"Humility" & "Human Intellect or The Spirit's Power" Kathryn Kuhlman 1 Corinthians Series Part 2

Father God, we wait in your presence. Open our understanding to the deep truths of the word. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but to my Father which is in heaven. Thanks. And again, I want to tell you how much I appreciate your letters telling me how much you enjoy these heart -to -heart talks. We just study the Word of God together. So with my Bible open, you open your Bible to the same place where my Bible is open. It's 1 Corinthians, the second chapter. And again, we're going to talk about this wonderful spiritual giant, Paul. And I found out a long time ago that to really learn to know a person, you appreciate that one. To really learn to know this person of Paul. And the more that I learn to know him, the more I understand why God chose this man, Paul, to reveal to him the greatest spiritual secrets that he ever revealed to a human being. I do not believe a man ever lived to whom God gave greater spiritual revelations gave to Paul. He trusted Paul with greater spiritual insight than he ever entrusted to any human being. And when I see the full depth of humility in this man Paul, this great spiritual giant, I see something that is priceless. The greatest of all spiritual graces is humility. And the deeper you go in the things of God, the more spiritual you become. the greater will be the evidence of humility in your life. I'm going to give you one of the greatest examples of humility that we have outside of the great example. We have no greater example of humility than the person of Jesus himself. I weep when I think. The wonderful example of humility that Jesus left for you and for me. When he did gird himself with a towel and knelt and washed the feet, the tired, dusty, physical feet of his disciples. The very son of the living God. God in the flesh. He who could command millions of angels. He who had all power in heaven and in earth. Who had the power to give life, to take life. The winds, the waves obeyed him and yet he took the part of a servant. and wash the feet of his own. No, beloved, there's no greater example of humility than the example taught and left by the very Son of God. But next to that, I believe the greatest example of humility Absolute nothingness is found in the example of Paul. Now, let me first of all remind you that Paul was not an ignorant man. He was well educated. He was intelligent. Adieu. He knew that he knew. He knew he was intelligent. Whenever they needed an exceptional speaker in the synagogue, it was Paul who did the speaking. He was regarded as some kind of genius, so far as his intelligence was concerned. In the natural, he had great ability, and he knew it. He was aware of his ability in the natural. That is one reason why in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians, he constantly refers to the wisdom of man. And he makes the comparison regarding the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Natural wisdom and divine wisdom. He could make this great comparison because he was in a position. to make the comparison. He knew honest -to -goodness wisdom. He knew the wisdom of man. For he himself enjoyed that wisdom because of his much learning. But he had come to the place where he found out that there was a wisdom that far exceeded human wisdom, and that was divine wisdom. That's the reason he begins the second chapter by saying, And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. In other words, he's saying, I did not use my own natural resources. I could have come to you with excellency of speech. I could have stood before you as an orator. I could have used my own ability. As a crutch, I could have leaned to my own understanding. But, Paul said, I did not. For I determined not to know anything among you, say Jesus Christ and him crucified. Do you want to know something? And this is kind of... Off the record. Young Dick Kaler is never at a loss for words. And I tell you, I think he's one of the finest salesmen that Wheeling Steel has. All I tell you, you can never stump Dick Kaler. Never has a loss for words. Never. He has great ability as a salesman. Well, the other day, a minister asked Dick. Dick was a very wonderful Christian. Asked Dick to take his Sunday morning and Sunday evening service for him. To supply the pulpit for him. Oh, Dick thought that was easy. That was great, you know. I want you to know that Monday morning, Dick was in our office and said, Would you please tell Miss Coleman? She can have it. It was the hardest thing I ever did. You know, you can sell steel. You can sell fuller brushes. You can sell groceries. You can sell clothes. You can sell shoes. You can sell vegetables. You can sell cars. But when it comes to selling the gospel, it's an entirely different proposition. Because, beloved, even though you may speak 10 ,000 words fluently, it still takes the power of the Holy Ghost to reach the heart of an individual. It takes the power of God. That's the reason many a preacher is standing in his pulpit. He's doing a magnificent job. selling his own personality, selling his own intelligence, trying to sell something that he has learned from a book, selling a doctrine. But where is the result? Where are the souls? Where's the transformation in the lives of men and women? Where's the broken home that has come back to God? Where's the man who's been delivered from liquor? Where is the manifestation of the power of God? Paul knew the difference. He had natural ability. natural learning, natural wisdom. But he said, I came to you determined to lean on the power of God. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Why? So great was his sense of weakness and fear. And so profound was his lack of trust in himself that he actually trembled. He was afraid. He quaked. Because he knew that there would be no spiritual result unless the power of God was in him and with him and was manifested through him. That's right. That's what the scripture means. Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. But you must be weak enough to yield unto... to him to become nothing before the power of the Holy Spirit will manifest himself through you and in you. Oh, to me, this is one of the most important things that a child of God, a saint of God, a minister of the gospel, can possibly experience. Paul continues, And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. He cringes the whole thing. And there will not be the demonstration of the spirit. And there will not be power as long as man leans on the crutch of his own intelligence and his own wisdom. Are you getting it? O beloved, this thing of the gospel, the truths of the word, this wonderful experience of being filled with the Spirit, the manifestation of the Spirit and the power of God, put it to the test. Are you having the manifestation of the Spirit in your church? Brethren, let me ask you. Brethren in the service of the King, let me ask you. And I ask it confidentially. Are you having the demonstration of the Spirit? In your church, you stand behind that pulpit? Are you having the manifestation of the power of God among your people? Do you see the evidence? Do you see the fruit of your preaching? in the lives of men and women? Are sinners being converted? Are lies being transformed? Where's the fruit? If there is no fruit, if there is no demonstration of the Spirit, if there is no manifestation of the power of God, it may be because you are leaning on your... own wisdom. I'm not through. I'll continue my little heart -to -heart talk in another broadcast. God bless you.