MPC, 28th April 2002.1 Corinthians 2:1-16 - "The Art of Spiritual Persuasion"
Andrew Richardson MPC, 28th April 2002.
A couple of years ago I ran into one of those legendary USED CAR SALES MEN. The kind of guy who could sell ice to the eskimos, or surfboards in Alice Springs. One minute I'm looking at a car in his caryard, and the next I'm in his office. I've got a pen in my hand and I'm about to sign up for a big loan. I don't know how I got there. It's not the model I want and it's definitely more than I can to pay. But somehow he's manipulated me into thinking this car's exactly what I need. And I almost signed. Luckily just before I did, I thought about what Simone would say if I came home with the contract in my pocket. And commonsense prevailed.
I'm sure you've been in situations like that too. Someone's been so persausive that they've manipulated you into a situation you don't want to be in. Maybe they told some half truths to make their argument look better. Left out the downside of taking their course of action. Like you won't be able to eat because you're paying back a huge car loan. Or maybe they were just so smooth that you forgot about the facts. You were overwhelmed by all the technical jargon.
There are plenty of techniques you can use to make people agree with you while disguising the facts. And they can seem so wise, so clever, so competent. I'm sure that salesman sold lots of cars. And it's not just sales people. Lots of people make it to the top of our society by saying smart sounding things that disguise the facts.
And it was the same back in Paul's time. How you sounded could be more important than what you said. If you wanted to be a popular philosopher or teacher you had to sound good. The content didn't matter so much. If you were persausive enough. If your language and your style were impressive enough. People would follow you. And the Corinthians are being sucked into this worldly way of thinking too. They're wanting leaders who sound just like the other teachers and philosophers in Corinth. Leaders who'll make Christianity sound philosophical and smart. Leaders who'll minimise the embarrassing bits of the message - like the cross. Leaders who can overwhelm their audience with lots of theological jargon.
But according to Paul they're looking for the wrong thing. They shouldn't be looking for leaders like the smart philosophers in Corinth. They should be looking for leaders who'll teach people about the Gospel. And you can't manipulate people into believing the Gospel. You can't use fancy techniques to get people to sign up without thinking. And you can't downplay the unpopular parts. Especially not the cross.
He says to the Corinthians, remember how you became Christians. When I talked to you about the Gospel. I didn't use any fancy techniques. I didn't try and cover up the difficult bits, or overwhelm you with clever jargon.
Follow with me in chapter 2v 1. He says:
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
He says I just gave a clear presentation of the message of the cross. And it worked. Even though my message was clear and simple, God's Spirit used it powerfully. You believed"
2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And then vs 4:
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power...
The Corinthians should know better than to look for leaders with worldly and manipulative techniques. Paul didn't have to use special techniques to persaude THEM to accept the Gospel. And they wouldn't have helped. It's not that Paul wasn't a good speaker. But the gospel is different. It can't be explained with fancy or manipulative speeches. You can't con people into believing it with clever techniques.
And Paul goes on to show why that's the case. He shows the Corinthians why you can't manipulate people into believing the gospel. And there's two parts to what he says. Two things he tells them. First, he tells them the Gospel is hidden, and then he tells them the one way the Gospel can be revealed.
Paul starts by showing the Gospel is hidden wisdom. He says the Gospel we speak is wisdom, but it's completely different from the wisdom of this age. It's completely different from the wisdom that ignores God. Wisdom that says I'm god and I'll do whatever I feel like. The wisdom of the cross is so different from that normal human way of thinking, it's secret. It's hidden from people who think in the normal worldly way. Look at v 6:
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
And he says to the Corinthians if you want evidence, God's wisdom is hidden. If you want evidence, human leaders with their normal self centred worldview can't understand it. Just look at what they did to Jesus. Here was the man at the centre of God's wise plans. The man who was bringing God's glory. And instead of trusting him and serving him. They killed him. As Paul says in v 8:
None of the rulers of this age understood God's wisdom, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
And Paul says, if you're still not convinced God's wisdom is a hidden wisdom, then read your bible. The Old testament says it too. He tops off his argument with a quote:
9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
It's like me with those magic eye books. Where you have to go cross eyed and this amazing picture is supposed to rise out of the page. I hate them because I've never seen anything. Doesn't matter how much I screw up my eyes or roll them around or go cross eyed. It all stays exactly the same. Those amazing pictures are hidden from me. And there's no way you can talk me into seeing them. People try all the time. Make it sound like I'm seriously missing out. 'Ohh... that's amazing! Surely you can see that, its incredible. Don't tell me you can't see it.' But I don't need emotional blackmail. It's not going to reveal the hidden pictures for me. And it can't reveal the Gospel either. Whatever manipulative techniques get used.
