Manipulating the Salvation Message

1 Corinthians 2:1

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan. 

Persuasion is man's means of swaying the thoughts of other fellow men and women.  By nature and certainly by cultural pressure, when most of us try to persuade anyone on any topic, we are usually careful not to offend anyone if we can avoid it.  One of the biggest mistakes that we make as Christians is to carry over this mindset when we talk about the salvation message with non-believers.  If we are not careful, we end up manipulating the salvation message to please the ears of the listener.  All the while, we are actually withholding from them the truth and the power that is in the Word of God.

The apostle Paul in his teachings to the Corinthians emphasized the point that the power to convert was not in fanciful speech.  He knew that the people would not be stable in their faith if they were resting on the words of men and not on the power of God's words.  He also knew and taught that His teaching had no power without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Be certain that Jesus did not come to earth worried about His message being politically correct.  In fact, He stated clearly that His teachings would be sure to divide households.  Know that politically correct messages will get no one into heaven, nor will they keep anyone out of hell.  Only the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and delivered by His servants produces the supernatural power that leads to real persuasion and conversion.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the power that Your Holy Word has in transforming our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that we are serving You and pleasing You when we share Your inerrant Word with others.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to be bold in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel and direct us in choosing the right message for each time we are in a position to share our testimony.  We ask, Father, that You prepare the hearts of those around us to receive the truth and respond to Your message of salvation.  We ask all these things in the name of the Word of God, Jesus Christ.