“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:1-5, ESV.
These personal thoughts (or this conversation with God) came as I journaled I Corinthians 2:1-5 . I’ve included more context at the end of the post. Read on.
“And I, when I came to you,” When I inserted myself into your lives … as I often do … sometimes with people I know, like family or friends … sometimes with people I’m just meeting like you who signed up for the online course I’m leading.
“brothers” or rather, sisters …
“(I) did not come … with lofty speech or wisdom.” I didn’t come like I had it all together, or like I had all the answers. Hmmm, but if I’m the leader or the facilitator, shouldn’t I be at least one step ahead? Paul would answer my rhetorical question with a resounding ‘no’. I’m learning, God doesn’t need my wisdom, he wants my journey, my story, my stewardship. God then can translate that into his wisdom.
“For I decided to know nothing … except Jesus Christ …” It’s not what I can impart to you; it’s what we can impart to each other about Jesus. I wonder, do my words and my questions reflect this to you who are part of this course? If not, how can I better communicate? Please help.
“And I was WITH you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,” (capitalizing, mine) The recipients of Paul’s letter understood ‘fear and trembling’ as we understand humility. We’re on this journey together. I was with you. And in my with-ness sometimes I feel insecure or that I won’t be enough for you. Not being good enough is one of the biggest lies I need God to apply his truth to … often.
“and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom” I noticed, this is the second time in two sentences Paul says the same thing. Emphasis = importance! I don’t say what I’m saying because I have it all together. True for Paul; true for me.
“but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” Yes! My desire as I steward my words, that God’s powerful Spirit will translate them to you in ways you need to hear.
(so) “that” The reason, the purpose, the key … Listen up, Sue!
“your faith might not rest in the wisdom of (wo)men but in the power of God.” ‘Resting faith’, that communicates. Resting faith in the power of God. YES! Only the power of God is transformational. I’m continuing to ponder what resting faith looks like. Please share your ideas.
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God brought me to this passage when I was a month in to leading a group of full-time Christian workers through the Trueface, High Trust Leader Course. Although I had facilitated this online course several times before, this particular time was a bit intimidating as I considered all of these women peers. And they were.
I’m so thankful for each of these women. Because of their faithful participation, their stories, and their understandings, God grew me. I needed them. I learned from them.
Like Paul who was WITH the Corinthians on their journey, I was WITH these ladies. As I’ve thought about our 16 weeks together, three principles have emerged:
Being WITH them meant:
1. I was not out in front of them trying to fix them.
2. I was not lagging behind them licking my insecurity wounds.
3. I was stewarding who God created me to be and was WITH them in humility trusting God to work in all of our lives.
The High Trust Leader online course will be offered again starting August 1. Hit comment and I’ll fill you in on the details. Or click here to check it out for yourself.