Paul took the Gospel to many regions where the culture and the language were dominated by Greece. The Greeks loved literature and learning. They prized intellectual stimulation, and would sit for hours listening to philosophers wax eloquent on diverse topics. A crowd would gather at the news that local orators were to speak. It was in such a climate that Paul frequently entered to share the message on his heart.

Two popular philosophical groups in Paul’s day were the epicureans and the stoicks. Each had their own world view, and each loved to debate causes. Paul was invited to speak before such a group. Instead of receiving the typical fare of mental gymnastics and high-brow words, such as typically found its way onto the stage, Paul spoke plainly and to the point.

He reminded the Corinthians that his speech was not glamorous or entertaining, but powerful nonetheless. He wrote them in…

1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Paul left his hard-to-impress listeners disappointed by his simplicity. However, they were left with truth they could not deny. Though their minds had not been challenged with high sounding philosophies and exotic words, their hearts had been challenged, and they left the meeting having to deal with truth.

Paul told the church the primary reason he had not tried to impress his listeners was because he wanted them drawn to the truth of his message, not to him as a speaker. Paul knew that if he had won their admiration as a speaker, they would have left empty of the truth. It was more important to him that they be challenged with the facts of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

When Paul finished his less than impressive message, the listeners could choose to believe the truth he presented, or deny it. He left them with a simple choice. Gratefully, there were some in the crowd who did not allow their foolish pride to stand in the way of their need. There were some who knew what Paul was preaching was the truth, and was the answer for the hole in their heart that had bothered them for so long.

The world doesn’t need fancy speakers, elaborate presentations, or Gospel light shows. The world needs to hear the simple facts of the Gospel. So many have never heard the Gospel; some have not even heard of the story of Jesus.

The farther society moves away from God, the more illiterate they will be towards the Good News of Jesus. It is still up to us to share with them the simple truth of what Christ did for us on the cross.

Let’s not be intimidated by fancy speakers, let’s just give them the simple Gospel.