Saturday 12 December, 2020

2 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. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

“I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Let that sit with you for a minute. It struck me as I read this passage this morning.

If it’s not stirring anything in you, perhaps reflect that the writer, Paul, who is understood to be one of the greatest minds of Christian Theology in the history of the world. His writings have stood the test of time over 2000 years and have served as one of the foundations of our understanding of our faith.

If that still doesn’t stir anything, consider that the city of Corinth was one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the region. People from all across that region of the world would gather there for sporting events, trading, finance, culture, and philosophy.

As I reflect on all of this today, I am reminded afresh that God calls me to use incredible wisdom in choosing how I share my faith. At times, he wants me to use all the intellect and culture I can glean to win others over, as Paul does in Acts 17, but at other times, he needs me to act simply and humbly, proclaiming nothing other than the message of Christ’s sacrifice in our place for our sins.

Lord give me wisdom and discernment on how to be most effective in sharing my faith with others, that I might see many come to Christ through the message of the Gospel, however it is presented.

Written by Ps Justin Ware