Out of the 17 hours I’ve been awake, I’ve probably spent a good 13 hours just thinking about my message this Sunday. And truth be told, I’m pretty far from done.
In a way, it’s pretty odd that I’d spend this much time on a 30 minute preaching. I always felt like I was a decent communicator, and in fact, never really spent too much time preparing for things like oral exams or interviews. Speaking comes pretty natural to me, and as a result, I’ve always been comfortable just winging oral defenses and the like.
Preaching however is a totally different ballgame. And it’s not the crowd or the setting that makes the major difference. Upon reflection, there are basically three things that compel me to spend literally dozens of hours preparing for the preaching. The first is the opportunity. The fact is that I have the chance to impact lives with the message of the gospel. I know firsthand the power that the gospel has to change lives, and the fact that I have the opportunity to take part in that just motivates me to study.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16
The second motivating factor is the responsibility. Preaching the Word of God is no joke. And while I know that God’s grace is always available for me, I also know that it is my duty to handle the Word of Truth accurately.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15
Lastly, it is the privilege. It baffles my mind that God would choose to use a guy like me to reach out to a fallen world. I know deep down in my heart that I’m no better than anyone else. In fact, I really believe left to my own devices, I’m probably much worse than most. On my own, I’m proud, self-righteous, condescending, lustful, easily angered, violent, and greedy. Yet, God so graciously chose me to come into His family and be a conduit of His grace.
“For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain” – 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
Come to think about it, none of these three things are reserved to preachers. Every Christian has the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of people with the gospel. Every Christian has the responsibility to accurately handle the Word of truth. Every Christian has been given the incomparable privilege of being a minister of reconciliation. And whether we’re preaching in front of a crowd, or to a single person, the opportunity, the responsibility, and the privilege remain the same. My hope for myself and for all Christians is that we’d never lose sight of this fact, and we’d always be motivated to share the gospel and make disciples.
short but meaningful blog. Make disciples.
Events in my life nowadays are provoking me to think about ministry. hahaha.