I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. – 2 Corinthians 11:6

Today's Scripture Reading (March 27, 2021): 2 Corinthians 11

Pastor David Guzik tells a story about a dinner party at which the invited guests were expected to stand up and recite something for the group after the meal's conclusion.

A famous actor was present, and he recited the twenty-third Psalm with great dramatic flair and emotion, and sat down to great applause. Then a very simple man got up and began to recite the same Psalm. He wasn't very eloquent, so at first people thought it was a little funny. But his presentation was straight from his heart, so when he finished the group sat in respectful silence. It was obvious that the simple man's presentation was more powerful than the actor's, and afterwards the actor told him: "I know the Psalm, but you know the Shepherd" (David Guzik).

A few years ago, I met with an older pastor who admitted that he lacked the education he felt was required to speak week after week to his congregation. And so, he tasked a teacher in his church with the job of evaluating his grammar and helping him improve his speaking ability. The last thing he wanted was to make a fool of himself in front of his congregation. It is quite possible that he wasn't the best speaker, but his community loved him because they knew his heart, and they were sure that he knew the Shepherd.

Paul argues that he is untrained as a speaker. His argument is that he does not know the intricacies of rhetoric, which involved speaking in an entertaining and polished way that was popular at the time. The Corinthians had people who practiced rhetoric come and talk to them,  and they preferred to listen to these entertainers more than they wanted to hear Paul.

Somehow, I doubt that Paul was untrained in rhetoric, he was highly educated, and rhetoric would have been a foundational part of that education. But Paul had chosen a different path. He didn't want his message to be lost in the entertainment. And so Paul purposefully spoke from his heart, rather than try to entertain. But even if he was uneducated in the ways of rhetoric, he had been very effective in his ministry, speaking from his heart about what was important.

Too often, we let our inabilities or inadequacies stop us from attempting to live out our discipleship in front of the people in our circles of acquaintance. But the world around us doesn't need another eloquent speech about Jesus. They need to hear our heart; they need to know the Shepherd and not just the words of the Psalm.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12 & 13