Will You Be A Fool for Christ?
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
06/16/2021
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
It is getting harder and harder to find a good fool these days. Recently I spoke nine times at events in three different states over fifteen days. We traveled by car across nine states in all, and rarely did I come across a bona fide fool. I had high expectations at one particular conference in Tulsa. Several hundred Christians packed into an auditorium at a Marriott hotel, and I was on the lookout for a few good fools. As I got up to speak, I thought to myself, “Surely this place must be loaded with them.” Indeed, there were a few, but not many.
Where have all the fools gone? There was a time when churches were chockfull of fools. But that is not true anymore. In times past, a quick survey of the cultural landscape would reveal a host of fools who stood out among the crowd. They were unique in their appearance, bold in their beliefs, and persuasive in their influence. Two thousand years ago a band of such fools “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) They were called Christians.
But over time these avant-garde fools have become the ensemble of the easily influenced. Rather than resembling a stew pot where the Christian component remains distinct from the other ingredients in the kettle, this world has become a melting pot of compromise and equivocation where most Christians are unwilling or unable to be different. No longer do we see a noticeable contrast between the attitudes and behaviors of Christ-followers and the worldview of the populace.
It occurs to me that what the world needs most in these troubling times are more fools. The world is filled with people who are “wise in their own eyes” and do not “fear the Lord” (Proverbs 3:7). They are a dime a dozen. But such worldly wisdom is useless. “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile” (1 Corinthians. 3:20). What is desperately needed are Christians who are willing to be “fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians. 4:10).
The world needs more Christians who understand that “the message of the cross is foolishness” to the average person. We need Christians who do not mind the moniker “fool” because they realize that the “foolishness of the message they preach” is precisely what the world needs! The foolishness of the cross is the only hope for a lost and dying world (1 Corinthians 1:18-20).
Christians who blend in with the world, adopt secular thinking, and seek the approval of the masses, have forgotten that the “wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians. 3:19). Would you rather be a fool in God’s eyes or the world’s eyes? The Apostle Paul put it well when he wrote, “If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians. 3:18). Do you want to know what we really need if we are truly going to change the world? Just a few good fools.
06/16/2021
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
It is getting harder and harder to find a good fool these days. Recently I spoke nine times at events in three different states over fifteen days. We traveled by car across nine states in all, and rarely did I come across a bona fide fool. I had high expectations at one particular conference in Tulsa. Several hundred Christians packed into an auditorium at a Marriott hotel, and I was on the lookout for a few good fools. As I got up to speak, I thought to myself, “Surely this place must be loaded with them.” Indeed, there were a few, but not many.
Where have all the fools gone? There was a time when churches were chockfull of fools. But that is not true anymore. In times past, a quick survey of the cultural landscape would reveal a host of fools who stood out among the crowd. They were unique in their appearance, bold in their beliefs, and persuasive in their influence. Two thousand years ago a band of such fools “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) They were called Christians.
But over time these avant-garde fools have become the ensemble of the easily influenced. Rather than resembling a stew pot where the Christian component remains distinct from the other ingredients in the kettle, this world has become a melting pot of compromise and equivocation where most Christians are unwilling or unable to be different. No longer do we see a noticeable contrast between the attitudes and behaviors of Christ-followers and the worldview of the populace.
It occurs to me that what the world needs most in these troubling times are more fools. The world is filled with people who are “wise in their own eyes” and do not “fear the Lord” (Proverbs 3:7). They are a dime a dozen. But such worldly wisdom is useless. “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile” (1 Corinthians. 3:20). What is desperately needed are Christians who are willing to be “fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians. 4:10).
The world needs more Christians who understand that “the message of the cross is foolishness” to the average person. We need Christians who do not mind the moniker “fool” because they realize that the “foolishness of the message they preach” is precisely what the world needs! The foolishness of the cross is the only hope for a lost and dying world (1 Corinthians 1:18-20).
Christians who blend in with the world, adopt secular thinking, and seek the approval of the masses, have forgotten that the “wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians. 3:19). Would you rather be a fool in God’s eyes or the world’s eyes? The Apostle Paul put it well when he wrote, “If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians. 3:18). Do you want to know what we really need if we are truly going to change the world? Just a few good fools.
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