I'm finding it impossible when working in 1 Corinthians to offer you any kind of introduction each week. There's something about reflecting on human wisdom, and Spirit wisdom, and Paul's criticism of human eloquence and rhetorical nicety that just stifles that. This week, in particular. And I don't think that's what Paul is even talking about, exactly-- I think introductions can be helpful for getting people into the place where they can listen. But I just can't right now.
So. 1 Corinthians 2:1:
(1) And I, when I came to you, brothers, I came not with excellence of speech or wisdom,
proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
(2) For I decided not anything to know among you except Jesus Christ
and this one having been crucified,
(3) and I, in weakness and in fear and in much trembling I came to you,
(4) and my word and my preaching [were] not with persuasive wisdom
but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power,
(5) in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.
It's hard to picture Paul as being scared to proclaim the good news. We don't think of Paul as being human, really. But Paul knows that when he proclaims the good news, bad things happen to him. And how many times, in how many cities, can bad things happen to you before you dread opening your mouth? When you have a message that you know is going to make some people angry, it's a terrifying thing to start talking. You know what's going to happen to you. You know some people will hear the good news as good news, absolutely. Some people will give their allegiance to King Jesus. And you are grateful for that. You praise God for that. But many people, when their the good news, are going to simply reject you as being an idiot. They are going to persecute you. You are going to suffer. The only question, really, is how? What will they do to you? Jail? Beatings? Ridicule? Slander you? Force you to leave town?
And the thing about sharing the gospel with people you don't know, is that you have no way of knowing who will do any of that to you. You can't look at a person, and know, this guy is a guaranteed convert. But that guy is hopeless. A person's demeanor, and appearance, and relative wickedness, tell you nothing about what how they will respond.
So when Paul began telling people the good news about Jesus in the city of Corinth, he didn't sound like Obama, or JFK. He was no great orator. He was proclaiming Jesus fearfully, dreading what comes next.
Then why did some people hear the good news about Jesus, as good news? How is it, that the Corinthian church came into being? Paul says that his proclamation came with a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power. Paul doesn't unpack this here, because the Corinthians remember what he did. I assume that there were healings, and miracles. There were changed lives. God was very obviously, very powerfully at work through Paul.
And this was how Paul normally shared the good news:
1 Thess. 1:4-5:
4 For we know, brothers[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Acts 14:8
8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,[b] 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
When I was getting my youth ministry degree, forever ago, I read or heard at one point that something like 90% of Christians make the decision to become Christians before they turn 18. And so that was kind of a push for youth ministry. Like, you have to catch people before they become adults, because they accept easier when they are young. Churches should pour a lot of money into youth ministry, because it's through youth that the church grows.
Here's what I think. When you share the gospel with adults, they are skeptical. It's not like telling your kids about Jesus. Adults know there's lots of religions. There are lots of gods. And who is to say that Christianity is right?
Adults are a lot harder to persuade. How do you cut through their resistance? Well, at seminary they teach you a lot about apologetics. You can explain the cosmological, ontological, or teleological arguments for God's existence to your friends. You can try to persuade them that Jesus rose from the dead, providing them with sound, logical arguments.
Honestly, I don't think that works. I don't think it's helpful.
The resident skeptic where I work-- and I like this guy a lot; I enjoy hanging out with him-- is going to tell you that all of that is just so much garbage. You will never convince him about Jesus through philosophical arguments. He doesn't care. He enjoys arguments. They amuse him. They entertain him. He knows the truth is there, somewhere. And he suspects it's in Christianity. But you will never persuade him of anything through arguments.
You know what would convince him, maybe? Every summer, [Name] suffers from terrible seasonal allergies. His eyes are red and watery. He's miserable. He's tried every medicine that science has come up with, and that lets him function-- but no more.
Imagine if someone were to approach him and say, "[Name], would you like God to heal you of your allergies? Would you like God to reveal his power and his love for you this way?
And imagine that God healed him of his allergies, that he's suffered with for years.
That's how you convince him, maybe, that God is real, that God loves him, that God is powerful, and that the good news is true. Because he was just healed through someone who openly identifies as God's child, and who calls God "Father."
