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SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 KINGS 17:8-16

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-31

JOHN 2:1-11

SUNDAY REFLECTION

“The Gospel, the power of God” is the theme for our reflection. The Gospel is another word of the Good News. John 3:16-17 gives the meaning and summary of the Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” We shall deliberate on two reasons why the Gospel is the power of God.

1. The Gospel is the power of God because it reveals the truth about God to us.
2. The Gospel is the power of God because it brings transformation into our lives.

First, it is important to understand that the Gospel is the power of God because through it we come to know the truth about God. The Gospel is about God’s intervention in human affairs so that humanity will experience the glory and power of God. Although the person of Jesus was not vividly revealed to many of the Israelites, we know Jesus had always existed therefore He preceded all who came before Him and indeed has been part of God’s intervention in human affairs, it is for this purpose, John 1:1-4 reveals to us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:1-4). This means that all the Prophets including Elijah operated under the power of the Word, indeed they could not have spoken without any authority unless that which was given to them through the Word. It is this Word that carries power and this Word is Jesus Christ. After God had caused flour and oil to be in abundance and also healed the widow of Zarephath’s son through His Word given to Prophet Elijah, the Woman confessed “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” (1 Kings 17:24). Dear friend, without the Word of the Lord which is the Gospel or the revelation of God’s work in our lives, we shall lack the Truth or knowledge of who God in our lives. The Gospel is the Word of God concerning God’s act of redemption in human affairs and it is the only Truth we must proclaim to the World. It is through this Truth that the world will experience the power and salvation of the Lord. It is, for this reason, Jesus said that “If you hold to my teaching (WORD or GOSPEL), you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32). Elijah spoke the Word of God, the Gospel or the Truth of God to the Widow of Zerephat, she believed it and she was set free from hunger and dearth, It is the Word of God that came from the prophet that resurrected her son. Similarly, the Gospel must not only be read or heard but we must believe and know that the Word of the Lord that came from the mouth of Jesus is the truth and the truth shall set us free if we believe it. This Truth of the Gospel teaches us, that God loves us and gave His son for our redemption and salvation, if we repent and believe in Him we shall experience the grace and glory of God in our lives. Do you believe the Gospel which is able to liberate us from the shackles of moral corruption and spiritual bondage? The Gospel, also known as the Word of God or the Truth has come to you again, how have received it?

Secondly, the Gospel is the power of God because wherever the Gospel is found there is transformation. Jesus, who is the Gospel or the Word of Truth was invited to a wedding ceremony at Canaan. Imagine wine getting finished in the middle of your wedding ceremony? Your guest will feel dissatisfied and certainly rate your wedding ceremony as poorly organised and this may certainly be the talk of the town. To avoid this disgrace, Mary, the mother of Jesus said to servants “…Do whatever he(Jesus) tells you.” (John 2:5). They obeyed Him and the water they poured into the jars “…had been turned into wine.” (John 2:9). Dear friend, obedience to Jesus, who is the Word and the Gospel of God enables us to experience transformation in our hopeless situation. It is for this reason, Paul enlightened the Corinthian Christians about the ramification of disobeying the Gospel and on the other hand, the transformation it brings to those who obey it, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18). To further explain the transformational power of the Gospel in the lives of those who believe in our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are,” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28) Dear friend, if you have not yet experienced transformation in your spiritual and moral life since you had an encounter with the Gospel then it means your discipleship is questionable, anywhere the Gospel is preached through the power of the Holy Spirit there must be a transformation. We cannot continue to live in sin after we have believed in the Gospel, there must be a transformation through genuine repentance and allowing Jesus to reign in our hearts. All the disciples and other people like Zecchaeus, Nicodemus and many others who truly came to Jesus with repentance and faith, experienced the transformational power of the Gospel. After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the Gospel and Luke reported that “When the people heard this(the Gospel), they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words, he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:37-41) Truly, the Gospel is the power of God and it brings about transformation in the lives of those who believe in it.

In summary, we have meditated on them, “The Gospel, the Power of God”, and we discovered two important facts about the Gospel as the power of God, these facts are: the Gospel is the power of God because it reveals to us the truth about God’s glory and redemptive work in the affairs of humanity. and again, the Gospel is the power of God because it brings transformation into our lives. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to remain transformed through the power of the Gospel even as we continue to preach it for the salvation of many. Amen.