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And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1
What is the testimony of God? It is the Gospel.
Believers are meant to share the Gospel always, fearlessly. When you have time read (1 Corinthians 2:1-16) This passage begins with the apostle Paul explaining his deep desire to share the Gospel despite his problem with public speaking.
You may see a little bit of my friend Joy in the apostle.
Let me introduce you to Joy. She is quite different from the person she was, a lifetime ago.
Joy loved Jesus. She wanted people to know that He loves them, too. But Joy had a problem. She was buried under a weight of unnecessary fear and anxiety.
She had a gift of encouragement. She wanted to teach the Gospel to others. But her voice had been robbed by stage fright. Every time she tried to stand before a group, she felt like all eyes were on her. She would panic.
So, for a time, Joy gave up.
Do you believe that God made her feel that way?
No. The Adversary of all God’s children had convinced her that she had a reason to be anxious. He had silenced her effectively. (1 Peter 5:8)
Joy knew that her silence was sinful. And she was right. That may sound harsh. But a loving and wise pastor saw Joy’s truth.
The pastor used godly wisdom and a practical approach to help Joy.
First, the pastor helped Joy be sure of her salvation. Then he verified that she did not have a mental health issue.
The pastor saw the Light of Christ in Joy. But he also saw her spiritual frailty.
Anything that causes believers to focus on their attributes or even their impediments, demonstrates mistrust. Not in themselves, but in God.
Her anxiety was impeding her desire to share the Good News. The pastor had been right. Joy was battling a selfish sin.
Now if you had known Joy, you would have known, nothing about her appeared selfish. But the very definition of selfishness means to concentrate on yourself, above all else.
The pastor helped Joy reclaim the freedom that Jesus had already given to her when she was first born-again. He helped her to realize that her focus should be on Jesus.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
Proverbs 4:25
Our whole gaze should be on Jesus. It should not be upon our weakness or trepidation. God has the remedy for all of our fears. (Psalm 34:4)
Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36
Find your place of ministry, and share the Good News in your world-fearlessly!
Isaiah 52:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Statement of Faith
