THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”  (Colossians 1:15-20 NKJV)

The Cross of Christ is the heart of the Gospel. It takes the entire Bible to explain it. All our teaching must relate to that, like all the spokes and rim and tires of a wheel relate to the axis. Jesus is the center, the pivot. Everything else will fit into place around Jesus. Indeed the entire Word of God revolves around Him. If Christ is not the hub the wheel will wobble and break. 

-- Reinhard Bonnke in “Christ for All Nations”

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THE CENTERPIECE OF SALVATION

“But we preach Christ crucified…”  (1 Corinthians 1: 23a)

A centerpiece is the central or most important feature. Centerpieces tend to be the focus or center of attention. Anyone who has ever attended a wedding should be familiar with centerpieces. The centerpiece of the wedding is the bride; the centerpiece of the reception is the couple. The centerpiece of Philosophy is the love of wisdom. The centerpiece of Science is knowledge, knowing how things work. The centerpiece of History is facts. The centerpiece of most religions is works. The most important centerpiece of all time is God’s centerpiece, the Cross. The Cross is the centerpiece between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Cross was the centerpiece of Calvary; Jesus hung on the cross between two thieves. The Cross is the centerpiece of Salvation.

-- Billy Hicks in a sermon entitled “The Centerpiece of the Gospel: The Cross”

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