The Knowledge of Christ Crucified, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."*
     *Verse 1: NIV; verse 2:NKJV; verses 3-4: NIV; verse 5: NKJV.

     Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations. We were commissioned by Christ Himself to share the gospel, the good news of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Christ in heaven. People over the years have used several different methods and tactics when sharing the gospel, from pre-planned methodologies to handing out tracts to spontaneously sharing with whomever the Lord put upon their hearts. But there should always be one thing that each of these tactics has in common, and that is that we too, like Paul, should determine to rely solely on the power of the Holy Spirit and to stick to the main thing: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
     Many times when we come into contact with those who don't know the Lord and we seek to share His love and grace, His peace and salvation, we are confronted with a barage of technical questions, arguments, or other varied responses. When that happens, we are often tempted to digress into other topics, and shifting the conversation from one of the saving work of Jesus Christ into one of lesser importance or no importance at all.
     We may approach someone and start to talk about how Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and they may argue that Jesus was just a man, questioning how He could die for our sins. At that point, we can very easily slide off-track and start talking about prophecy, how Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection were all foretold by prophets of old. This is not a bad thing to share in and of itself. But realize that this should not be the point of your conversation.
     When we go off on tangents like these, we often do not realize that people will have questions about the tangents as well as the original topic, and that these questions will lead to further tangents and diversions. Satan wants us to get so off-track that we can't get back to the point. He wants non-believers to become confused and frustrated, and he wants to confound and discourage believers as well. His ultimate goal is that you would become ineffective in sharing the gospel, and that the lost remain lost. He will fight for that soul and every soul. This is why prayer is so important while we are sharing the gospel! We need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, not on our own strength or our own tactics. It is the Spirit who draws a man to Christ, and it is a spiritual battle that we fight. Our weapons should, and must, remain spiritual.

     When Paul came to the Corinthians, he did not come in pomp and eloquence, acting as one who was learned and lofty. Rather, he came in weakness and in fear, with trembling. He was not sure of what was going to happen. He was not self-confident. He was afraid. Yet God used him mightily for His purposes.
     Do you lack confidence in approaching people with the gospel? Are you unsure of how to talk to non-Christians and how to start up a converstation? Are you afraid of what might happen, maybe even trembling at the thought of having to share your faith? Take heart! Paul the apostle, that great apostle used of God, had the same problems! The key to overcoming is not to try and overcome in your own strength, but simply to admit that you can't do it, that you're unqualified, and let God take over. If God can use Paul, God can use you.
     It is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that we are conquerors of that which hinders us. It is not by anything we can do or say that our fears will go away. Nothing we can plan or accomplish with bring anyone to know Christ. It is all the work of the Lord. We are simply His instruments. And if we are His instruments doing His work in His strength, what have we to fear? Only the Lord's will can be accomplished if indeed it is His work, His strength, and His Spirit.

     It is imperative that as we go through life and keep our eyes open to the leading of the Spirit, watching for people who need God's love and mercy, that we remember that it is His Spirit which does the work. We needn't spend countless hours preparing to witness to people by studying books and sermons on witnessing; it is Jesus Christ and Him crucified that we should determine in our hearts to know. Everything else is secondary, everything else is something less. God did not come to earth in human form and die on a cross so we could gloss over and try to convert people through wisdom and knowledge. It is love and grace, mercy and forgiveness-- these are the key.