We live in a culture where image is everything. Don’t believe me just walk down the magazine isle at
Wal-Mart. You don’t see people like me
on the front cover and the reason why is because the world puts a lot of stock
into outward appearance and style.
Let me ask you, “Do you think the celebrities who
frequent the front page of GQ and Vanity Fair are on the front cover ultimately
because they are people of substance?"
Not saying that some are not, but 9 times out of 10 the reason for them
being on the cover of those magazines is because of their outward appearance. And this is not just in Hollywood, we see
this in Christian circles as well.
Some of the most well-known preachers on TV are not
necessarily the ones with the most substance—the most doctrinally sound. I would argue that some have very little
substance at all to their message. Then
why are they on TV? Why are they so
popular? A lot of the time it’s because they
either look good on camera or are gifted communicators. Many are not drawn to pastors because of the content of their message,
but in the way their message is presented—not with what’s being said, but how
it is said.
The believers Paul writes to in Corinth were the
same way. At this time if Greek speakers
looked impressive and used ginormous words showing off how educated they were
and if they were wise by the worlds standards and had a style that showcased
their brilliance, their wisdom, their charm and their wit, great crowds would
flock to these guys.
Well in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul gives his audience
some great news. He tells them that these
characteristics are not what God is looking for in His representatives. Paul proves this by example saying,
2 And I, when I came to you,
brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty
speech or wisdom.
Though Paul
was highly educated and could have showcased
his brilliance, he held back
from showcasing these things because he knew lofty speech and human wisdom does
not save.
Now know that Paul is not speaking negatively about
the importance of study and knowing what we believe. Paul is clear here that his role and our role
as believers is to know and communicate the Testimony of God—the Scriptures and the only way to do this is to read it, study it, memorize
and meditate upon it so that we can in turn effectively communicate it to
others.
What Paul is speaking against here is adding our
own two cents—putting our own spin on the Testimony of God thinking, “If I add
this here or that there then this person will be more likely to respond.”
It is so important for us to realize that God doesn’t call
us to be His PR person, He calls us to be His witnesses. He doesn’t need us to dress up His message
and put our own spin on things or to add elements to it to make it more
appealing. He just wants us to know His
word and communicate it clearly to others.
This should encourage us. Maybe you are thinking to yourself, “How
could God use me? I’m not that popular, I’m
not a gifted speaker, I’m not educated and don’t have a huge vocabulary.” That’s fine—that is not what saves. That’s not what brings sinners to
repentance—that’s not what makes people right with God.
God brings change when His word is learned and
clearly communicated to others. Jesus
calls for His followers in Acts 1:8 to be His witnesses and that’s great because
that is something we all can do. Now if He
said, “Go out and be funny in my name that would exclude some because some of
us are not very funny.” If He said, “Go
out and draw people to me through with your looks and your intellect that would
leave many of us out.”
Instead God gives us an assignment we all can
do. He says, “Be my witnesses—go spread
about me. Grow in your knowledge of Me
through My word and share that message with others.”
