In business world there is a term “Elevator Pitch”. An elevator pitch can be used to convince an investor or executive in a company. The goal is simply to convey the overall concept or topic that will appeal and convince them. Imagine you’re Infront of an investor who is ready to give you money for your business idea, but you need to convince him in less than 1 min. How will you do that?
This concept of “Elevator Pitch” struck me as I was mediating on 1 Corinthians 15:9-11, Came across this reading on how Paul writes about his testimony
'For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. '
We all have to give judgment to God one day, we need to stand in front of God and he is going to ask us do a “Elevator Pitch” of why he should take us to Heaven and give an eternal life? The time we may get would be less than 1Min (Imagine God will have whole world population stand in que Infront of him). What will be your response? I asked the question myself, and was I blank.
I don’t know what’s your response is going to be. But God wants us to learn from Paul’s experience this can make us prepare for that day.
If you read Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 there are four things which we can learn and prepare ourselves
1. Humility
2. Inside out Changes
3. Work Harder
4. Dependence on God
Humility
'For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ' 1 Corinthians 15:9
Paul says 'For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle”, if you look at the life of Paul, he attributed fourteen books out of twenty seven books in New testament, yet he says he does not even deserve to be called apostle. His works has made many people come to faith , yet he says he does not even deserve to be called an apostle. What a humbling attitude!!
We all have to have this type of humbling attitude in front of Christ, how much ever we may have accomplished in the world or for God, We should humble and not consider ourself great Infront of God.
Inside Out Changes
'But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ' 1 Corinthians 15:10
Paul describes about his old life in a detail in Acts 9.he has written a summary version of it in Galatians 1
'For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. ' Galatians 1:13-16
So in both places (1 Corinthians 15:10 and Galatians 1:14 Paul says its Grace of God that has touched him to change from his old ways to apostle of God.
Grace changes inside out - he was persecuting Christians, now he has changed full of love. We have the same grace as Paul. The grace that saves us, also changes us. You can’t receive the grace of God without being changed by it. The changes in each of us don’t come all at once, and the changes are not complete until we pass to the next life.
Ask God to give the grace to bring that change to make us prepare for the way he has planned till next life.
Work Harder
If you read 1 Corinthians 15:10, the later part he says “No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not”
'But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ' 1 Corinthians 15:10
Paul says, even though he was not one of the 12 disciples that Jesus Chose, he had to work harder. Let’s understand “work harder “ better.
Paul did not depend on others to live his daily life, even after his conversion to Christianity he earned his own living as a tent maker till the end. He did travel to many places to preach and still had to earn his living, we read on this in Acts 18:1-3, Acts 20:33-35
Paul had to endure many hardships to travel various parts for his ministry, remember those days the travel was not like how it used to be, he had to walk a lot – Travel by ship, spend sleepless nights, be hungry many days without food.
Paul worked harder in the times of persecution – remember he was beaten with chains and thrown to prison, he had to work harder to endure those tough times, his zealous for God was more and he never stopped preaching the good news more.
God doesn’t want us to receive his grace and become passive, sit and be idle. He says even after the hard work, yet not I, it’s his grace that manifested in me, the attitude of working harder, even if we have grace is important.
Don’t count on your strength as you work harder but give all to God and due to his works, all this hard work has paid out.
So let’s work hard in the world to do what God has called us to do. Ask God to give you his grace so that the work you do is blessed and let the God’s work manifest thru you.
Dependence on God
'Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. ' 1 Corinthians 15:11
Here Paul says, “, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed”, He refers I (Paul) or they (12 disciples of Jesus), Whether Paul or one of the other apostles brought the message, the result was the same. They preached the resurrection of Jesus, and the early Christians believed the resurrection of Jesus. Their dependence on God for everything was there and that’s why the message that was preached reached many and people believed in Christ. He did not depend on himself or his strength.
We may not be a preacher like Paul, but we still do many things in the world and try to trust on our own strength. Humble to God and put your dependence on God to surrender to his will. If we do that we can have complete freedom.
Summary
Let’s learn from Paul’s life to prepare ourself to tell God what why we deserve the entire life in Less than a minute as we stand before him during the judgement day.
It’s not too late to start this now. Surrender to God and ask him how he wants to use you for his glory. Don’t be afraid to think, if you surrender to God he will ask you to quit your job immediately and do a full time ministry etc.. God knows your situation where you are, what your needs are, he also knows your strengths / weakness. God knows what you are capable of, if he thinks he wants to take you for his ministry full time he will get you – you cannot escape. If he thinks you can do some part-time work for him in addition to the work you do, he can use you in ways we can never imagine. Surrender to God, he will take care of the rest..
Surrendering is the first step, rest he will take care. This will be the right step to prepare ourself for the our testimony before the living God. We don’t need to be blank when we are asked to do a “Elevator Pitch”
Comments