You can achieve the best results in the worst circumstances for yourself, your family, for the future of your church and for your community and nation. Maybe you are finding life very tough right now but the Bible tells us how we can overcome every challenge and see great victories. What seems impossible humanly is possible with God. Everything can change when we follow God’s ways and live by God’s power. The light of Jesus can shine even in the most difficult times and places.
In the Bible one of the greatest churches in the world began in the most intimidating and unlikely circumstances in the city of Corinth. When the apostle Paul came to Corinth, it was one of the major cities of the Roman Empire, a bustling business centre. It was a city of so-called sophistication and widespread sexual immorality. It was a hostile, unreceptive and cynical environment and Paul felt weak and insignificant when faced with the challenge of going there to spread Christianity. But despite this, both he and the gospel were to make a great impact. We learn more of the story in Acts 18 and in the apostle’s two letters to the great Corinthian church that was established.
Here we see some of the keys to achieving the best results in the worst of circumstances:
1. Depend totally on the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:3-5)
2. Preach the good news of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:23-25; Romans 1:16)
3. Receive the vision of God (Acts 18:9-10)
4. Keep going (Acts 18:1-8, 11)
Apply
Is the Holy Spirit your senior partner? Do you cultivate a daily prayerful relationship with Him? Do you depend on Him for strength and direction? Do you live by the Spirit? How much do you try to achieve in your own strength? How much do you rely on your skills and resources? The apostle Paul was a brilliant intellectual, trained under top leadership, and part of the Jewish elite. But he realised he was up against spiritual principalities and powers in Corinth and that only the power of God could equip him to succeed in such a place (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). You too will face times in life and ministry where you feel you have done and said all you can but when you recognise that you are powerless to bring about change. Maybe you can’t get your marriage to change, your family or finances to change, your group to change or your culture to change. So, then what? Well we must learn to do what we should do from start to finish in any situation, which is to ‘depend on the Holy Spirit.’ Jesus promised that when He returned to heaven his disciples would not be left as orphans but that the Holy Spirit, would come to guide and empower them. The Holy Spirit is God-a real person that we can know as a friend and partner. This dependence on the Holy Spirit was one of the big secrets of the success of Dr Cho. He often said: 'the Holy Spirit is my senior partner'. To experience God and to be used by God we must recognise our weakness, surrender our fears and depend fully on the Holy Spirit.
Are you ashamed of the gospel? Are you embarrassed about identifying with Jesus at work or in your social circles? Do you try to play down the message of the Cross? Are you more focussed on trying to be cool than clearly and boldly speaking about Christ and His power to save, heal and bring deliverance? Paul didn't get side-tracked from the central message of the gospel or try to impress people with natural wisdom or eloquence (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). Paul recognised that the emphasis on the Cross was an offence to many people, as it is today with its emphasis on blood and brutal crucifixion (1 Corinthians 1:23-25). Yet however much the world may mock or reject the message of the Cross, you need to be sure that it is only through the blood of Jesus that people can be washed clean of their sin, set free from powers of evil and healed to live a new life of hope, meaning and conquest. Paul knew that the Corinthians, for all their outward show of money and human boasting, needed a big inner clean up in their lives. And so he confidently proclaimed the key message they needed: the gospel (Romans 1:16). If we want to see blessings in tough places, just as the apostle Paul did, and as Dr Cho always encouraged, we must keep Jesus at the centre of our lives, our message and ministry.
Have you received the vision of God for your life? The apostle Paul faced opposition in Corinth as he did in most places, but he received a vision from God that framed the future of the church and ministry there (Acts 18:9-10). Just like Abraham had a vision of limitless descendants which he received by faith, so the apostle Paul saw that many people would come to Christ in the great city of Corinth. Visions can be human or demonic (e.g. Hitler’s vision of a Jew-free super race) or from God. Of course, dreams and visions must always be consistent with the Bible’s teachings, but we need to understand as Pastor Cho often said: ‘dreams and visions are the language of the Holy Spirit.’ If you truly believe in the promises of God in the Bible, you should pray and take time to visualise change in your circumstances, in your family, in your finances and ministry. We should never have a mental image of defeat and stagnation but rather we should let God give us His vision for us of growth, favour and fruitfulness.
Have you stopped pursuing the destiny God has for you? Have you allowed opposition to discourage you from keeping going? The apostle Paul left Athens where he had not seen a great response, to open up a new ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:1-6). And as was his regular custom, every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. Paul didn’t give up when people opposed him and became abusive or when the going got tough (Acts 18:6-8). Paul reached his goal of winning multitudes in Corinth by changing his strategy but never giving up on his goal (Acts 18:11). Paul kept going in Corinth till he won through and saw a great church built. Thank God he did and thank God that the young, poor ex-Buddhist Pastor Cho never gave up on his call and dreams. Just imagine what can happen if we follow their example. The God of the apostle Paul and the God of Pastor Cho is still alive and can also work miracles in our lives and in our days when we follow in His ways.
