God Comes First
Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
When I was a seminary student, our training included opportunities to preach at nearby churches, and students like me would preach and then receive feedback on our sermons. Sometimes the reviews were kind and helpful. Sometimes, not so much. One of my classmates received this response from a reviewer who was asked to comment on the main points of the sermon: “I don’t know; I fell asleep.” Ouch! What a humbling reminder to him and the rest of us that we had a long way to go before we spoke with wise or persuasive words.
How remarkable, then, to read Paul’s testimony that he did not speak with deep wisdom or persuasive arguments. Yet Paul is considered to be one of the greatest evangelists in church history. What was his secret? Paul explained that his message came “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,” which meant that Paul did not feel the need to put Paul on display. He put God first and shared the good news about Jesus and how he came to save us.
What a great reminder that while words are important, they are not everything. And it doesn’t matter if we are preachers or if we are just sharing our faith with another person—the main thing is that we help people encounter the living God and experience his love and forgiveness. May others see and sense the Spirit’s power at work in us.
Lord, thank you for the gift of your Spirit. Open our hearts so that you can work through us to help others experience your love. Amen.
About the author — Kevin DeRaaf
Kevin DeRaaf is the director of Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed mission agency working in more than 40 countries around the world. With a focus on encouraging others to join in God’s mission where they are, Kevin believes that God’s purpose for the local church is to shine as a community of love and grace, showing in tangible ways that Jesus is the hope of the world. He and his wife, Jacquie, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Burlington, Ontario.
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