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Preaching - For Better or For Worse

A Reflection By Gil Cann

 
Sometimes a humorous incident can have a profound effect. This happened to me many years ago. Along with my fellow Bible College students I listened, intrigued, as a godly, elderly man reflected on his life long experience as a minister of the church.

After recounting the places in which he had served, and his gratitude to God for the privilege of sharing God's love with many people, he suddenly became reflective, wistful. There was a long pause. We all waited expectantly for words of wisdom to fall from his lips, but were very puzzled by his next statement. `Sometimes', he said rather ruefully, `as I think about my years of preaching, I feel like Samson'. `What could he mean?' we thought. `What is the similarity between this godly old preacher and impulsive, proud, wilful Samson?' We didn't have long to wait. `Sometimes,' he repeated, `I, too, feel like Samson. Sometimes I too feel that I have slain a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass!' We were completely taken by surprise by this unexpected statement. Then we all laughed, but the meaning of his words hit me with tremendous force. Forty years later I rarely open my mouth to preach without thinking of this humorous but fearful warning.

I do not think I have ever heard a story more applicable to preaching. This old saint was voicing the same fear, issuing the same warning which the apostle Paul expressed centuries before. What Paul said means that two preachers may use the same words, but one's work may be `in the letter' and the other's work 'in the spirit'. The former, said Paul, `kills,' only the latter `gives life'. This dread possibility, that our preaching may, `kill' and not `give life' should haunt us all.

Christianity is not a topic to be mastered but life from God to be received, lived out and shared. Preaching, biblically understood, is not only about informing heads, but much more about transforming lives. Its purpose is that many people will become wholehearted followers of Christ. Preaching that does not aim to produce disciples of Christ is not preaching at all.

"Sometimes I too feel that I have slain a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass!" In the words of our elderly mentor, a preacher may also find him or herself to be like Samson, `killing a thousand listeners with the jawbone of an ass!' Paul warns of this danger in 2 Corinthians 3:6 - `the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life'. Jesus does likewise when he says, `It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh, (our own human abilities) achieves nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.' (John 6:63).

Our Christian faith is more than words, doctrines, propositions and practices. It is truth, light, life and energy from God. And so must our preaching be. It must be preaching that causes people to grow, not to groan, to be overjoyed, not overwhelmed, and to know how to live, not just how to make a living. This is preaching, not `of the letter which kills,' but `of the Spirit which gives life!' This is the preaching of which God wants
to make us `able ministers'. Wonderfully, despite all our human inability to achieve this, God himself can make our preaching and teaching life-giving.

How can this be? Well, first of all, life begets life. The life God gives can only come, of course, from him. But God wants to use the preacher to create a hunger in people to know God for themselves. If we who preach marvel at God's love for us, are forever grateful for this forgiveness, and are daily amazed at his grace towards us, that hunger in our hearers is stirred. Life from God is caught rather than taught. We are to be
infectious, like the measles! There is a sense in which faith is not drummed in - it rubs off! We must remember that even in this time of disillusionment most people are not cynical, but hopeful. They observe us preachers hopefully, very hopefully. It would be tragic if their hopes were dashed.

Secondly, preaching that `gives life' to our hearers is preaching that is not merely our work, but an expression of our gratitude to God for his love for us personally. Life giving preaching is overflow. As Jesus said, `If anyone believes in me out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water' (John 10:38). He was speaking about the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit, working through the preacher, who gives life to our hearers. Thirdly, if your preaching is to be truly life- giving, it must be your calling, not your career. It must be something you would do even if you didn't get paid at all. If job security, professional advancement and
promotion are your chief concerns, your hearers will know intuitively, that you are more committed to the priorities of the world than those of God's Kingdom. Your words will fall on deaf ears, and only harden those people toward the truth. By all means preach professionally, but beware of professionalism.

The preaching which conveys the `life of the Spirit' and not the `deadness of the letter' God always packages in a person. When God wanted to say something more clearly than he ever had before, he used this same approach. `In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son.... `(Heb 1:1) And not only by what he said, but also by what he did.

So it is with preaching. Over time, church members notice every expression of anger, disrespect, discrimination, materialism, partiality, prejudice and unbelief on the part of the preacher. Every such observation negates the truth the preacher proclaims and injects a little more discouragement into the hearts of people who want to believe. By all means preach professionally, but beware of professionalism.

This is one of the ways in which `the letter kills'. It will happen unless we teachers and preachers, whenever we see such contradictions in our lives, admit our fault, own up, make apology and ask forgiveness of our hearers. On the other hand life-giving preaching also includes reproving, correcting, speaking the truth in love and challenging our hearers. Similarly, encouragement, affirmation, support and friendship are vital. All these things are costly in human terms. All are part of what is involved in the `laying down of life' that is the price of preaching through which the Spirit gives life.

We may protest `we were not trained for these things in college!' But these issues are crucial to life-giving preaching. Paul said to his hearers, `Death works in us, but life in you (2 Cor 6:12). This is one of the most daunting statements in the Bible for those who preach. This is how we `qualify' to teach the truth that is life-giving; by `dying daily'. True preaching will be the `death of you', but the gateway to life for your hearers. Is not this how Jesus lived and taught?

Our hearers don't expect perfection in their preachers but they do expect to see us becoming more Christ-like. Is this unreasonable? Not when you consider what we are doing - preaching. And especially not when you consider God's provision to make such living and such preaching possible. In 2 Corinthians 2:16 Paul expressed the same alarm as you may be feeling now! `Who is sufficient for these things?' he exclaimed.
And then, the God given solution, `We are not competent to do any of these things (i.e. they are completely beyond our own human ability)! But our enabling comes from God, who himself has made us able ministers of the new covenant, `not in the letter which kills, but in the Spirit which gives life.'

Despite all our human frailty there is absolutely no need to be like Samson! Do you want your preaching to be life-giving, changing the lives of some of your hearers, bringing them to know the Lord and to invest their lives in the work of His Kingdom? Equally ­ do you want so to preach that even those who reject the message will understand full well what they are rejecting? (2 Cor 2:14-16)

If these are our deepest desires, God will grant them. It will hurt, sometimes very much, because in order to equip you for this ministry he will enroll you, for a lifetime, in the `university of hard knocks' - i.e. the school of life itself. We must learn our need of the Holy Spirit's enabling `behind the scenes' if ever we are going to know his enabling in public. But if you are willing for this he will make your ministry life-giving. God bless
you, every day, as you `die daily' for the sake of those to whom you preach.

Gil Cann is a well-known teacher and communicator within the Australian Church and has ministered in many evangelical congregations within the UCA.

Gil Cann is a resource contact for ACC congregations. He is available to train elders and run missions. He is financed independently of the ACC by his work in Uniting Churches and other denominations here and interstate, but he is able to represent and promote the work of ACC Victoria. For further information see: http://www.confessingcongregations.com/resources/item/helping-equip-gods-people-in-the-uniting-church/

 

 

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