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May 30, 2025 06:00am

From Basics to Belief: Understanding God’s Truth and Sharing It Well

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When I first started working for UAMS, I truly knew very little about healthcare. I had some experiences taking my father to the doctor for heart issues throughout the years, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge.

I couldn’t stay that way for long. If I was going to teach students about career opportunities in healthcare, then I needed a better understanding of it myself. I became immersed in it. I listened, I studied, I looked up words I didn’t understand, but the most helpful thing was to have someone who helped me along the way.

Sandra Farmer Lusby had been in the role before me. In fact, she had pretty much created this role and all that it entailed. I remember the first presentation she let me handle. It was to a group of pre-nursing students. Although she allowed me to lead, if there was a question asked that I wasn’t familiar with or didn’t know about, she helped me through it. When it was over, I remember thinking, “I’ve got to research more.”

I learn better from doing than reading, so anytime there was an event, I wanted to be a part of it. I could better explain how the heart worked and the professionals that worked with it because I had been a part of a heart dissection. I saw the valves, I learned the process and flow of blood through the heart, and understood the effects that smoking, unhealthy eating, and lack of exercise could have on the heart. Because of this, I could share about a cardiologist, electrophysiologist, dietitian, and invasive versus non-invasive surgeons and how they are all important to a person’s heart health. When I shared it in a class of 8th graders, I knew how to explain it in a way they could understand.

I wanted to give them a better understanding of healthcare so they would be able to make a better-informed decision about their future careers.

1 Corinthians 2
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.
2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.
3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.
4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.
5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.
7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—His plan that was previously hidden, even though He made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.
8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.
9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.
11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.
12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
16 For,
“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach Him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

It was common practice for the Greeks to use big words and deep philosophical questions as they spoke. They believed understanding was for the wisest of people and the deepest of thinkers. The people of Corinth were used to this. But how was that helpful? That was Paul’s question and reasoning behind how he chose to share the gospel with them.

He could have used big words, gone deep into spiritual matters, but how would that be helpful for someone who knew little about these things? He knew the best way to reach people with the truth was to start basic—give them a good foundation and build on it. And when they heard the gospel and believed, they would receive the Holy Spirit; as they continued learning, He would be their helper. When they came to something that was new to them, the Holy Spirit would lead them to understanding.

We don’t have to remain in the dark. God’s Word lights the way; it allows us to see the mysteries that used to be hidden.

When we study His Word, we can know:

what our purpose is

what it means to be saved

our salvation is secure and can never be taken away or lost

with certainty, there is life after death, and if we put our faith in Jesus, we will spend it with Him in a place He has prepared for us called Heaven

God is working out His plan of redemption for mankind, and that He is all-powerful and how He chooses to do that is based upon His infinite knowledge and will

God’s love and forgiveness is for all people if they will accept it

He will return

He has work for us to be doing until He returns

How can we know these things? Because the Spirit of God lives within us. As Paul said, “But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

It’s our job to share the truth about Jesus and help others along the way as they try to understand what it means to be His follower.

Do you want a deeper understanding of God and His will for your life? Do you feel inadequate to answer when someone asks you something about Jesus? Do you want to know Him more and make Him known to others?

Let me help you by showing you. Go to follow.lifeword.org. This is a free resource for you to use to learn more about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Once you’ve walked through it yourself, you can use it to show someone else the love and purpose Jesus has for them. This is Lifeword’s discipleship tool designed to be easy to use and understand, no matter if you’ve been in church your whole life or you’ve never even heard the name of Jesus before today. The first part is an introduction—four videos followed by an opportunity to connect to a church near you to continue discipleship in person. There’s also an opportunity to continue with online discipleship. Click “Learn more about Jesus.” Use this tool to disciple someone else. Allow it to open the door for deeper discussion, use the Resources tab for additional help, and register your church to help people get connected to you!