DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE PERFECT PREACHER

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE PERFECT PREACHER

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of man but in the power of God." (I Corinthians 2:1-5)

Yesterday, we considered the perfect church. Today we are considering the perfect preacher.

As with our expectations for a church, we also have expectations for the preacher. We want him to be polished, smooth, a good talker, and well lettered by his seminary training. But what happens when the preacher stumbles around in his presentation, showing fear and trembling, weak, and with no outward charisma? If I take this admission by the Apostle Paul at face value, he would not pass the test of the pulpit search committee of many churches.

But Paul gave a reason. He did not want his presentation to be the focus of his ministry, but a demonstration of the power of God. He wanted their focus to be one thing: He "determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (vs. 2). The message was the most important thing – not the presentation.

As a young preacher, a wise older pastor gave me some advice. He said that no matter what the topic of the sermon was, all roads lead to the cross. No matter how polished the preaching is, unless it ends with the Gospel, it has missed the mark. I'm so glad that God has allowed me to attend a church where the sermon always ends with an opportunity for people to receive Jesus as Savior.

Now, I appreciate good preaching as much as anyone. A sermon that has content but still flows easily from the pulpit is a joy to listen to. But I think we need to be careful in our judgments to not let the presentation become the primary focus rather than the message. God speaks through the weak if we have ears to hear.

Love, Dad