You would not understand 2 Corinthians 2:10-14

You would not understand

Why did John Muir climb to the top of a pine tree during a storm? Why do men and woman push themselves the limit to climb a mountain? Why did Henry Thoreau stand nose deep in Walden pond? If you have to ask why, you will not understand the answer.

The world looks at the church and ask; why would you think Jesus would die for you sins? Why would you live a life in submission to God? Why would you deny yourself earthly pleasures because of your faith? They ask the questions because they cannot understand the answer.

The Bible says that the things of God are foolishness to men. The wisdom of God looks like folly to men. The Gospel makes no sense at all, it is so foreign to their worldview and their experience in life.
Even in the church there are those who are not understanding spiritual things.

Paul says he has the mind of Christ; the things he is going to share with them are taught by the Holy Spirit. They are the ways of God.

This little passage has so much in it but for right now I want us to focus on verse 14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

This passage explains so many things for us, and instructs us in speaking to the unbelieving world.

Between God and man there are barriers. The primary barrier is sin but there are more barriers. There is the barrier of language. We don’t speak the same words.

Yes, No, Please, Thank you, Bathroom.

Another barrier is culture. Concepts, ideas, ways of thinking are so different.

Preconceived ideas, and prejudice.

Most of the people who say they do not believe in the Bible have never read one.

With these barriers in the way, how do we talk to the people around us about Jesus?

1.       Make a list of people.

2.       Pray for the Holy Spirit to allow them to understand.

3.       Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you the barriers between them and God.

4.       Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to speak in ways they will understand.

5.       Learn the way they speak and think and use them to translate the Gospel.

We must do the work of reaching the lost,
We must remove as many barriers for them as we can.