This blog is sort of a part II to my previous one, “More
Than Coincidence”…
The morning we met Lockland I had read in 1 Corinthians 1
about Paul desiring that God make Himself known through his “simple
words.” He did not want to have any
reason to boast in clever words or flashy preaching as he spoke to the
Corinthians. Paul wanted God to
gain all of the glory and allow the Word of the Lord to stand powerfully on
it’s own.
He said in verse 17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize,
but to preach the gospel – not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ
will not be emptied of its effect.”
As I was talking to Lockland, I could immediately tell and
also knew from Eryn talking about him, that he was extremely intelligent. I always feel so intimidated by people
that are that intelligent, and now I was sharing the gospel with one of
them! I am not demeaning my
intelligence, but am no history nor science genius and if it came down to it would
have no idea of how to defend the gospel against scientific terms or how it
pertained to a certain point in history.
Lockland did not get into heated discussion with any crazy
opinions he had against Christianity, but instead listened intently like I said
before. However, I know that the
Word of the Lord can stand on it’s own.
It does not need me to “fancy it up” or to present it in any way that
could make me seem to have more knowledge that I actually do. All God desires is that I present the
gospel in whatever way I am called to do, and then get out of the way in order
for the Word to have the powerful impact that it is meant to.
The next day, as I was sitting in the airport in Malaysia (on
my 16 hr lay-over waiting to fly to the Philippines), the song “The Word Is
Alive” by Casting Crowns came on my ipod.
It reveals in lyric-form what God has been teaching me about the power
of His Word.
