Throughout the letter Paul is wary of self-promotion, for this is the very thing that he is accusing the false apostles of. The false teachers and apostles used letters of commendation to promote themselves, Paul says that the Corinthians themselves are the "letter of commendation". That is, the lives and the changes in the lives in the Corinthians is the "proof" that Paul and his companions were messengers from God. And these changes were open for all to see. Evidence for the real work of the Spirit is changed lives. Jesus said "by their fruit shall you know them" (Matthew 7:20).
For Paul everything came from God. God was the source, the focus and the reason for his life. His confidence was not in his own abilities or reputation, but in Christ.
This focus on Christ does not diminish us, but increases us. It made Paul competent to be an apostle, to be a minister of the new Covenant, a servant of Christ. And the new Covenant is a covenant of the Spirit not the letter. We should be wary of any teaching or movement that boils down to being a system. A system will inevitably result in failure, it will result in death, in a dead denomination. Now this does not mean we should not use methods or systems, but we should always be on our guard against them becoming the focus.
Christ is the only focus we should have, and the Holy Spirit is the only One who can truly change a man or woman, or church, or a nation.
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