A Scent That Divides: The Gospel No One Can Ignore
The Fragrance of Christ in a Dark World is what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 2, which contains a passage with some of the most beautiful, picturesque, and evangelistic language Paul ever wrote. He speaks of the gospel as a fragrance, a life-giving aroma that should accompany the Christian wherever he goes: “Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Pause and let that sink in for a moment. Wherever you are this very minute, whether at work or at home, at school or online, you are giving off a fragrance. It is a constant, it never changes, it follows you wherever you go, and it is always the same: Christ Himself. But the result is very different according to who receives it. Listen to Paul: “To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life” (2 Corinthians 2:16).
This is why the gospel should be proclaimed with both joy and sobriety. To some, it will be the fragrance of life. They will hear the name of Jesus and it will be to them the smell of life, hope, grace, and salvation. To others, it will be the stench of death, for it will drive them to fear and despair, for it will reveal their sin and their need of a Saviour, which will make some hostile, even those who claim to be Christians who are really fakes and don’t really know Him. Jesus said, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Our fragrance is therefore not just kindness, love, and good deeds; it is the proclamation of Christ. That proclamation will be sweetness to the humble and bitterness to the proud. It will divide, for it lays bare the heart. This is why Paul exclaimed, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). The answer is: none of us, but only God by His grace can make us sufficient for this great task.
This also means that we must not distort or adulterate the fragrance so as to make it more palatable. Paul continued: “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Our calling is not to peddle God’s Word but to speak it plainly, whether men hate it or love it.
The question is, are we spreading the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ or are we covering it up with the scent of compromise? The Bible says: “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2).
The world today does not need pious mumbo jumbo. It does not need mere words and wishes. It needs to smell the true aroma of Christ through us, truth spoken in sincerity, love practiced in boldness, and a gospel that has not been neutered. Some will reject it, some will receive it. In either case, the fragrance will spread.
Job 28:1-30:31
2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Psalm 42:1-11
Proverbs 22:7
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New Testament: 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Summary: Triumph in Christ
Mere Peddlers – by Pastor Joe Griffo
Mere Peddlers – Click Here for Video
Many people only want to hear the teachings that center on prosperity, healings, and deliverance without paying heed to the other teachings of Christ. A preacher that deliberately builds his ministry on these can be said to peddle the word of God for profit.
Badland Barons
One of the Nine Gifts of the Spirit is God’s Gift of the Word of Wisdom which is one of the three Revelatory Gifts. All of the Old Testament prophets possessed this Gift as would a true prophet of today. Need I elaborate on the fact that if God truly gives a Prophetic Word to one of His Prophets that it will have any difficulty manifesting? …that any hindering or blocking spirit from the dark side could actually prevent a Prophetic Word from the Lord from taking place exactly as the Lord said it would when given to a True Prophet? If you don’t believe that, just ask Jonah. If God could be hindered by spirits of interference then God would not be God! When a man or a woman stands before a nation, or even a small congregation, and says, “Thus says the Lord” and it does not come to pass exactly as they say, that man or woman is a false prophet. They may be a novice with the best of intentions, hearing their own voice (as far too many do), yet all too willingly out of the great emotional zeal of the flesh they still proclaim, “Thus says the Lord!” …that, my friend, is False-Prophecy. On another hand, one may be hearing a word of deception from the evil one and mistake it for a Word from the Lord. These are novices in need of correction and Scriptural understanding. The Word of God says, “rebuke them sharply that they may become SOUND IN FAITH.” {Titus 1:13} The Gifts of the Spirit are not toys to be played with. False Prophecy, no matter who it comes from can be as devastating as Livin’ On The Gover’ment Plantation and is, In Deed, one of the things that have put us here! Read More
Color don’t mean nothin’, we all come from One Blood.
It happened in the Garden, It made it thru the Flood
Right is right, wrong it ain’t, what “lies” between the two
If we take to livin’ lies, Goodby Red, White, and Blue
GOVER’MENT PLANTATION by Will Callery ©William & Cynthia Pub. Co. ©2012 BMI
Overview: 2 Corinthians – Click Here
2 Corinthians 01-02 – Click Here
The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the “captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). How small all the other perspectives are! For example, the ones that say, “I am standing all alone, battling for Jesus,” or, “I have to maintain the cause of Christ and hold down this fort for Him.” But Paul said, in essence, “I am in the procession of a conqueror, and it doesn’t matter what the difficulties are, for I am always led in triumph.” Is this idea being worked out practically in us? Paul’s secret joy was that God took him as a blatant rebel against Jesus Christ, and made him a captive— and that became his purpose. It was Paul’s joy to be a captive of the Lord, and he had no other interest in heaven or on earth. It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37).
“We are to God the fragrance of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We are encompassed with the sweet aroma of Jesus, and wherever we go we are a wonderful refreshment to God.
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