Using Paul’s uncomplicated keys to success in sharing the gospel
By Dean Collins
I suspect we are more like the church at Corinth than we care to admit. As I’ve noted in previous devotionals and as commentaries confirm, the church at Corinth had many problems. When the apostle Paul wrote to address their issues, some began to question his motives, his sincerity, and his love for them. We can get a bit prickly when someone tries to correct us.
Sadly we’ve all seen the numerous hate-filled posts in social media where we tend not to listen, assume the worst concerning someone’s motives, attack their knowledge, and dismiss their faith as immature at best or possibly nonexistent. If Facebook had been around in the first-century church, we might have a more clear picture of the tone and attacks the apostle Paul dealt with as he tried to respond to fake news about himself and his purposes.
A humble reply, a simple focus
Paul gave his accusers a humble reply. His defense to false accusations was clear. He said this was the testimony of his conscience:
1. We behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity
2. We didn’t follow the wisdom of men
3. We lived by the grace of God and have practiced grace with others
Paul’s letters reflect a consistent and simple focus. He lived to share the good news of the gospel daily and wherever God gave him access to do so. He wasn’t trying to be a best-selling author. He had no revenue from teaching a master class. He basically covered his own expenses. He wasn’t seeking fame or fortune. He simply wanted everyone to know who Jesus was and what he had accomplished on their behalf. It was a simple message and he delivered it with sincerity.
While Paul was well educated and could hang with the scholars of the day, he didn’t choose to spend a lot of time in academic discussions. His focus was on demonstrating and sharing the simple life-changing gospel. Some thought this message to be foolish. Even Paul acknowledged that the message of the cross, while foolish to the lost, is in fact the power of God that changes people and changes everything.
It’s a given
Over and over again in Paul’s letters, we see a relentless focus on the grace of God. There is no earning God’s favor or forgiveness. It’s a given. Paul had experienced God’s grace. He had been transformed from a hater to a lover. From a murderer to a saint. Having experienced God’s grace he was determined to be graceful to others even when they made false accusations, spread false rumors, or ignored him. He simply continued to live for Jesus and practice forgiveness, believing this approach demonstrated simplicity and God’s love.
Maybe if we behaved in the world, including the social media world, with wisdom and godly sincerity and resisted behavior that was the same as the world’s behavior, we would have more success in sharing the love of Christ. Acting with grace toward others not only will change the tone of the conversation. It might just be the thing that changes everything.
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV
Photo by Marci Angeles on Unsplash
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