BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

the truth as if it's fi ction." What a telling response! People want something real. They want the truth, even if they don't realize it. We, the Body of Christ, have that truth, and we need to share it with the world with boldness and clarity. But let me warn you: When we do, we will take some heat. A History of Foolishness In this current climate, a lot of people look at the Church like we're crazy. Instead of hearing the truth of the Word of God, they're leaning on their man-made, man-approved philosophies. This isn't anything new. In Acts 18:1-17, we read that Paul founded a church in Corinth, the most important city in Greece at that time. It was a bustling hub of commerce, culture and religion. In that place, he was dealing with an intellectual crowd who relied on reason and human thought and had no understanding of the things of God. In his fi rst letter to those Corinthians, Paul addressed this exact issue. He wrote: For the message of the cross is foolishnessto those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise person?Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:18-20, New International Version). The message of the Cross is still foolishness to our humanistic, intellectual world. As preachers, our whole profession is foolishness to them. These last few years have been crazy, but even in this season, Jesse Duplantis Ministries has thrived. We reached 15 million new people through social media. But when I began to preach about what fueled the pandemic, which was fear, the social media sites took down my videos! God was gracious though. He still grew our ministry and allowed us to reach more people than we've ever reached before, praise God! News commentators, political pundits and television personalities all think we've missed it. They think preachers, pastors and the Body of Christ are dumb, but we aren't. Agnostics and atheists can't understand why we teach and rely on the Word of God. To them, it's foolishness. It's no wonder they call us idiots. That's what happened in Athens. The unbelievers thought Paul was the biggest idiot they'd ever seen. They called him a babbler. His story, the gospel, made no sense to them, but it didn't matter what they thought. God's truth still stood strong. His Word stands. His Son stands. It may be foolishness to the world, but it's life to those who believe. Nothing Supersedes the Gospel When Paul arrived in Athens, he talked about Jesus—a Jew—who had been crucifi ed on a cross. The intellectuals of that area—the Greeks—wondered, Why does that Jewish man matter to me? They thought the gospel Paul preached was absurd. They thought that since the Romans crucifi ed Jesus, He must have been a criminal. They couldn't understand why Paul wanted them to worship Him. But Paul was smart. He knew that while the intellectuals could deliver philosophy, they couldn't deliver truth. One day Paul spoke to the intellectuals in Athens right where they were, addressing an altar that was central to their culture: For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things…. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his o spring (Acts 17:23-25, 28). 1 0 : B V O V Jesse Duplantis is founder and president of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, with international headquarters in Louisiana and of ces in the U.K. and Australia. For more information, visit jdm.org. C H A N N E L C H A N N E L Sun. 8 a.m. | 4 p.m. | Mon. 8 a.m. Sat. 7a.m. | 8 p.m. | midnight ET Watch Jesse Duplantis on i

• Cover