An open book

July 6, 2025

Carol Wimber once said that as followers of Jesus, our lives should be like an open book for anyone to read. This means that as Christians, we shouldn't try to cover up our weaknesses and failures; we should instead be open and honest about them. "I will boast of my weaknesses," says Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "so that Christ's power can rest upon me." And as disciples of Christ, isn't that what we all want to see more of in our lives — the power of God?

Paul understood this. He was originally Saul, named after the first king of Israel and a man described in 1 Sam 9:2 as being a head taller than anyone else in the land. Paul's father probably named him Saul in the hope that he would turn out to be a great man of God. And until Paul met Jesus on that road to Damascus, he certainly seemed to be headed towards greatness as someone who could boast of his character, zeal and achievements (see Philippians 3:3-6).

But fame, and the fortune which often attends it, meant nothing to Paul after he came to know Jesus as his Lord (Philippians 3:7-8). So instead of Saul, he changed his name to Paul (Acts 13:9) which in Latin means "little." It seems Paul did this because after he met Jesus he no longer saw himself as someone destined for greatness. Instead, he saw himself as "the least of the apostles" and someone who didn't even deserve to be called an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9). In fact he said his success in his calling was due only to God working in him, not because of his own human efforts (1 Corinthians 15:10). "I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling," he told the Corinthian converts (1 Corinthians 2:3). Doesn't sound very much like a "great man of God," does he?

Jesus says that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). He also says that whoever humbles himself like a little child will be great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). Being open to others about yourself can be scary, because you might end up getting hurt. But guess what? If someone does laugh at you or look down at you, your reaction should be to jump for joy! Because that's how the prophets — those "great" men of God in the Bible — were treated (Matthew 5:12).

As for me, I will humble myself and be like a little child before my heavenly Father. Because that's actually what I am — just a simple, ordinary guy trying to follow Jesus.

How about you?

Cheers, Mitch

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More tips on doing personal evangelism

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In a previous post I outlined some tips on how to become more effective in personal evangelism. I learned these years ago from listening to John Wimber teaching on the subject. I've been finding these tips helpful lately as Ingrid and I try to tell the people we meet in the marketplace about Jesus. In this present post I'll list some more tips gleaned from John's teaching, and I've incorporated these additional tips into the PDF titled John Wimber on Personal Evangelism which can be found in the Resources section of our website . You're the bait! The way you live and act will open the door "You're different. Why?" (from Ingrid) Use the J-word in your response! Meet them where they are at spiritually Not everyone is hungry for God People are at many different levels in the process of coming to God Fill up their cup, but don't overfill Give them a Bible verse that relate to their present need This means you need to know the Scriptures! Remember that God is seeking them even if they aren't looking for Him Be sincere when answering their questions Admit that you don't know the answer "But this I do know..." Still more to come... —Mitch

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