保羅的得勝祕訣
哥林多前書二章1至5節
1弟兄們，從前我到你們那裡去，並沒有用高言大智對你們宣傳神的奧祕。
2因為我曾定了主意，在你們中間不知道別的，只知道耶穌基督並他釘十字架。
3我在你們那裡，又軟弱又懼怕，又甚戰兢。
4我說的話、講的道，不是用智慧委婉的言語，乃是用聖靈和大能的明證，
5叫你們的信不在乎人的智慧，只在乎神的大能。
信息分享
保羅有甚麼得勝的祕訣？保羅在這裡指出，我們不可能靠我們的聰明才智去帶領人信主；只有靠著聖靈的能力，才能將人引到耶穌基督的面前。我們豈不是經常覺得自己軟弱不配，沒有甚麼可以用來事奉基督嗎？這幾節經文便是給我們的最大鼓勵了。
保羅說：「你們記得嗎？ 昔日我到你們中間的時候，是又軟弱又懼怕的。」我們從使徒行傳的記述中，知道保羅在異象中見到馬其頓人呼求他的幫助，於是便起程往那裡去。誰知他在腓立比被囚，後來在帖撒羅尼迦又引發騷動，要乘夜逃走到庇哩亞。帖撒羅尼迦的搞事者追到庇哩亞，保羅又逃到雅典，與當地人辯論，卻沒有什麼結果。當他來到哥林多的時候，他實在是相當低落，甚至要神親自鼓勵他說：「不要怕，只管講，不要閉口，有我與你同在。」(林前十八8-9)
那麼，他究竟有甚麼得勝的祕訣呢？那就是十字架的信息，以及聖靈的能力。當保羅看見哥林多教會的境況之後，他可能對自己說：「除了基督之外，再沒有人可以改變他們了。有這個信息便已經足夠了。」
保羅看見這個真理確實成就在初信者的生命中。哥林多是有名的「罪惡之城」，可是，當地仍然有居民因著接受這十架的信息，生命獲得徹底的改變。請讀哥林多前書六章10至11節。
別人能不能看見基督活在我們的生命中呢？他們能否看見基督在我們身上的作為？我們可以為基督作甚麼見證呢？當別人看見基督在我們身上的作為，他們便可能想到，基督同樣能夠幫助他們。這就是我們為基督而作的其中一個見證了。
經文反思：
萬軍之耶和華說：「不是倚靠勢力，不是倚靠才能，乃是倚靠我的靈方能成事。」撒迦利亞書四6
PAUL'S SECRET OF SUCCESS
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 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.
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Message
What was Paul's secret of success? So often we feel that we do not have much to use for Christ. So these few verses can be a great encouragement to us. Paul is saying it is never by our strength but always by the power of the Spirit of God that men and women are brought to Jesus Christ.
Paul asks 'Don't you remember how weak I was when I first came to you?' As someone has said, he went to Macedonia in answer to a call and he saw some great things happen, but he was imprisoned at Philippi. He had to be smuggled out of Thessalonica. He was hunted out of Berea and when be tried to reason with the people of Athens, he accomplished very little. He was in fact so discouraged in Corinth that God himself had to encourage him. Look at Acts 18:9-10. God said to Paul, 'Be not afraid, but speak. Do not be silent for I am with you'.
What then was the secret of his success? It was in his message of the cross and the power of the Spirit behind that message. As Paul looked at Corinth, he may have said to himself, 'No-one but Christ can change these people. It's the only message that would be sufficient.'
Paul saw the truth of this demonstrated in the lives of converts. These people who lived in 'Sin City' were mightily changed. Read 1 Corinthians 6:10-11 and see what happened to them.
Can others see the reality of Christ in our lives? Can they see what he has done? What is one of the greatest testimonies we could give for Christ? It is when men can see the reality of Christ in us, that they will begin to see what he can do for them.
A VERSE FOR TODAY:
'Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.'