“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” – 2 Corinthians 4:5
Paul did not preach or promote himself. He preached Christ Jesus.
He spoke of his conversion from persecutor to preacher at least three times, but he did not preach himself. It was Christ who saved him.
Though he encouraged churches to “be followers of me” (1 Cor 4:16; 1 Cor 11:1; Phi 3:17; 2 Thess 3:9), it was following how he preached Christ.
Though three times he calls the gospel “my gospel”, it was the gospel given to him by Christ Jesus himself (Gal 1:12; 1 Cor 9:17; 1 Cor 15:1-2).
He boasted about his infirmities, life, message, and magnified his office. Then he qualifies it all by saying “yet not I, but Christ” (Gal 2:20; 1 Cor 15:10). All these things Christ worked in him by his sufficient grace.
Paul speaks more of himself and his ministry, service, work, persecutions, manner of life, and walk than any other apostle in the Bible, yet that is because the Lord Jesus Christ made him a pattern for those after him that would trust Christ and walk in Him.
Reading Paul’s epistles is to read about Christ and his working in the Church.
Paul speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ and his grace more often than any other apostle in the Bible. This is because he did not preach himself, except as a member of Christ’s body.
So are we. We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord.
We do not preach Paul or the mystery; we preach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.
A good way to do that is to talk about how Christ has saved you and works in you (Col 1:25-27).
In His service,
Justin “preacher” Johnson