And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5, NASB)
Last month, I spent about three hours in a club-fitting studio and learned more technical jargon than I can remember or explain. Trackman uses “Optically Enhanced Radar Tracking (OERT) for state-of-the-art accuracy.”
At the end of each swing, I was given Club Speed, Face Angle, Club Path, Face to Path, Impact Height, Impact Offset, Dynamic LoftBall Speed, Launch Angle, Launch Direction, Spin Rate, Spin Axis, Hang Time, Height, Curve, Landing Angle, Carry, Side, Total, Side Total, and Smash Factor – which is really good for the ego if the fitter tells you your smash factor is close to tour level (he didn’t say which tour though). I am not a technically minded player, so all of this information was way too much for a guy who is a trust-and-feel player.
As a believer mindful of sharing the gospel at every opportunity, I realized that I may be trying to give too much data. My “audience” may have little or no theological background and may not understand anything beyond what they see in my countenance.
Paul gives some great wisdom in the opening verse; he didn’t come with great communication skills, only the firsthand knowledge of his experience with Jesus Christ and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Later in the Corinthian letters, he states: “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
In a book about classical apologetics, The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word, I found an explanation of the three elements of our Christian faith: knowledge, assent, and trust.
Think about what it means to have faith that Jesus rose from the dead; you know that the event took place because you have gained knowledge through historical research and a vision of the risen Christ. You have conviction that the truth of the resurrection applies in a significant way in your own life. But, you also must have the willingness to step out and trust in the one who was resurrected. Faith includes all three of these elements and is pleasing to God.
And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
I may not know what all that Trackman data means, but I trust it, am willing to rely on it and have faith that my game will improve.
Let’s keep the faith as we change the conversations at our golf clubs.
Prayer: Lord, provide us the opportunities to show your work in our lives and the faith to share it in a meaningful way.