In yesterday's study Paul reminded the church at Corinth that he didn't preach with big fancy words. He didn't put on an impressive show. The power of his preaching was the gospel message itself, which is about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
He continues in this theme, "And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Paul was a highly educated man and could speak and write in several languages. He was trained by the best scholars and could have debated with any of the Greek philosophers. He could have used the same type of oratory skills that the people of Corinth were used to witnessing. But he wanted nothing to hinder the gospel message. He wanted all the citizens of Corinth, educated or not, to understand what Christ had done for them. So the message he preached was simple: Jesus Christ crucified. This means that Paul must have preached to them that they had sinned and had fallen from the grace of God, but that Jesus Christ was crucified for their sins, and that Jesus Christ rose from the dead as proof that God had accepted His sacrifice on behalf of mankind. That is all anyone needs to know to be saved.
We don't have to be gifted speakers to share the gospel. We don't even have to be courageous, for Paul says he preached the gospel while trembling. And yet the message was still effective, for the power of the message comes from God and not from man.
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing." (1 Corinthians 2:6) To those who are already in Christ and are growing in the faith, Paul could speak about deeper matters. With them he could delve into all areas of Scripture to give instructions for daily living and answer questions to help them clear up areas of confusion and doubt. But with those who are not yet in Christ, all he could preach is the gospel, because that is the starting point.
"No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) Though God had declared many things regarding the Messiah through the prophets, the leaders of Jesus' own nation did not accept Him. The leaders of Rome did not either, the Jewish laws and prophecies being mysterious and obscure to their pagan way of thinking. But Paul says if they had understood what God has been saying since the beginning about the Messiah, they would have recognized Him. They would not have crucified Him; they would have crowned Him the King of kings.
Paul says he felt weak while he preached, because he recognized his human inability to save anyone. But he preached anyway, though he was fearful and trembling, because he knew who could save his listeners: the Lord Jesus Christ. We can do the same. We can share the gospel, both in words and in our Christian attitude, with those we interact with. It doesn't have to be a formal lesson. It definitely doesn't have to be a lecture. It could simply mean sharing a testimony with a lost friend while shopping with them or while having lunch with them. It could mean talking about Jesus with a lost co-worker and telling them what Jesus has done in our lives. Like Paul, we don't have to be gifted speakers. We don't have to be trained to debate with anyone. All we have to do is share the message that Paul shared: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
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