Holy Spirit Power

1 Corinthians 2:1-12

Holy Spirit Power

When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he reminds them of something important.

He says, “When I came to you, I didn’t come with eloquence or human wisdom.”

In other words: “I didn’t show up trying to impress you.”

Paul had the education.

He had the training.

He could’ve given TED Talks long before TED Talks were a thing, but he chose not to rely on any of that.

Why?

Because Paul wanted the church to know: God’s mission doesn’t run on human talent, it runs on the Spirit’s power.

And that’s where this passage meets us.

Because we are a church with a remarkable history of service.

We are a Reconciling Ministry Network Church — a church that welcomes all people, affirms all people, and tries to embody the inclusive love of Christ.

We feed people through our free weekly community meal.

We’ve housed people who needed shelter.

We walk with folks who are battling addictions through First Recovery.

We’ve traveled on mission trips—all over the world.

We offer dignity and joy through our Christmas and Summer Shoppes.

We’ve done good work.

Real work.

Work that has shaped lives.

Honestly, if churches earned frequent flyer miles for compassion, First Church would be platinum.

We’d be getting upgrades.

But even with all that history, the Holy Spirit still nudges us to look honestly at who we are — and who we’re becoming.

This past week, I was at a continuing education retreat, and a colleague asked me, “How many Black people attend First Church?”

And I didn’t know what to say.

She paused, looked at me, and said, “You know… there are a lot of Black people who live in Oak Ridge.”

Her original question just hung in the air.

Not in shame.

Not in guilt.

But in honesty — the kind of honesty the Spirit can actually work with.

And it got me wondering: Should we be partnering with a Black church?

What would it look like to build real relationships across racial lines?

What can we do to make our church look more like our community?

And that brings us right back to the Theme of this month’s Sermon Series and focus on Dynamite Prayer: We won’t see what God is doing next unless we pray.

We won’t hear it unless we listen.

Paul says he came “in weakness and fear and trembling,” not because he lacked ability — but because he refused to allow ability be the center of gravity.

He wanted their faith to rest on God’s power, not his performance.

And that’s a word for a church like ours.

Because when you’ve done good work for a long time, it’s easy to assume the next chapter will look like the last one, but things change.

Communities change and the needs of the community changes.

A church I knew had a long running after school tutoring program.

For years it was a lifeline.

But over time, fewer kids came.

The need shifted.

The volunteers were faithful, but the ministry wasn’t connecting anymore.

One afternoon, a volunteer looked around the empty room and said, “We’re doing good work, but is it still the work God is calling us to do at this time?”

That question opened the door to prayer, to listening, to discernment, and eventually, it led them to a completely different ministry — one that met a need they hadn’t seen before.

They didn’t need more effort.

They needed more guidance.

They needed the Spirit.

Paul says, “The Spirit searches all things… and we have received the Spirit so we may understand what God has freely given us.”

The Spirit doesn’t wipe out our strengths, the Spirit aims them.

And that matters for a congregation like ours.

We already have gifts, compassion, and a heart for service.

We already have a commitment to radical welcome.

The question isn’t, “Do we have something to offer?”

The question is, “Where is the Spirit pointing us now?”

I once met a retired engineer who prayed to God, “I’m not a preacher, I’m not a counselor, I’m not a musician but use me for your kingdom, use me to be the hands and feet of Jesus in my community.”

Then he helped a refugee family fix a washing machine, he repaired a sink for a widow in his neighborhood and then he taught a teenager how to use a toolbox.

He said, “I thought my skills were irrelevant.

Turns out they were exactly what God needed.”

That’s how the Spirit works.

The Spirit takes what we already have and turns it outward — toward needs we haven’t even noticed yet.

But we won’t see those needs unless we pray.

We won’t hear that call unless we listen.

We won’t discern that direction unless we wait on the Spirit.