Wednesday—December 20•Paul’s Example 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. (1 Corinthians 2:2–5) The apostle Paul was one of the most effective evangelists and disciplers in history, and he clearly explained that he relied on the Holy Spirit to empower his witness. I understand what we mean when we say, “I led so-and-so to Christ.” That statement reflects the inadequacy of human language. But the simple reality is, if we lose the consciousness of the Holy Spirit, we either stop trying, or we continue in our own wisdom, our own persuasiveness, our own cleverness. Paul probably had more reason to depend on his own ability than anyone you’ve ever met. Yet he knew he would only be effective as he relied on the Holy Spirit. If you are serious about following Jesus, you know He intends for you to engage in the process of making disciples. Desire, will, self-discipline, and training are all important, but they will never provide the necessary power to draw people into relationship with Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. WEEK Week 10 Re-read 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, recorded above. How do those verses encourage you in your efforts to share Jesus with those around you? Daily Reading: Haggai 1:1–2:23, Revelation 11:1–19, Psalm 139:1–24, Proverbs 30:15–16 Thursday—December 21•Pursue Training So You Can Be Qualified 53 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:1–2) You may not be the most natural witness in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be great at it. Repetitive training is crucial for all types of security jobs and emergency response teams, because it helps people overcome the natural tendencies that would keep them from responding in a crisis. In a similar way, repetitive training can prepare people to respond to spiritual crises with the Gospel, even if they are not naturally gifted speakers. You may be nervous about witnessing. You may think you don’t know how to make disciples. But you can learn. Then you trust your training. Today’s Scripture reminds us that we can trust the Holy Spirit to bring to our minds the things we need to say, and we can trust Him to do it in a timely manner. Plug into the Holy Spirit and rest in His ability to remind you of appropriate Scriptures, or to help you discern the best way to speak to a given situation. He is the external power source that fuels effective discipleship. WEEK Week 10 In your own words, explain how repetitive training can be coupled with Holy Spirit guidance to enhance the effect of evangelism and discipleship. Daily Reading: Zechariah 1:1–21, Revelation 12:1–17, Psalm 140:1–13, Proverbs 30:17
20514 Man in Mirror
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