The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2.14-16) 1 Corinthians 2 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible! Like Paul, I resolve to “know nothing… except Jesus Christ and him crucified!” And, I desire that my message and preaching do not depend upon wise and persuasive words for their effectiveness, but rather upon a demonstration of the Spirit’s power! As I think about the life-changing power of the gospel, I realize how important it is for the Spirit of God to be at work in my work! No matter how sound my logic or impassioned my plea, the words I speak and the ministry I perform will be ineffective, weak, and inconsequential unless the Spirit prepares the hearts of those to whom I minister. It is my prayer that the Spirit would bring conviction (see John 16.7-11) to people so that they would respond to the gospel. I believe that is the missing ingredient in our evangelism today. We need the Spirit’s conviction! I feel that I have been faithful in witnessing, that the people I lead and serve are faithful in witness and invitation, that our worship services honor God and are focused on him, and that the gospel is being faithfully proclaimed by teachers and preachers. But the conviction of the Spirit is missing. Apart from God, people cannot accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. They just don’t make sense to them. It’s not their fault; it’s simply who they are. There is no need to argue biblical morality or spiritual religion with people who are far from the Spirit. They can’t understand it. The Spirit needs to make them able to receive it. I encourage everyone to witness and invite, but before you do, pray that the Spirit of God would prepare the hearts and minds of those you are trying to win. Then, watch for opportunities to simply share the joy and hope of the gospel. God will make it effective! Pastor Scott
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:58:27 +0000
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