Christ is an Irresistable Force!

Sometime around 56 A.D., the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth. The purpose of the letter was to address and correct the occurring immorality and divisions that had arisen there. In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he writes, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” I draw your attention to where Paul says he feels “compelled” to preach.

Webster’s defines “compel” as: to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly, in Paul’s case, the irresistible force that drove him was Jesus Christ. We are compelled to do many things in our lives. But, out of all that compels us, and all that drives us, how much do we really let Christ influence our daily lives? Do we pay attention to that irresistible force that is contained within each and every one of us?

I recently ran across a story about a man who was arrested for acting strangely near a construction site. According to witnesses, prior to his arrest, the man recited a prayer, kissed the ground, and then told confused onlookers that he worked for Jesus. He then proceeded to park his car near a construction site.

The incident prompted calls to the local police who quickly responded. A bomb squad was dispatched to search the man’s vehicle primarily because he abandoned his care near the construction zone, in addition to his unusual behavior. In the end, the car was cleared of any potential danger.

What happened to the gentleman? It turns out that he wasn’t arrested for anything that had to do with his vehicle, or his initial odd behavior. Before he was seized by the authorities, he had been handing out money and offering prayers to people. He was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct.

Imagine Paul being alive today in our modern world, and encountering this gentleman on that particular day. What would Paul have done? Would he have thought this man was acting outlandishly? Or would he have thought this man a devoted believer? One thing is for certain, the man in the story felt “compelled” to do what he did. After all, did he not tell the gathering crowd that he worked for Jesus and offered prayers to them? What about the money he handed out? Jesus performed miracles to draw attention to His message. Both methods served their purpose.

Matthew Henry stated that,” by preaching the gospel, freely, the apostle (Paul) showed that he acted from principles of zeal and love, and thus enjoyed much comfort and hope in his soul.” I’d like to think that the praying man in this story felt the same way, and was willing to risk persecution for it. “Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.” 1 Corinthians 15:11 (NIV)

~Eve