Within the increasingly ego-centred culture that had been allowed to grow up within the Corinthian church it is natural that there would have been competition for respect and power. There were many who disparaged Paul’s apostolic authority in the church in an effort to establish their own allegedly superior authority. It would have been easy to belittle Paul in one sense. Evidently, he was not a great speaker and in Greek culture the art of rhetoric and communication was honoured above all skills. If you were an impressive communicator, then you would be esteemed by people and assumed to have a greater grasp on the truth. Paul was not able to impress people in that way. There were others in the Corinthian church who felt that they were greater than Paul because they were impressive in their abilities. But the fruit of their talents was only dissention. The fruit of Paul’s ministry, however, was real transformation by the Holy Spirit. Paul was not interested in being impressive, only effective. God does not want us to be impressive in the use of our gifts. He wants us to be effective for his Kingdom. You can be impressive in your abilities and have absolutely no positive, lasting effect on anyone or anything. All you succeed in doing is building up your own ego. Be effective, not impressive.
Ask God to help you see the difference between being impressive and effective.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5
