Pure foolishness
Where is the wise man? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? -1 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)
The human race is capable of great things. Made in the image of God, mankind is bent toward creativity, curiosity, and the ability to consider and sort out abstract concepts. But we are not God. Our best thinking is a poor substitute for His eternal truth, power, and understanding.
It should come as no surprise that Christians throughout history have been misunderstood, mocked, and persecuted. The message sounds too good to be true, the lifestyle is counter-cultural, and the “sales team” is often inept and underprepared. If Christianity was a product, someone would have certainly come up with a better marketing strategy and more efficient distribution method by now. But it isn’t.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. -1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NIV)
The beauty of the gospel is its simplicity. It’s a story about relationship, initiated by our Creator. We don’t have to guess, wonder, or try every dead-end path looking for God. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There is a way. It is accredited, it is proven, it is available to all. That relationship will never be found by human logic alone. It is logical, and can be verified by observable evidence, but it is enabled by Him.
The fact that Christianity is still around, despite our failures as ambassadors and strong efforts over centuries of time to eradicate it, speak to the fact that there is more going on here than human skill and imagination. Don’t get me wrong – we need (and appreciate) great teachers, those gifted by the Spirit to effectively communicate the gospel (Romans 12:4-8). And we should never take lightly the privilege of presenting the gospel to others (2 Timothy 2:15). Just know that it will never be our clever words or infallible logic that wins someone to Christ. The power of the gospel comes from the Spirit revealing spiritual truth to honest, seeking hearts (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. -1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)
It is not my job to convert souls to Christ. Conversion is the work of the Spirit. It is my job to speak truth, to encourage those who are seeking, and to live a life that provides evidence that he gospel “works”. I have no idea when I meet someone where they have been, what they have heard, or how the Spirit may have already been working in their heart. So enough of agonizing over the wording or the timing or the staging of my interactions. Enough of measuring my effectiveness as a soul-winner by the number of people I see coming to Christ immediately following a conversation with me. I may be seed-scattering, watering, cultivating, or harvesting.
Be faithful. Spread the aroma of Christ. Look for people of peace. Speak His name boldly. Expect limited response and even some pushback. Know that God is using us. There are people who will begin to “get it” when they see it and hear it from us, perhaps more quickly and more surely than they might from any other source. God will cause our paths to cross because He already knows those who are His and is making a way for them to find their way home. The key is not our ability, but our availability.