Witnessing for Jesus
Scripture: 1
Corinthians 2:1-5 (NLT)
When I first came
to you, dear brothers, and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive
wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that
while I was with you, I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one
who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and
trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain.
Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of
the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human
wisdom but in the power of God.
Devotion
In this scripture Paul lays out the
secret to success in proclaiming the gospel. The power of the gospel does not
rest in any human talent or skill. It rests solely on the power of the Holy Spirit
to move a soul to the point where it can receive the good news. Paul here gives
good guidance on how we should go about witnessing to others about the truth of
the gospel.
Many shy away from speaking to others
of the wonders of God’s salvation because they fear that they are not good
enough speakers to communicate the message to others. Paul dispels that myth
here. As long as the speaker is saved the Holy Spirit within them will give
them all the power and eloquence, they need to be effective for Christ.
Paul lets us know that it is natural
for a person to nervous when presenting the gospel. No matter how many times that
person has done it before there is still a part of us that is not comfortable
sharing the good news. As Paul says in verse 3 above his witness to the
Corinthians came in weakness, timid and trembling. You would think that Paul of all people would
be confident and self-assured in the presentation of the gospel, but he was
not.
I have found that I always am
nervous and shy about proclaiming the good news. However, the Holy Spirit
always gets me through somehow. It helps when I remember that I am not
responsible for the outcome of the presentation. So, I don’t feel like a
failure regardless of the outcome because I leave the results in God’s capable
hands.
Paul gives good advice to believers
here when he says that he decided to no nothing while he was among the Corinthians
except Christ and him crucified. Living your life in this unbelieving world in
this way will make it easier to testify about Jesus and his saving love. You
know if you have lived in a way consistent with the gospel you won’t be accused
of being a hypocrite.
So don’t worry that you can’t speak
in eloquent or fine sounding words. Rely solely on the Holy Spirit to get you
through. If you rely on the Spirit, you know that you have all the power and
eloquence you will need because of the mighty power of God working through you.
Let’s pray for God’s
help in presenting the Gospel:
Holy God we come to you today to ask
that you give us enough courage that we might speak in your name and power
through the Holy Spirit. You know Lord that we love you and want all people
everywhere to know about how your saving love has brought us new life in you. Let
us know nothing but Christ and him crucified when we are in the presence of the
public. May our lives be lived in agreement with the gospel both in speech and
deed. We ask this in Jesus holy name. Amen.
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