Week of March 23

Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz once said, “I don't want to be entertained. I don’t want visuals or musicals. I don’t want a vacation. I don’t want to quit. I don’t want sympathy. The cry of my heart is ‘Just Give Me Jesus.’” That was the Apostle Paul’s genuine heart cry, and his message was used powerfully by God to change hearts. We all do well today to learn Paul’s simple secret to being used effectively by God.

In our focal passage today, Paul takes up again the idea he had begun in 1:14-17; namely, the message about Christ, who was crucified. There are several unique features to this section (vv. 1-5): 1) Paul’s emphatic use of “I”; 2) his use of “brethren,” which is often used to mark a “new stage” in his argument; and 3) the final statement about “wisdom and strength” (Handbook). These three together provide us with a view of Paul’s deeply-held personal conviction about the way he presented himself as a leader among them. We might say that Paul was an evangelist who, much like Billy Graham in our generation, spent his ministry sharing the simple Gospel message that Jesus saves.

Choose a lifestyle that heralds the Gospel. Paul’s lifestyle matched his words. He genuinely put Christ first in all that he said or did. He did not rely upon lofty words or a superior attitude, nor did he try to show off his impressive education (2:1). As one of my pastor mentors once told me about showing off one’s degrees: “A pig’s still a pig, whether its tail is curled or not. Be humble.” The power was in the message the Holy Spirit shared with them! So, why was he so effective? Paul tips us off to the answer by using “for” to begin the second verse. He made a conscious choice “not to know anything,” in contrast to the people in Corinth who enjoyed telling everyone what they knew (2:2)!

Model full dependence upon Christ. This level of commitment requires full surrender and Paul offers us one example of how he depended on Christ. He limited a showy demonstration of his own knowledge to share the supreme knowledge of the crucified Jesus Christ. How refreshing! Goodness knows, a preacher can spend a lifetime on Christology alone and never begin to scratch the surface. So, Paul does not mean that he burned his diplomas and became a theological simpleton. This was not the point he was making. Likewise, I shiver when I think of the current rejection of theological training in our day by men and women who just want to get out there and “serve.” Paul was not this sort of preacher/teacher. He maximized every means at his disposal to learn and share the sacred truths of Scripture and God’s redemptive plan for humankind. We do well when we do the same. Paul had predetermined, prior to his arrival in Corinth, that he would only bring them Jesus Christ, in contrast to relying upon human knowledge and flowery rhetoric. He refused to cast a shadow on Jesus with the glaring light of his own arrogance, so that Jesus’ Gospel light might shine clearly into their lives!

Eliminate ways that ego hinders a witness. Paul had been through the rhetorician’s grinding stone in Athens (cf. Acts 17 and 18:1) and, as a result, he came to them in a severely weakened state. His body was worn down, and he was trembling with fear. Once he was out of the way, the Holy Spirit was free to work powerfully in their midst (2:4). This was quite evident because his teaching and preaching were attended with signs that the Lord was working in a mighty way. This, in no way, indicates that Paul checked his mind or communication skills at the door. In other words, the fresh breath of the Spirit was more readily felt because the Corinthians did not have to contend with the hot breath of a blowhard.

I have a moderate level of dislike for the bathroom scale because it tells me the truth about my weight. I do realize, however, that I need to know how much I weigh as a central part of my overall desire to live a healthy life. I have trained myself to step onto the scale and learn the truth! It is a simple illustration, but most of you will feel the same way. Here is a spiritual point. The Holy Spirit will point out the ways our words and actions may be hindering a Gospel witness, so we need to seek the truth. God’s word, prayer, the loving counsel of mentors and accountability partners, and simple circumstances will suggest to us the areas in our lives we need to trim away to become better witnesses to Christ.

1. Self-expansion often squeezes the air out of Gospel effectiveness. Let’s ask the Spirit to help us to make less of self, so that He may make more of Jesus (see my point of application above).

2. For Families: Boasting and swaggering and pride and puffed-up views of self are not exactly the character traits we want our children to adopt, right? Paul reminds us in this passage about proper attitudes of self, and the most effective ways to witness well.

We can rear our children to be modest, humble, and confident in the One who made them who they are. They are here on earth and in our families for a purpose – His purpose. “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” are important questions for any age. When children learn their proper place in the world, as a valuable child of God, they can share the Good News with greater effectiveness.

Here is a Focus on the Family resource that helps parents choose age-appropriate ways to both build into children, and foster, a sense of self-identity that keeps Christ first. Click here: Who Am I?

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock