Let’s look at a person that is qualified; but, they don’t sound qualified. To those who are trying to understand the things of Jesus with their inadequate brain, they sound like they are too weak.

1 Cor 2:1-5 (NIV) When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much 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 men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Rom 10:17 (NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. People can’t believe in Jesus on a spiritual level through human reasoning. When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom. The moment a person believes because they are convinced by human reasoning, is the moment they make a mental accent to the things of God. That doesn’t sound all that bad, does it? What’s wrong with trying to understand the good news message through reasoning? It won’t last! The person sees some aspect of Christianity that appeals to their brain; they come because it makes sense to them at the moment; and as long as it makes sense to them, they continue to head in that direction by means of their own power.

1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. If we use eloquence or superior wisdom and convince a person to become a Christian, they will come for their own reasons and those reasons will not head them in the right direction. They will want to come to Jesus without being WILLING to be changed from the inside out. 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, IF anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Instead of the new birth happening to them, they will be the same old person trying new things. Let’s take a look at a person who wants to come to Jesus without giving up their old way of life.

Acts 8:9-13 (NIV) Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

It sounds like Simon has been born again. He believed and was baptized as if he were really wanting to become a transformed person. Even when someone like Philip preached without using eloquence or superior wisdom, Simon was still able to come into Christianity with bad motives of his own. What was wrong with Simon’s motives? He came into Christianity to empress people rather than help them.

We like seeing people come to Jesus and would do almost anything to help them do it. This is a good attitude. But, we must remember this principle: I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much 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 men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. The moment we leave the weakness and fear, and much trembling, and start using worldly, human techniques (men’s wisdom); we start getting pseudo-converts like Simon.

Acts 8:14-24 (NIV) When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now let’s take a look at what was really going on in Simon’s heart. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Simon’s last statement indicates that Peter’s rebuke may have turned him around. But, this gives us a good example of how people like Simon can come into Christianity for personal, selfish reasons. If these motives remain like they did in Judas Iscariot, the person can do a lot of damage to the work of God.

I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much 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 men’s wisdom, BUT on God’s power. God must bring a person to a place of repentance which is a desire to turn around and go in the opposite direction (make a U-turn). The good news message (gospel) isn’t an improvement or remodeling of a person’s life, it is a new birth into a whole new way of life.

Rom 8:13-16 (NIV) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; BUT IF BY THE SPIRIT YOU put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, BECAUSE those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

This isn’t done by a brain being convinced. This happens when a spirit person is convinced. Rom 7:22 (NIV) For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. The Holy Spirit testifies with our SPIRIT that we are God’s child. 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 men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. If a person’s faith rests on men’s wisdom, then their faith isn’t in God’s power. If we preach with wise and persuasive words, then their faith will probably rest on men’s wisdom. If we preach with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, then their faith can rest on God’s power.

The preacher must do their preaching “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” When this happens, a person’s faith is turned toward the power of God and through that faith Jesus heals their heart in a miraculous way. From that miracle on, they start WANTING to do good things to people and start WANTING to stop doing bad things to those around them. Their areas of selfishness gets changed into compassion for themselves and others.