Addressing the divided church and the one-upmanship of who is following which hero, Paul debunks the importance of human wisdom, impressive rhetoric and the prowess of the mind. Not that he is against those things, not at all. In fact his writing in this letter could be classed as one of the greats in terms of eloquence. I mean, who could write about love any better than he did in chapter 13?
But he plays down the human approach because if they/we are going to truly see the transformative power of God then it will be because there is nothing on centre stage but the cross and Christ crucified.
“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 has an acute self-awareness. Something which is missing today in some Christians. “And so it was with me …”
He was determined when he ministered at Corinth that they wouldn’t see him but see Christ.
This should be an enormous encouragement to those Churches who may not have the resources that another church in the same town might have. “If only we had the money for the equipment, the advertising and the musicians etc etc” and Paul would say that “you don’t need all that.”
He didn’t come looking like the culture of his day with the ability to engage in clever debate and to have the skills of the greatest orators.
Instead he came with weakness.
Instead he came with great fear.
Instead he came with trembling.
This makes the church with their division of who to follow, Apollos, Paul, Peter or the super-spiritual ones, ‘Jesus only’ (but actually it was more about themselves than Jesus) even more ridiculous.
You see Paul didn’t come to be noticed, seen, ‘how many views on your social media?!’
The Gospel doesn’t need packaging. The Gospel is about God who undressed.
Paul preached simply Christ crucified and clearly the cross. Nothing else. And the divine interrupted and the Spirit came down and the power of God was displayed.
How do we reach the world with the gospel?
Tell them simply and clearly. Tell them the story of what God did at Christmas. Tell them the fulfilment of that story at what God did at Easter. Tell them of how the cross has changed your life. Simple stories. Nothing of you all of Him.
The power to save, heal and deliver comes from nothing that we can bring or offer. It comes from the story of God. It comes from His grace. It comes from the cross.
Missions Paul 