Lofty Words
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Sometimes online and in person, I hear people who have determined that the salvation of people’s souls depends on them. They try so hard to convince someone to believe in Christ, they try so hard to defend Christ, and they just try so hard… that it turns people away. Sharing the Gospel message is not a carefully crafted sales pitch. We should not scheme up a script of eloquent words. It is not our job to convince, persuade, convict, judge, or give salvation to anyone. We are indeed commanded to share the the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, but the matters of the heart we should leave to the Lord.
Mark 13:11 “And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
Indeed we should know the Gospel message so that we can share it with others. We should know why we believe in the Lord, why we love Him, and what He has done for us. But we must trust that the Holy Spirit will do His work in the hearts of people through pricks of conviction and bearing witness of Jesus, the Son of God (John 15:26). People may reject the Gospel, but this is not our fault. They may be at a different place in their life journey, they may need to digest the message later, they may need to ponder this over years. God can work through our poorly worded testimony so that others can hear exactly they need to hear. More importantly, we should ensure our lives are a living testimony of the power, love, forgiveness, and mercy of God in us.
The apostle Paul had determined not to proclaim the message of Christ with lofty words and eloquence. He came to them weak, fearful and trembling before the Lord, and demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s work in his life. We too ought to come to people humbly sharing the great work of the Lord in our life, and His great mercy towards us.