What Will I Say? Part 1
2004 : Week 48  |  Printer Friendly Version  

As Christians, we are called to share our faith and the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with a lost world. Sometimes, we worry about finding the correct words to speak. “What do I say? How do I say it?” In today’s verse, the Apostle Paul is writing a letter to the church in Corinth, and he reminds them that, the message should focus on the heart of the matter; to give people the message of the Gospel in simple and uncomplicated terms. Paul urges the church in Corinth to avoid two mistakes when sharing the message of the Gospel, and his message is equally relevant to us:

1. Avoid complication
2. Do not become the focus of the discussion by using elegant language.

The first point seems simple, ‘avoid making things complicated’, but we have to remind ourselves to do this. As we study the Bible and grow in our knowledge of the Lord, our level of understanding and, therefore, our ability to talk about the Bible increases. We become accustomed to intellectual discussions about the Bible in church, since the more time we spend with the Lord, the more the Holy Spirit illuminates in us.

We can forget that not everyone has a high level of understanding of the Bible. The lost, for example, aren’t at that level. They have very little, if any, illumination, so they need the basics. They are in darkness, so focus on giving them the ‘Light of the World’: Jesus Christ. They need to hear they are lost and bound for destruction, not a discussion on whether the Rapture is Biblical or not. They need to hear that Jesus died for their sins, not a sermon on, if the Rapture is real, when it will occur. These theological points can be taught at a later date, when the Lord chooses to teach them that. In the beginning, the message to the lost should be,

	16 …God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
	John 3:16 (NASB)

Paul uses his past visit to Corinth as an example of the importance of speaking in simple terms. He reminds them that this is exactly what he did on prior visits:

	1 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. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
	1 Corinthians 2:1-3

Paul’s example is one of humility when he is preaching. With his level of Bible knowledge, he could have spoke so that few people understood what he was saying. He could have made himself look like the world’s greatest theologian, but that wasn’t important. The important thing was teaching people about Jesus Christ. When Paul preached, many people listened, and he was sure that there were lost amongst his audience, so he made sure his messages could be understood by all that heard them. How he sounded, wasn’t important to Paul. What was important was that people heard and understood the message of the Gospel.

Next week we will review the second issue: using elegant language so that we become the focus instead of Jesus. In essence, the person listening focuses on the messenger and not the message.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…

**Words of Jesus Christ appear in red



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