Strength we want it yet we resist it; we need it, yet we fear it; what is it about the strong that intimidates us, scares us, causes us to push away the very people we need? When we preach a gospel of salvation, which focuses on the cross and the weakness of Jesus crucified, suffering, dying, we actually create an image of Christianity as weak. We preach in our weakness He is strong. We love the idea of a shepherd carrying the one lost sheep on His shoulders. We picture God as this easy going, laid back, tolerant being in the sky of whom we can just come as we are to. We have been taught He will forgive us so we can live however we want; He loves us so we can do whatever we want; He will never forsake us so we can act however we want. The cross and the crucifixion was not a weak man being nailed to a tree, it was the ultimate sign of strength as God in flesh, who humbled Himself and died for the sins of humanity so they could have a relationship with divinity. It was the ultimate picture of strength, so much so, the Bible says if Satan knew what the death of Christ meant, he would not have incited the leaders to kill Him.

One of the reasons we don’t like strength is because we have seen anger and abuse not righteousness. Psalm 68:30 says it this way, “God, rebuke the beast-life that hides within us! Rebuke those who claim to be “strong ones,” who lurk within the congregation and abuse the people out of their love for money. God scatters the people who are spoiling for a fight.” When our history reveals strength as dictatorship, abuse, violence, rage, we actually repel the idea of strength because it was not presented to us as something safe. The challenge is, our response to strength hinders us as the church. Now we are easily offended, only want soft leaders with pastors hearts and mercy gifts. So, when God wants to release to us Apostles and Prophets, we reject them because we think they will abuse us, hurt us, attack us and we don’t realize they came to help us, rescue us, protect us. Their strength scares us so we reject the ones God sent to rescue us.

Psalm 68:28-29 says “Display your strength, God, and we’ll be strong! For your miracles have made us who we are. Lord, do it again and parade from your temple your mighty power. By your command even kings will bring gifts to you.” Who God is displayed as by the leaders in the church is who the body of Christ resonates with. God is trying to display strength to us, power to us, victory to us, but these only come with strength. We must quit resisting what God is sending to us, or we are not going to be rescued from this mess we are in as the church and the world. We need a strong Savior, who has conquered sin, hell and the grave, and this display of who God is, comes through the gifts called the Apostles and Prophets, then is established by the Teachers. We are long overdue for those who can build us inside strong not just comfort us when we are weak.