⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

⁵ For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance^[a] that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.

¹⁷ For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Paul’s Message of Wisdom

2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.^[b]

¹⁹ They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit.^[a] In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.^[b]

¹⁶ For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes

¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.^[a]

⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.

¹⁸ They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.