1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Even though many of the Corinthian Christians had devolved into grossed sectarianism, with different groups claiming to follow different leaders (1 Corinthians 1:12), including a group who claimed to follow Paul, he entirely renounced that.
There were many quite charismatic leaders in the Church in Paul’s day, and many who were heavily endorsed by leaders in the Church. But Paul was mostly outside of that group. Although he was a persuasive speaker, his ability to persuade did not come from studies in elocution as some evangelists had. And he wasn’t particularly imposing in his physical characteristics.
The source of Paul’s persuasive ability lay simply in the fact that God’s power flowed freely through him. And he was obedient to a fault. When God told him to speak, he spoke. When God told him to move, he moved. And when God told him to reach out and heal someone, he did it without hesitation.
Paul did not try to lure people into the kingdom with flowery and persuasive words, promising blessings that he was powerless to deliver like some evangelists were doing. Instead his message was quite simple, always focused on Jesus and the price He had paid on the cross to redeem lost humanity.
Paul’s goal was not to gain followers for himself. He knew that someday he would die, and those who followed him as a person would be cast adrift and would then either search for a new charismatic leader to follow or would fall away entirely. So, he always urged the people to follow Jesus who lives forever, and in whose power and might a person is secure, regardless of what human leaders may come or go.
Father, we still have a tendency to follow human leaders, charismatic preachers, and theological giants who put together impressive words into polished phrases. And then, when they die, or if they are suddenly caught in scandal, we turn away from them and try to find someone new to follow. But these are just men and women, mere flesh and blood. Instead, we need to simply follow Jesus, who was, and is, and is to come. He will never change, He will never die, and He will never be caught in a scandal. He will always be worthy of our following Him. And, Lord, help us ourselves to never seek a following of our own, but simply point people to Jesus, and let Your power flow through our lives as a confirmation, not of our power but of His. Amen.