The Christian message, while not commending itself to man's philosophical approach, is nevertheless the instrument of God's power and the complement of God's wisdom. Now Paul proceeds to discuss the communication of the message. There is nothing more important for businessmen and housewives, preachers, and teachers than this matter of communication. The priority program of the church until Jesus returns is the communication of the Christian gospel to every creature in every country.

The Master said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20). And again, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

As a communicator himself, Paul knew something of the inherent dangers in the methods and motives of public preaching. Indeed, the church at Corinth was divided on this very issue. Some said they preferred Paul, others said they preferred Apollos, still others said they preferred Cephas, and so on. There was division because of the differences and preferences relating to the personalities and presentations of these preachers. So Paul tackles this problem by saying, in effect, that temperament, background and training are not what matters; the power of the Holy Spirit is needed to be a communicator for Christ. This anointing of the Spirit concerns three aspects of the task as a communicator.

First of all, there is the supreme passion of a communicator. "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with 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" (vv. 1-2). Drawing heavily upon his own experience, Paul shares with us the twofold secret of the consuming passion of a gospel communicator.

To start with, there is dedication to the Master. Paul uses a special word here to describe his dedicated resolve. He says, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ" (v. 2). This is the secret of a true passion for preaching and communicating. This man was so Christ-centered and Christ-controlled that nothing else mattered, save Jesus Christ. He could say, "For to me, to live is Christ" (Phil.1:21); and again, "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:8, 10); and yet again, "One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press [or I pursue, the same word that he used for the persecution of the church] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14).