There's only one way the Gospel can be revealed, and that's what Paul goes on to talk about next. He says even though God's wisdom is hidden, he can understand it and so can the Corinthians. V 10 says ...it's hidden...
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. And if anyone knows God's wisdom its the Spirit because he searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Paul says it makes sense. God's spirit is the only one who knows what he's thinking. And if we want to know God's thoughts - his wisdom, then his spirit's got to reveal it to us. It works the same with us. If you think of a number between 1 and 10, your mind, your spirit, is the only one who knows the number you've chosen. The person sitting next to you doesn't know. I don't know. Paul's not saying our mind is exactly the same as God's spirit. He's saying the only way we'll get to know what someone is thinking is if it gets out of their mind and into ours. For who, he says in v 11, who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
The Gospel is spiritual wisdom. And people who don't have the spirit can't understand it. There was a lot of media attention last year when Peter Jensen was elected the archbishop of Sydney. You might have seen it in the paper or on TV. But there was one thing I didn't see reported anywhere. It was the first thing he said at his first press conference. He said 'I want to stake my life on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.' here's the most important thing he's got to say. The thing at the heart of what he's on about. And no one reported it. that press conference made the front page of all the papers. It was on TV and the radio. But I didn't see one single mention of the resurrection. All anyone cared about was his views on refugees and the prime minister. And as important as those things are, he didn't want to stake his life on them. He wanted to stake his life on the resurrection. But for people without the spirit the resurrection was irrelevant. It was embarrassing. It was foolish. Only people who have God's spirit can understand God's wisdom. To anyone else it's foolish.
That's what Paul says in V 12:
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand the wisdom God has freely given us. And v 15 2:15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment.
But in contrast, in v 14:
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.
And if the only way you can understand God's wisdom is to have the Spirit. If the Gospel is spiritual wisdom. There's only one way to speak about it. You've got to use spiritual words. Worldly techniques won't work. You can't manipulate people or overpower them with clever arguments and big words. The spirit doesn't use worldly manipulation. He uses spiritual language. Look at v 13. Paul says:
God's wisdom, is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Now when Paul says he uses spiritual words, it could sound a bit weird. As if you've got to use jargon like propitiation or sanctification. Or maybe you've got to say everything with a spiritual accent. You can't just say holy holy holy, you've got to say hoely hoely hoely. But that's not what Paul is saying at all. The spiritual truth he's talking about is the Gospel. And he's just saying if you're talking about the Gospel. Use language that fits. If you're talking about the cross. Talk about the cross. Don't try and make it sound like you've got some fancy philosophy that everyone will agree with. Don't try and manipulate people Just say it like it is. That's spiritual language.
And so Paul's not saying you've got to be not boring or hard to follow. What he's saying is the language and the style should match the message. And if you're speaking about the Gospel that'll mean being be clear and passionate and interesting.
Like John Chapman when he was here earlier in the year. He didn't use big words. He didn't try and disguise unpopular parts of the Gospel. He didn't manipulate people. He just gave a clear and interesting explanation of what Jesus had done and why people should trust him. He was speaking spiritual truth with spiritual words.
That's the kind of speaking Paul wants the Corinthians to admire. And that's the kind of speaking we need to work for as well.
It's what you should be looking for in our preaching. Are we being clear and interesting. Do we focus on Jesus and his death? Does our language and our style match the Gospel we're preaching? That's what we're aiming for and I hope that's what you're looking for.
But even if you're not preaching up front, how do you talk about the Gospel with your friends? Are you clear? Simple? Interesting? Do you make sure people understand the awkward bits, like sin, and hell? If you spend all your time talking about our new building, the nice chairs and the great music you might make the Gospel sound attractive. But maybe you haven't given your friends the complete picture of what we're on about.
So don't manipulate people. You don't need to. Just give a clear explanation of the Gospel. That's spiritual truth in spiritual words. And that's the way God's Spirit reveals the Gospel.