1 Corinthians 2:1-5 says,...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, which says,
v.1,2 - And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
A new chapter and Paul touches on what was in the previous chapter. Paul was determined not to come to the Corinthians in a prideful manner. He was determined not to come with them elevating him because of his speech or wisdom but to come to them with just the testimony of God. I think it is interesting that this is something that Paul needed to set his mind on doing or coming in this way. Paul knew he could have come that way to the Corinthian Christians. He needed to plan ahead of time to come with the testimony of God that was Jesus Christ and Him alone and the message of the cross.
Maybe we don't plan and pray enough to make sure our main and only goal for that next service or next Sunday School class is Christ and Christ alone. Maybe we need to look critically about what we do and say and ask the question, "Is this more about me or more about Him?"
v.3-5 - I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Paul was beaten and in prison in Phillippi. He was run out of Thessalonica and Berea. He was scoffed at in Athens and then he came to Corinth. He was weak probably both physically and mentally. Paul is also very vulnerable here to show that he is not a spiritual "superman" Christian. He was weak and he was in fear to the point of trembling of how this was going to go here in Corinth. He had changed his tactic. When he wasn't a Christian, he forced people to listen to him or throw them in jail. Now Paul has switched to God's way of demonstrating and sharing of God's love with others so that the faith they displayed would be because of seeing God rather than being persuaded by his own words.
"Pastor Adam are you ever afraid and in fear to the point of trembling when you are given by God the opportunity to sow?" The answer is yes. I think God devised it that way so that we would know that we are sharing the message of Christ in the right way. If we are confident in ourselves and our abilities then we are stepping into the area of pride and its temptation to make this more about us than about Christ. If we are trembling because of what we are to say and do but still going through because of Christ then we are keeping humility in the forefront of our presentation so He can be seen more clearly.
"Lord, help us to pray more and plan more how we will present You to our friends, family, and neighbors. Correct us when we make it more about us and less about You. May the weight of what we have to say make us tremble because it is about what You did on the cross. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.1,2 - And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
A new chapter and Paul touches on what was in the previous chapter. Paul was determined not to come to the Corinthians in a prideful manner. He was determined not to come with them elevating him because of his speech or wisdom but to come to them with just the testimony of God. I think it is interesting that this is something that Paul needed to set his mind on doing or coming in this way. Paul knew he could have come that way to the Corinthian Christians. He needed to plan ahead of time to come with the testimony of God that was Jesus Christ and Him alone and the message of the cross.
Maybe we don't plan and pray enough to make sure our main and only goal for that next service or next Sunday School class is Christ and Christ alone. Maybe we need to look critically about what we do and say and ask the question, "Is this more about me or more about Him?"
v.3-5 - I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Paul was beaten and in prison in Phillippi. He was run out of Thessalonica and Berea. He was scoffed at in Athens and then he came to Corinth. He was weak probably both physically and mentally. Paul is also very vulnerable here to show that he is not a spiritual "superman" Christian. He was weak and he was in fear to the point of trembling of how this was going to go here in Corinth. He had changed his tactic. When he wasn't a Christian, he forced people to listen to him or throw them in jail. Now Paul has switched to God's way of demonstrating and sharing of God's love with others so that the faith they displayed would be because of seeing God rather than being persuaded by his own words.
"Pastor Adam are you ever afraid and in fear to the point of trembling when you are given by God the opportunity to sow?" The answer is yes. I think God devised it that way so that we would know that we are sharing the message of Christ in the right way. If we are confident in ourselves and our abilities then we are stepping into the area of pride and its temptation to make this more about us than about Christ. If we are trembling because of what we are to say and do but still going through because of Christ then we are keeping humility in the forefront of our presentation so He can be seen more clearly.
"Lord, help us to pray more and plan more how we will present You to our friends, family, and neighbors. Correct us when we make it more about us and less about You. May the weight of what we have to say make us tremble because it is about what You did on the cross. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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