Plain & simple

"You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified." 1 Cor 2:1-2

I always tend to think of Paul as a very intelligent and persuasive personality; one who knew his scripture backwards and used the power of his oratory to encourage people into faith. This may well be true to an extent but here, Paul is reminding the Church at Corinth that his efforts to spread the gospel were simple at best. In fact, as the Message puts it, he was 'scared to death'. Yet his simple message, spread with nervousness still produced fruit. Why? Because it was God's Spirit and God's power that impressed upon the people the power of the message.

What a great encouragement and relief it is to know that even the great Paul suffered the same issues as us - nerves and insecurities. But the church still grew.

It's a reminder that God doesn't expect perfect people, and in fact, in chapter 1 we read that God chooses 'nobodies' rather than 'somebodies'. He wants people who are willing to put their faith and trust in him and believe that the Holy Spirit will do the convicting work.