Where the Power Is
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
I once asked Billy Graham, "If you had it to do it all over again, are there things you would have emphasized as a younger preacher that maybe you are emphasizing now?" His response surprised me.
Without any hesitation, he said, "The cross of Christ and the blood. That's where the power is."
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I remembered that. I took note of it as a preacher: the cross of Christ and the blood. That is what he would emphasize more. That's where the power is.
It comes down to the cross. Any accurate presentation of the gospel comes down to the cross. You can talk about loneliness, and you can talk about hope and life beyond the grave. But it all comes down to the cross.
Paul said, "Let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. . . Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said" (1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4 NLT).
We need to remember this as Christians. Perhaps you don't consider yourself a theologian or the greatest intellect of all time. But you can tell the story of what Jesus did on the cross and how He died and shed His blood for us. There is power in that simple message. I have watched it transform people time and time again because God anoints it, blesses it, and He uses it to penetrate the defenses that people can put up.
Jesus died on the cross for us. That's where the power is.
