1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 - The Most Difficult Part of Evangelism.
1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 (NLT) And my message
and my preaching were very plain. Rather than
using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied
only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this
so you would trust not in human wisdom but in
the power of God.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I think the most difficult part of
evangelism is getting the conversation started. When I
preach, its a monologue. Basically I get up and
speak and then ask people to make a decision. But
when I talk to people one-on-one, its a
dialogue.
As Ive said before, everyones
favorite subject is themselves. People love to talk
about themselves. So I ask questions and listen
for an area where I can appropriately apply the
gospel to the conversation. Then I try to find that
bridge to build to take us to the next place.
The objective in sharing your faith is to
build a bridge, not burn one. A lot of times
evangelistic conversations end before they start because
were unnecessarily offensive or weird. Or, we
simply put people off.
Jesus said, Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10
NKJV). So be persecuted for being righteous not
for being weird.
Also, the objective in sharing your faith
is not to win the argument; its to win the
soul. Ive seen people armed with the latest
apologetics, with their gospel guns ready, and they blow
the nonbeliever out of the water. They won the
argument, and the other person walks away feeling
humiliated and offended. That is not good evangelism.
We want to win the soul.
Think of Jesus with the woman at the well
in Samaria. He could have said, Look,
lets just cut to the chase. Youre an immoral
woman. Im God in human form. So repent.
Would that have been true? Yes.
Is that what He said? No.
Instead, He engaged her in conversation
and drew her in. So dont try to win the
argument; try to win the soul. Be a nice person. If
you want to win some, be winsome. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Much of modern-day Christianity is
lacking power and conviction because it lacks a
close encounter with this aspect of the Spirit's
resources. If we are to experience the fullness of the
Spirit in our lives, then we must open ourselves to
everything He wants to give us. We must not pick and
choose and say, "I'll take this but not that," for
in order to be God's true representatives in
this world, we must know Him in all His fullness.
I watched a man on television one day
examine a beautiful painting. He studied it for a
few moments and said, "Its perspective is good,
the coloring is fine, the tones are excellent,
the idea behind it is to be commended, but it
lacks that."
The same can be said of a lot of
Christian activity in this generation. Our preaching
is correct, our worship services are
well-structured, our music is fine, our organization is
superb, but it lacks one thing - the throbbing power
of the Holy Spirit. Without the power of the
Spirit in our midst, we are preaching unquickened
truth - truth that doesn't fall upon the soul with
convicting, sobering, awakening, converting power. Our
Christianity is not bad - it is just dull. The Holy
Spirit, when accepted and obeyed, turns insipidity
into inspiration, dullness into dancing, and
mediocrity into magnificence. If we are not careful, we
may find ourselves in court one of these days
accused of contravening the Trade Descriptions Act!
Ouch, Lord, this hurts! But I know from
experience that You hurt me in order to heal me. Begin
with me today, and set me on fire that others may
catch it, too! Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible
with Selwyn Hughes devotional]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100805-1324.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190911-1106.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100221-1353.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2011/20110215-1041.html
LINK FOR EXCELLENT SERMON ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
(starts 44 minutes into the program)
https://livestream.com/accounts/14425139/events/8861660/videos/197974652
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28: Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28: Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
Live ongoing series in progress.
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs FGGibbs@abible.com
