Preaching

 

I got to preach yesterday. I love it and am terrified by it at all at the same time! 

I love it, because I love the preparation. I love feeling the Holy Spirit guide and direct my thoughts. I love the prayer time that is such a key part in preparation. I love mulling over scripture, even words from the lord I have read over and over again for the past 64 years of my life. I love connecting people with God's word in a way they might not have thought before. I love to TEACH through preaching. 

I am also terrified of preaching because I know the importance and the value of presenting the word of God. I do not want to get it wrong! I do not want to let my human side interfere with the movement of the Holy Spirit. I do not want a Sunday morning message or a bible study to be about me, what I know, or don't know! When I stand before a group of brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many who have more knowledge and wisdom about scripture than I do. I went to Indiana Wesleyan Seminary and earned a Masters degree in Biblical Studies. Do you want to know my greatest lesson? I learned how completely inadequate I am knowing the word of God and I need to dedicate more of my time to studying God's word. I don't know as much as I thought I did and I have a long way to go! It is so humbling to think the Lord chose me. Sometimes I think, "What was he thinking?"

As I continue my study of the book of Jeremiah, I feel for this man of God. Here he is one of the greatest prophets of all time and people wouldn't listen to him. He was led by God to share some of the harshest of all messages from the Lord. Do you want to talk about "fire and brimstone?" Jeremiah let it fly! 

"Again the Lord spoke to me and said, 'I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries." (Jeremiah 11:9-11)

This was the kind of message God gave Jeremiah and of course, it was like was speaking to a brick wall, and worse yet, because of his message, they wanted to kill him!

"Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me. I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! 'Let's destroy this man and all his words,' they said. 'Let's cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.' (Jeremiah 11:18,19)

I certainly have never heard of plots to kill a pastor because of his message. Yet, I know how difficult it can be to be a pastor. My grandfather was a pastor, as was my dad. My brother pastored for a time, and for the past seven years, I have built personally close relationships with many pastors. I believe with all my heart that they put forth all godly effort to share the Word of God in a powerfully transformational way. It is not easy. and I would encourage you to pray for your pastors daily. Pray that the Lord will give them rest and he will give them peace. Pray protection over his wife and family. Pray that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit as they prepare each message. Pray that they will grow in their own wisdom and knowledge of the Gospel message, that they will speak the truth, and exactly what God places upon their hearts. 

"Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord's work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other." (1 Thessalonians 5:12,13)

Go back and read that last sentence again!

One of the greatest gifts you can give your pastor is to LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART and to LOVE OTHERS AS CHRIST LOVED YOU. That was Paul's message when he said "live peacefully with each other." Don't just listen to a sermon, ACT upon it. Be obedient to the word of God and serve each other out of love. The greatest joy in my life is when I get to see the fruit of the gospel message in OTHERS! Thank you Pastors for the time you have poured into my life. I am a product of God using YOU!