“My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom…” —1 Corinthians 2:4
“Belief in Jesus
is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by
impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided
power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of
the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. … If it is
only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never
get close to Jesus Christ. “And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to
Myself” (John 12:32).” OSWALD CHAMBERS, My Utmost For His Highest
I have often
marveled at how God uses mere men and women to proclaim the Gospel to the
world. But we must keep in mind that it is not the messenger but the message
that brings salvation. And not just any
message. I think we often get the “cart
before the horse”. I never precede God …
The Spirit of God has always preceded me.
I am but a part, one stepping stone, of the salvation process. Paul said “Some plant and some water, but God
brings the increase.” (1 Corinthians
3:6) A seed was planted in my step-dad’s heart in 1951 on a hill in Korea. A Chaplain gave him a bible with a reference
to John 1:12 written on the inside cover. “Yet to all who did receive him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God—” It was not until 1969 did he pray
to receive Jesus as his savior and Lord.
We should not think more of our role in sharing the Gospel with others,
but then, we should not think less of it either. In His wisdom, God has chosen to use us for
the hearing, and perhaps seeing, the Gospel.
“How, then, can they call on the one they
have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not
heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can
anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the
feet of those who bring good news!” – Romans 10:14-15
Don’t believe for
a minute that you have the power to save. At the same moment, don’t think that
you telling someone about Jesus when the Spirit prompts you is not necessary. You don’t know which stepping stone you are
on the path someone takes to salvation.
But God does! We use the term, “leading someone to Christ”. I don’t know
that we will have the experience of praying with someone who places their faith
in Jesus through our sharing the Gospel. That is not the litmus test for our
spirituality. It is not a prerequisite
for your place in heaven – faith in Jesus is. Another point – you don’t have to
be school trained to share the gospel with someone – you just need to be
empowered by the Spirit. Salvation is the Spirit’s work in the heart of the
sinner. You may be the last stepping stone before they are born again – or you
may be the first. Which one you are does not matter. What does matter is your
willingness to be part of the path they follow. That is our purpose.
Believe it – walk
in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By
His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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