May 05 devotion - Preaching Everywhere

Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. (NIV)

            Preaching has always been at the heart of the Christian Church ever since it was established. The Good News of the Gospel has been constantly proclaimed in every nation and generation since the time of Christ sending out His disciples. Without preaching, Christianity would never have expanded beyond Judah and Galilee. With preaching, even people who live in the remotest areas of the world can hear and respond to Christ’s mission.

            In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, the quality of sermons was the number #1 reason why people choose to go to church. Even after two thousand years of progress, technological advances, and sophisticated communication gadgets, preaching still draws people to Christ. I guess this is why Jesus sent out His disciples to preach in order to continue His mission on Earth. Preaching was, still is, and possibly always will be the bridge between God’s Word and Christ’s people.

            You may think that as a preacher, I am personally biased about this. To some degree that may be true, however, it places a serious burden of responsibility on me to preach the Gospel truth, even though I may not want to because some folks in the pews may not like to hear what God has given me to say. It would be only too easy to preach a message of being nice, pleasant, and courteous to one another, but the Gospel of Christ is often hard to proclaim, tough to receive, and difficult to embrace. If this wasn’t the case, Jesus would never have been crucified.

            As each Sunday approaches, I and preachers like me greatly appreciate the prayers of the people for both the preparation and presentation of the sermon. It is a unique opportunity to teach the faith, preach the truth, and help the church. It is also a solemn responsibility to present God’s Word and reveal Christ’s Way for the world, as it always has been for almost two thousand years. J

Point to ponder

How does preaching affect my faith? What is the best sermon I have heard?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, be with your preachers throughout the Earth who are busy preparing their sermons. Let Your Spirit guide their words and may Your people be inspired by all that is truly proclaimed. Bless us all through Your Holy Word. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s is image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit of ‘17’. You can view a larger version at this link: Spirit17.

Preaching the Word - Mark 1:38

Mark 1:38       Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”(NIV)

            I would love to have heard Jesus preaching in any of the synagogues that He visited during His lifetime. What we have in the Gospels is only the tip of a whole mountain of messages that Christ must have preached to His people all over Galilee. We know that He always attended worship each week, so in the preceding days, Jesus must have prepared what He was going to say. I would also have liked to watch Him do that and pick up a few new methods of how to fully prepare a sermon. He didn’t have the books or devices that I have to help me research the scriptures for a Sunday message, but I’m certain that His illustrations and interpretations of God’s Word must have been amazing and life-changing for His listeners.

            The purpose of preaching is to help people understand the salvation history of God. It’s not about being entertained or charmed by the charisma of the preacher; it’s about being confronted with God’s Word and becoming connected to God’s Spirit. This makes preaching a controversial form of communication instead of it being a comfortable expression of faith. I know many preachers who, like myself, often struggle with the Bible passages that are preached on Sundays. They don’t want to offend anyone or disappoint someone, but in the end, preachers need to preach what God places in their hearts.

            I think this is also why some of Christ’s major conflicts took place in the synagogues where He preached. His message was both traditional and radical, authoritative and demanding. Perhaps if I had been in one of those synagogues where Jesus preached, I may have been offended, too. I know this much, He certainly would have challenged me, as He still does today.

Point to ponder

Have I ever heard a sermon that changed my life?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, Your Word is always alive and relevant, as well as challenging and resourceful. Open our hearts and minds to receiving, embracing, and applying the messages that You give to us through preaching today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s iconic drawings of Jesus called ‘Christ Icon.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Icon.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Preaching devotion - Paul the Preacher - 2 Corinthians 4:5

2 Corinthians 4:5       For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

            I like the candid writings of the Apostle Paul. He always tells it like it is, even though his words may rankle our 21^st century understanding of living our faith. He lived the latter part of his life as a devoted servant of Christ and ended up in prison for his faith. His mission was to spread the Gospel, plant churches, and confront evil in the world. He was arrested for being a religious radical and executed for daring to appeal to Caesar. I think if he was alive today, he would still end up being incarcerated or assassinated. Paul practiced what he preached and died for what he believed.

            He must have been a great preacher, whose reputation spread across the small church communities in the Mediterranean region. He could have lived a charmed life and set himself up as a powerful orator, who would have been greatly esteemed and widely supported. However, Paul knew that his ministry of preaching was not about himself; it was all about Christ. He did not preach or teach to win personal favors. He preached to convince people of their sinful ways and essential need of Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Preaching was not a vehicle to pander to what folks wanted to hear; it was a channel of God’s Word, Work, and Way. To Paul, it was a method of leading people back to God’s favor and blessing through the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ.

            These days, preaching does not have the affect or influence that it once had. In any given week, preachers have about 20 minutes to impact church folks, which is not a lot of time compared to the hours we spend watching sports, viewing our TV programs, or catching up with our favorite celebrities. And it’s virtually nothing compared to the time we daily spend texting, tweeting, or face-booking. And yet, as Paul correctly wrote thousands of years ago, preaching is all about Jesus Christ being our Lord and how we should serve Him with our lives. In other words, preaching is about preparing us for Eternity, instead of pandering to triviality or popularity.

Questions for personal reflection

What did the pastor preach about last Sunday? Is that message still affecting me today?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You personally chose Paul as the most important preacher of the Gospel and teacher of Your Way. His words still ring true today, but we sometimes push back against them. Help us to re-read his writings to give us a better understanding of how to live our lives in service to You and God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make a comment about today’s message, John will be delighted to receive your email. Send him your comments to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s current bulletin cover design and is based on Psalm 150. If you would like to view a larger version online, please click on the link: Psalm 150.