MAY 8, 2014
Talking
About Jesus
Read: 2
Corinthians 4:1-6
I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. —1
Corinthians 2:2
Former major league
baseball player Tony Graffanino tells of an ongoing ministry effort in a
European country. Each year his organization holds a week-long baseball camp.
During this week they also offer a daily Bible study. In past years, the leader
tried to find reasoned ways to convince the campers that God exists so they
would place their faith in Him. After about 13 years, they had seen only 3
people decide to follow Jesus.
Then they changed
their approach, says Graffanino. Instead of “trying to present facts, or
winning arguments for a debate,” they simply talked about “the amazing life and
teachings of Jesus.” As a result, more campers came to listen, and more chose
to follow Him.
The apostle Paul said
that when we tell others about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we should set “forth
the truth plainly. . . . We do not preach ourselves,” he said, “but Jesus
Christ as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:2,5 niv). This was Paul’s standard for evangelism: “I
determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him
crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
We should be
knowledgeable about the Bible and about the reasons for our belief, and
sometimes we need to explain those reasons. But the most compelling and
effective story we can tell puts Christ in the center.
Father God, please use
me in the lives of others.
Remind me to talk
about who Jesus is and His life
and teachings. And not
to be dragged into debates,
but to share Jesus’
amazing life.
The risen Christ is
the reason for our witness.
Insight
Today’s reading
showcases a remarkable spiritual reality concerning those who are resistant to
the gospel. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe,
lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . . should shine on them”
(vv.3-4). The apostle Paul tells us that Satan, “the god of this age,” has
produced a form of spiritual blindness that hinders one’s perception of the
reality of Jesus Christ. Spiritual blindness can only be overcome by the light
of Christ (v.6).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
