Scripture
(1 Corinthians 2:1,2) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come withe excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Observation
When Paul first encountered the Corinthians (as far as we know), it was immediately after preaching to the philosophers and intellectual elite at Mars Hill (Acts 18). In Corinth, instead of living as an intellectual aristocrat, he became a tentmaker, but even in that quiet life, he reasoned with both Jews and Greeks each weekend ... not trying to impress them with his superior insights and wisdom, not with the complexities or finer details of God's revelation, but the most basic of realities: Jesus Christ, the crucified one. Only through Jesus' crucifixion can the whole counsel of God be understood.
In Corinth, Paul witnessed the fruit of intellectualism: persecution and terror ... so much and so intensely, that the Holy Spirit found it necessary to encourage Paul through a vision: "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9,10).
Application
Contained in the message of Jesus Christ crucified is the whole of the wisdom of God. It's not a message that inflates our egos. It is a message that strips us before God and others. It's a message that incites persecution. It's much easier to hide behind Assisi's over-used and under-lived axiom: preach always and sometimes use words. The Holy Spirit doesn't excuse us from using words ... words that confirm our lives.
Prayer
Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart truly be acceptable, even pleasing to you. In that way, as David prayed in Psalm 19, may I discover you to be my strength when I am living congruently with my weaknesses and may you be my redeemer who turns my skillless attempts at Christ-likness to actually be Christ-like.
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