The madness of the gospel or the madness of evangelicals?
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the word of the cross is foolishness to the carnal mind and natural to those who are perishing (1 Cor 1:18, 21, 23, 2:14, 3:19). Himself was called crazy by Festo when he announced this word (Acts 26.24). Just before passing through Athens, was to scorn the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers to announce by the cross and resurrection (Acts 17:18-32). The Gospel will always seem crazy to the unregenerate man. However, that there be ashamed if we considered crazy by announcing the cross and resurrection. As Peter wrote, if we suffer, it is because we are Christians and not as a murderer or thief, or evildoer, or as one who meddles in other business (1 Peter 4:15-16).
Along the same line, in the letter he wrote to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul, at one point, asking them to avoid seem crazy: "If therefore the whole church be come together in the same place, and if you put all the speaking in tongues, if unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say, perhaps, that you are mad? " (1 Cor 14:23). Ie, the apostle did not want the Christians gave to the world for reasons that call us crazy unless the preaching of the cross.
Unfortunately evangelicals - or one of them - did not listen to the words of Paul, that is true try not seem crazy. There is so much in the evangelical foolishness, lack wisdom, superstition, ridiculous things, we just give the enemies of Christ a stick to beat us. We are ridiculed, despised, we become to scorn, not to preach Christ and Him crucified, but by nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, all done in the name of Jesus Christ.
What do you think the world thinks of a vision where chickens speak in tongues and interpret a rooster speaking on behalf of God, bringing a prophetic revelation to a pastor? We can say that the ridicule that this causes is a result of the preaching of the cross? Or the pastor top, that after speaking tongues and prophesy, spins as a result of God's anointing? Or "anointing Lion" allegedly received from God during concert gospel, which makes the person walking on all fours like an animal on stage?
I know I will argue that God spoke through Balaam's donkey, and chickens can talk through anointed. But the difference is that the donkey spoke it. Nobody had a vision in which she spoke. And he must have spoken the language of Balaam, not tongues. At that time lacked prophets - God only had a donkey to rebuke Balaam mercenary. I would have no problem if a whole henhouse speak Portuguese in the absence of men and women of God in this nation. But I do not think this is the case.
I know that God sent prophets prophesy and walk naked and doing weird things like hide leather belts to rot. And he sent another eats locusts and wild honey and dressing in animal skins. All this made sense at the time, where the written revelation, the Bible, was not ready, and where these prophets were God's instruments for their special and infallible revelation. I do not see any resemblance between the pion pastor, Pastor lioness and the prophet Isaiah, who walked naked and barefoot for three years as a symbol of what God would do to Egypt and Ethiopia (Isa. 20:2-4).
I know that the world will always mock the believers, but this mockery, as Paul wanted, is the result of the preaching of the cross, the proclamation of the truths of the Gospel, and not the fruit of our own folly.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of madness, but the madness of some who call themselves evangelicals.
Augustus Nicodemus
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