er saw or heard, what no one e,er thou5ht could happen, is the ,er% thin5 #od prepared &or those who lo,e him(D 2ut it was to us that #od made known his secret $% means o& his Spirit( The Spirit searches e,er%thin5, e,en the hidden depths o& #od<s purposes( (1Co 2 1!1")

2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE

)End der +riede #ottes, welcher hoeher ist als alle Fernun&t, $ewahre unsere -erzen und Sinne in 'esus Christus, unserem -errn7 Amen7.

End ich, lie$e 2rGder, da ich zu euch kam, kam ich nicht mit hohen 3orten oder hoher 3eisheit, euch zu ,erkGndi5en die 5Httliche Predi5t( Denn ich hielt mich nicht da&Gr, daI ich etwas wGIte unter euch, als allein 'esum Christum, den #ekreuzi5ten( End ich war $ei euch mit Schwachheit und mit +urcht und mit 5roIem Jittern1 und mein 3ort und meine Predi5t war nicht in ,ernGn&ti5en @eden menschlicher 3eisheit, sondern in 2eweisun5 des #eistes und der Kra&t, au& daI euer #lau$e $estehe nicht au& Censchenweisheit, sondern au& #ottes Kra&t( 3o,on wir a$er reden, das ist dennoch 3eisheit $ei den Follkommenen1 nicht eine 3eisheit dieser 3elt, auch nicht der ;$ersten dieser 3elt, welche ,er5ehen( Sondern wir reden ,on der heimlichen, ,er$or5enen 3eisheit #ottes, welche #ott ,erordnet hat ,or der 3elt zu unsrer -errlichkeit, welche keiner ,on den ;$ersten dieser 3elt erkannt hat1 denn so sie die erkannt hLtten, hLtten sie den -*@@> der -errlichkeit nicht 5ekreuzi5t( Sondern wie 5eschrie$en steht D3as kein Au5e 5esehen hat und kein ;hr 5ehHrt hat und in keines Censchen -erz 5ekommen ist, was #ott $ereitet hat denen, die ihn lie$en(D Ens a$er hat es #ott o&&en$art durch seinen #eist1 denn der #eist er&orscht alle Din5e, auch die Tie&en der #ottheit( (1Co 2 1!1")

2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE