1 Corinthians 8:1 - "Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up."
Though my parents and all the preceding generations of their family grew up with very humble means, they all valued my sisters, my brother, and me acquiring as much education as possible. Summer reading clubs, good grades, and going to college were non-negotiable expectations for us kids, even though, to the best of my knowledge, only my late father went to college from our preceding generations. And my father always used to tell us how very fortunate he was to win a scholarship, or he himself would've never gone to college either.
But as much as I thank God for the educational pursuits that my parents both provided and also supported me in pursuing, I am constantly reminded of God's word in 1 Corinthians 8:1, where we hear that "'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up." I'll speak for myself in saying that it's very easy for us all to forget, especially when I'm sitting in my office surrounded by walls of floor to ceiling books, that as important as knowledge and book-learning are, there is nothing more important than the simple gospel message of Jesus.
The "gospel," which means the "good news," ultimately is best offered and explained in child-like language and simplicity. Simple Bible verses like "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son" from John 3:16, simple songs like "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so," and simple encouragements to others like "this must be hard, but God promises to love you and be with you" are all irreplaceable. No one can possibly understand why God loves them and how God loves them if they don't first understand that God loves them through His Son, Jesus Christ.
So many Christians never experience the unmatched joy of seeing someone else come to a life-changing trust in God's love because they're afraid they don't have enough knowledge of the Bible to say the right thing to someone.
But, Friends, I've yet to find a person, who was drowning in fear, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, grief, debt, or uncertainty, who was just dying to hear how much I know and how smart I am or you are. But, with rare exception, everyone I've ever called, hugged, listened to, spoken to on the street, worked with, visited in the place they were confined to, played ball with, talked to as they scanned my groceries, or simply passed for a moment as we walked somewhere in public, refused to smile when they heard me say, "Have a good day! Jesus loves you!" in those or other simple words.
To be sure, it's important that we want to know God more personally each day, and the way to learn of him is listening to and studying his word. But ultimately, any fear that you might have about not knowing enough to tell others about Jesus is overcome by God's simple reminder in today's Bible verse, namely, that God's way to truly build up somebody is not by impressing them with knowledge but by lovingly telling them that God loves them and that we know this in Jesus Christ!
Change the world today! Tell each person, starting in your home, that they're loved by God with an everlasting love!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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