I only know one thing.
I Only Know One thing…
And that thing is Jesus.
This is my first blog post (woo hoo!) I’ve always wanted to do this but the fear of not knowing enough or not being equipped enough has always kept me from it. So it’s fitting that qualifications are what God has been teaching me about. Funny how it always works that way!
After reading verse one of the passage I’ll be examining in this post I immediately wrote in my journal: “Why is my reading perfect for what I’m currently facing?” I had no idea how much God was going to show me through this passage, yet I immediately knew it was perfect for my current situation. What a blessing and comfort this has been to me.
In this post, I’m going to talk about the qualifications for talking about Jesus. (Spoiler alert: there aren’t many) The passage I’ve been reading that has been so encouraging to me is 1st Corinthians 2:1-5, with a little sprinkle of John 9.
Before you read this, I’ll warn you… I’m not the most polished person. I never have been and I probably never will be. But I am very passionate about sharing who Jesus is and what he’s done… and it’s kind of what I’ve been called to do. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What makes you feel unqualified?
Or at least what made me feel unqualified?
After I’d written the last paragraph of the intro, I realized how much it sounds like Paul’s first verse to the Corinthians in chapter 2, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.”
It looks like Paul and I have something in common.
There have been a lot of things in life that make me feel unqualified. I was never the best church-goer and church rule follower, I never went to all of the events and never took all of the classes, and because of that, I was not going to go far in the system I was in. Did any of those things reflect my dedication to the Lord and the Gospel? Absolutely not! But many Christian systems are set to measure your dedication to Jesus and the Gospel based on how well you perform in their system. That had gotten me down for quite some time. How could I ever make a difference in people’s lives?
I had this idea to write a Christian poetry book last fall. It was completely out of the blue. Some might even call it a tug on my heart. So many things swirled through my head when considering writing it, “am I qualified?”, “I haven’t gone to seminary”, “I literally don’t even know how to use a comma correctly!” (Still true by the way. Please be gracious, Ha!)
Looking at it logically, I was completely and irrevocably unqualified. At least according to man-made systems or scholarly perspectives.
But for some reason, I still felt like I could do it.
So this begs the question,
What qualifies you?
Another spoiler alert: it’s not going to take much!
In verse 2 of chapter 2 Paul says:
“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Not only does he explain he isn’t coming with excellency of speech, he determined not to know anything besides Jesus Christ.
My dad always says “I’m going to put all my eggs in the Jesus basket.” I think that would be a comically modern way to sum up verse 2. Paul had tried the knowledge and excellency of speech route. That’s kind of what his whole life was as Saul. He knew that law like no other and persecuting Christians was his life passion. He believed what he believed so fervently. To see this switch in him must mean something pretty significant happened in his life.
Oh yeah, it was Jesus!
As I’m breaking down former ideals such as; needing to know enough, attend enough classes, or *fill in whatever blank you think you need to do*, I came across verses 4-5.
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
And it was like those words dug deep into my soul because the only reason I was feeling unqualified was because I wanted to have enticing words, I wanted to be polished, and I believed I hadn’t listened to enough of man’s teachings. It’s like Paul called me out hundreds of years ago.
While it was like a dagger to me, it also brought me peace. It reminded me that the thing that qualifies me is the power of Jesus. I realized:
The more I worked towards excellency of speech and wisdom, the more opportunity I was going to have to glory in myself.
This took me to 2nd Corinthians 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Seeing Paul’s example and the impact he has had over many years, I began to question why I was doing everything in my power to make myself as strong as possible when it’s really in my weakness that Christ’s power shines through.
Take a deep breath. The power of that is so weight lifting. It’s where I can find rest.
Let’s look at some more examples!
It’s so cool when the Spirit brings something to remembrance. When I was reading this it immediately sparked my memory of John 9. This is the story of the blind man that Jesus heals. What I find so interesting here is the progression of what the blind man does after he receives his sight.
It’s so clearly laid out. (Here’s a little plug for my new Christian poetry book! It’s titled “Where I FInd Rest” and it follows Jesus’s life through the lens of the book of John, I’ll link it at the bottom!) Here’s an excerpt from it about this story:
he was blind.
he had faith.
he was given sight.
he spoke about the man
Jesus Christ.
Inspired by John 9:11
That’s the progression we can allow ourselves to have as well. We were once blind in our sin. We had faith and accepted Christ as our Savior. We were given sight (which is explained in the second half of 1st Corinthians 2). And guess what we are qualified to do next…
Speak about the man, Jesus Christ.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather speak in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power rather than trying in my own strength and knowledge. I know what Jesus did for me and I know what I have is so good, I must share.
Am I qualified?
Please know that the power of what Jesus has done for you is more powerful than anything you could ever perfectly prepare. The power is in Him and His work. I am so grateful that I can truly rest and rely on His power through anything.
So, this is my charge to you, don’t be weary in what you don’t know but rather rest in what Jesus has done. Go ahead, share that. It’s the most powerful thing ever.