Now, that's not the only reason I plan to pray for him. It's not even the first reason I will pray for him. I want to pray for him because I love him, because I want him to be freed from his allergies that hold him captive, and I want him to experience God's love and power. My debate, is whether I should wait until he's miserable next summer to ask him if he wants to be healed. I want this healing to be done in a way that points him to God-- to God's love, and power. And I don't want him to tell himself that maybe he just doesn't have allergies this year. Maybe, I'll ask him what he thinks. That would amuse him.
But, listen. When the gospel is proclaimed with power, so that people can see what God actually wants to do for people and how God genuinely loves people-- that's how you lead adults to Jesus in far greater numbers than we do right now.
And sharing the gospel this way is a huge advantage for people's faith. Let me reread verses 4-5:
and I in weakness and in fear and in much trembling came to you,
and my word and my preaching [were] not with persuasive wisdom
but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power,
in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.
When you share the gospel with a demonstration of God's power, people's faith rests in God's power, rather than human eloquence/wisdom. They KNOW God loves them. They KNOW God-- our God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the God who raised Jesus from the dead-- is powerful. And that demonstration of God's love and power is absolutely an anchor for their faith. It's far better for my coworker, that he gives his allegiance to King Jesus through a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power, than through my own clever argumentation. I'm not a very stable foundation for his faith, when things get hard. When the cost of following Jesus gets high.
This brings us to the next section. I'm not sure how to unpack this-- how to try to break this up to help you. I'm just going to read the whole thing-- verses 6-11, and try to grab part of it:
(6) Now , wisdom we speak among the mature/perfect,
Now, not the wisdom of this age,
nor of the rulers of this age-- the ones perishing--
(7) but we speak [the] wisdom of God having been hidden in a mystery,
which God determined beforehand before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of this age know.
For if they knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,
(9) but just as it is written,
"[Things] which eye didn't see,
and ear didn't hear
and into the heart of man didn't enter, all that God prepared for the ones loving him.
For to us God revealed through the Spirit.
For the Spirit everything searches-- even the depths of God.
For who knows among men the things of man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Thus also the things of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
The Corinthians are fascinated with human wisdom. They enjoy it. They appreciate a well-crafted argument. They enjoy philosophical discussions. They welcome the intellectual exercise and stimulation.
In verse 6, Paul says, Look. I have nothing against wisdom. I teach wisdom. But the wisdom I teach is not worldly wisdom. And the wisdom I teach, I can only teach to the spiritually mature/perfect. I can't teach it to spiritual babies.
The wisdom I teach is a particular kind of wisdom-- God's wisdom, and not the world's. What is God's wisdom? God's wisdom centers around the death and resurrection of Jesus. God determined beforehand how He would glorify people. He even dropped hints about it through the prophets. But God was very careful to keep this plan a secret. Let me reread verses 7-8:
(7) but we speak [the] wisdom of God having been hidden in a mystery,
which God determined beforehand before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of this age know.
For if they knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,
God kept his wisdom hidden ahead of time, so that none of the rulers of this age would know.
Now, who are these rulers of this age? I don't think Paul's talking about kings. He's not talking about Pilate. I think Paul's talking about the spiritual realm-- about the divine beings who are fighting God-- Satan, the (other) wicked sons of God (Gen. 6), demons. God made sure--verse 8--- that Satan had no idea what God was planning-- if Satan had known God's plan, he never would've crucified Jesus.
The only one who knew God's plan, was God's Holy Spirit. He is the key to God's wisdom. He alone understands God's plan.
In verses 12-13, Paul now builds off of this insight into God's Holy Spirit :
(12) Now, we didn't the spirit of the world receive
but the Spirit-- the one from God,
in order that we may know the things by God graciously given to us,
which also we speak not in the taught-by-human words of wisdom,
but in words taught by the Spirit
to spiritual ones, spiritual things explaining.
The reason we understand God's plan, and have God's wisdom, is because we received the Holy Spirit-- not the spirit of the world. And it's through the Holy Spirit that we have true wisdom-- Spirit(ual) wisdom. It's through the Spirit that we can look at the world, and understand God's big plan-- the one that was hidden before Jesus died and was raised from the dead. It's through the Holy Spirit that we understand God's plan to glorify us.
Verse 14:
(14) Now , the unspiritual man doesn't accept the things of the Spirit of God.
For foolishness to him they are,
and he isn't able to know/understand,
because spiritually it is examined/discerned.
If you don't have the Holy Spirit, or if you refuse to rely on the Spirit and the Spirit's wisdom, you aren't going to be able to accept the things of the Spirit. What will the things of the Spirit be to you? Foolishness. They will look ridiculous. Stupid. People-- Paul!-- will try to explain them to you, and you just won't get it. You aren't going to be able to understand them, because the only way you can really study them-- examine them-- is through a reliance on the Holy Spirit. Your great intellect, and your appreciation for philosophical argumentation and reason, will do nothing other than hinder you here. They will fail you. If you want to understand the things of the Spirit, you need to rely on the Holy Spirit, and on the wisdom the Holy Spirit offers.
Verse 15:
(15), Now, the spiritual one examines/discerns all things.
Now, he by no one is examined/discerned/judged.
For who knew the mind of the Lord?,
who will advise him?
Now, we the mind of Christ have.
We are able to examine God's hidden wisdom. We can see everything, and it make sense. We understand God's plan for the world, and how he set that plan in motion through Jesus. Jesus is God's checkmate-- his death, and resurrection, mark Satan's defeat (so also Eph. 1:15-23). The world looks very different to us than it does to unspiritual people. And the reason we can understand all of this is because we have the mind of Christ. We have the Holy Spirit.
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This is a passage that should make you ask yourself a lot of questions.
Are you relying on human wisdom and intelligence, or on God's wisdom?
Are you trying to understand the things of the Spirit, apart from the Spirit? Do the things of the Spirit sound like foolishness to you?
Have you reached the point of spiritual maturity (2:6), where people are able to explain the things of the Holy Spirit to you?
But instead of focusing on these things, I want to help you think about evangelism.
When we step back and look at 1 Cor. 2 as a whole, we should be asking ourselves this:
(1) How is it that people come to faith?
(2) How do people turn from their sins, and give their allegiance to Jesus?
(3) How can you explain the good news in a way that people can understand, since they are unspiritual?
The answer to all three of these questions is found in the Holy Spirit.
Many of you are probably familiar with what Paul says about the armor of God. Let me read Ephesians 6:17 to you:
And the helmet of salvation receive,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
Your entire lives, you've been told that Paul is talking about the Bible here. You think the sword of the Spirit is the Bible-- the Bible is how the Spirit fights against Satan. But the word for "word" here is ??µa ("reima"). It's not the normal word "logos."
Paul uses this same word in Romans 10:8 to describe the gospel:
But what does it say?
"Near to you the word is-- in your mouth and in your heart --
this is the word of faith that we proclaim,
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord,
and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The reima/word is the good news about Jesus. This word is in you-- it's in your mouth, it's in your heart. And it's the word we proclaim to the world.
And it's this word-- this gospel message-- that is the sword of the Holy Spirit. This gospel is the weapon the Holy Spirit uses. The gospel is the Spirit's sword. It's what He arms himself with. It's our sword, and it's the Holy Spirit's sword. We work together, through the gospel.
So how can unspiritual people understand spiritual things? How can they understand God's plan, which was hidden as a mystery for centuries? They understand it through the Holy Spirit, when you proclaim the good news about Jesus to them. The Holy Spirit will cut through all of their defenses, and worldly wisdom, and they will see the truth.
And those of you who have shared the good news with non-Christians understand what I'm talking about. You share the good news, and you can see it in people's faces when the Spirit has revealed the truth to them. You can hear it in their voices. You can feel it in the sudden stillness in the car, or office. The shock-- this moment of clarity. Their entire life is has been stripped and laid bare of every pretence and deception, and they find themselves face to face with God.
