I Corinthians 1:18-31

"But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness." Paul used words to persuade, exhort, convince, and even beg (II Cor 5:20) people to be reconciled to God. However, he recognized that it is not the expertise of our method that draws people to Jesus, but "the power of God" (2:4). In fact, the authentic message of the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing (v18).

God often uses "the weak things" and "the despised" to display His glory (v27), so that we cannot boast in our own methods or human power.