Raw Spirit Preaching

   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. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (NKJV)

Education has value. So does eloquence. But they are also dangerous when it comes to preaching. How? In what way? The danger lies in the ability to construct a sermon solely consisting of that which stimulates the intellect magnified by the manner of delivery. In Paul's day, Greek rhetoric (the art of persuasion) was a popular tool taught and used by Sophists (professional debaters and teachers of debate skills). In the present day, the power of intellectualism is still wielded by fast talking philosophers schooled in the ability to persuade and convince. But what if the message is wrong? No amount of education makes it right if its wrong. No matter how persuasive the argument is, wrong remains wrong.

Paul chose to approach the Corinthians without the intellectual rhetorical toolkit that the Greek speaking world had come to expect, so that the Gospel might not be communicated and believed by these carnal means, but by the power of the Spirit of God. That one might be convinced of the truth of God's redemptive work in Christ with the plain spoken message of the cross was unexpected by the hearers and served as a demonstration of the messages power.

Today the psychology of persuasion is widely studied and applied in business, politics, and advertising. It is also heavily used by those who claim to be the messengers of the Gospel. This can be seen in the empty and false doctrines that are spouted on so many late night television billionaire preaching programs. They are also widely imitated by many legitimate preachers, probably through ignorance, as they repeat and ape what they have seen others do. This is unnecessary and damaging. The Word of God is powerful all by itself. It needs to be delivered without guile, just as Jesus came and brought the message to the world.

Lets not be clever brethren. Lets be clear. And when we step down from the pulpit, lets know with certainty that any lives change were change by the power of God's word, not through the manipulation of our words.