It's the Holy Spirit who does that. He took your proclamation of the good news, and He went to work on them, fighting Satan's hold on them.
But how do you get the point where people will take you seriously, and give you an opportunity to share the good news?
If you are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit, and sowing to please the Holy Spirit, you will produce the fruit of the Spirit. People will know you are different. You will see it in the way they act and talk around you. And they will figure out that all of this is because you are a Christian-- but the type of Christian who takes your faith seriously. Who lives for God.
Live like this long enough at work, loving people, and you will have openings. People will be more open to hearing the gospel from you.
I don't want to be misunderstood on this point. So let me just say this very clearly. You don't love people so that you can share the gospel. There is nothing manipulative, or underhanded, about any of this. You love people. You value them, and care for them, the way that God does. You have compassion on them. And because you view people the way God does, you share the gospel. You share the good news about Jesus with people because you love them.
I will say one more thing about this. Some of you know you are a horrible person at work. You are a terrible employee. A terrible boss. You have horrible attitudes. Your speech is vile. You know you could never, in a million years, share the gospel. And no one, in a million years, would ever take the gospel seriously if it comes from your mouth.
If this is you, your starting point needs to be repentance, and asking people for forgiveness. Repent. Change how you live. Start there.
So, the type of evangelism I've just described is often called "friendship evangelism." And it can be really effective.
But this is not the only type of evangelism available to you. The other type of evangelism is called power evangelism. Once you understand the authority Jesus gives you over illnesses and diseases, and learn to claim the promises Jesus gives, and learn to pray in faith, God will use you to heal people. You are commanded to heal people (Matt. 10:8; 28:18-20).
And for me, I've found I'm never more confident in asking God for healing, than when it's for non-Christians.
For one thing, non-Christians are far more likely than evangelicals to have faith that God will heal them. God is in many ways a mystery to them, but they understand God's power. And they are open to the possibility that God heals through prayer, in a way that evangelicals often aren't.
For another thing, even if they are (somewhat?) skeptical, I'm confident in those situations that God would like to demonstrate his power and healing to them. I don't think God expects as much from them, as far as faith is concerned. I could be wrong about that. It feels a little dangerous saying that. But signs and wonders accompany the proclamation of the gospel, to help people see God's love and power. I had a coworker with a physical problem, and I asked him if he would like God to heal him. His response had so much skepticism, it was almost comical. Like, I had to fight back a smile. I prayed for him, laying hands on his foot, in faith, and then I just kind of wondered what would happen next. Would God heal someone with such little faith, with so much resistance to God?
And He did. God healed him.
Now, maybe God healed him, in part, to protect His (God's) honor and reputation. I'm scared to say this, but when I asked my coworker if God would heal him, I made the situation one in which God's reputation was at stake. God, at that point, had a choice. Would He heal my coworker and bring glory and honor to His name, or not? And God did. He brought glory and honor to himself.
Or, maybe God healed him, simply because He wants to free people from everything that holds them captive. And maybe, my coworker is now ready to hear the good news again.
When Paul proclaimed the gospel in different cities, he used power evangelism. And it was through his demonstration of power and Spirit, that people could tell that Christianity was different. Paul wasn't just pushing yet another religion. Another god. Another curiosity. This was truth. This was reality. Everything about the good news about Jesus screams power. It screams Spirit.
And Paul says, I was so deliberate in sharing the good news with you this way. I very deliberately didn't try to be clever, or use worldly wisdom. At no point, did my gospel message point back to myself, with the result that you found yourself thinking that I'm amazing. God is amazing. I'm just his servant. And Paul's goal was that this would be an anchor for their faith.
And wisdom? Paul says, I can teach you wisdom by the bucketful. God has all kinds of wisdom I'd like to teach you. But I can only teach it the spiritually mature. I can only teach it to people who are open to the Holy Spirit, and who are not lured by the world's intelligence and wisdom. Worldly intelligence is only a stumbling block.
Are you open to learning about the hidden depths of God? Do you want the Holy Spirit to reveal the mysteries of God to you?
You should be, because we have the mind of Christ. We have the Holy Spirit. We are Spirit-people.
