Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Preacher and His Preaching

Is preaching a tired old business? On the contrary it is a business that concerns itself with the most important thing one could ever think of: That of making ourselves right with the God whom we have displeased.

Displeased, you say? Yes. We displease Him when get out of line or misbehave. We displease Him when we are out of step with His will and purposes for us. We displease Him when we refuse to heed His pleadings. We displease Him when we wallow in the mire of sin. We displease Him in every which way we turn when that turn turns out to be bad. And we can never make ourselves right with Him, not even with ourselves, unless He supplies us with the formula to make us attuned to Him again.

Consider this, dear soul, and be honest with yourself. You need God. You need Him when this business of life gets tiresome and you want to drop out or drop dead. You need Him when everything about you and around you bubbles with joy and when your whole being resonates with great thanks for the One who created this place for you to dwell in for a time and to enjoy the fruits of your earthly efforts and strivings.

Preaching concerns itself with souls, with the plight of the soul, with the destiny of that soul. And becoming a preacher is simply to answer the most important need of all: Of making ourselves right with Him when everything within us and without goes wrong. For when one is down and out and wandering aimlessly in the alleys of the world or drifting like deadwood in the oceans of life, there is a preacher who makes your concerns his concerns too. For preaching is meant to express that one simple act of kindness letting you know of and extending to you the great love the one Great Redeemer has for you.

There is one other thing: When we come to the end of this life's journey, there is still one dilemma that we need to resolve: Where are we going? The preacher gives you the best option.

It is the preacher's way of life to keep in step, and to help you too keep in step with Him. He won't force his way into your life unless there is an invite. The preacher may be the gentlest man in town you could ever befriend for he could shower you with the love that God has also showered on him.

For our lessons on the preacher and his preaching life, click this link.

For our lessons on God's great redemptive plan, click this link.