A word on preaching

A deacon I know in a Baptist church wrote to me…

The Sunday evening service did not go that well, so it will be my first and last. It is definitely not my calling, so I will stick to putting my words in print where they might have a lasting effect. I'm afraid I upset a few by reminding them that when they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, they became His disciples and were obligated to use whatever talents they were endowed with by the Father to further His work until they were called home. I also made some critical remarks about the way things were done in the past and told them if the church was to thrive and grow, things had to change. Baptists in small churches seem to fear change, which I have seen before. My suddenly returning after a few years and just jumping in and doing things I see need to be done has made some suspicious of me. They know where I had served as a deacon and also know that the pastor had once been pastor there, and I have been asked if we were there at the same time. It will probably be best if I step back a bit for now, and wait to be asked to do things.

I wanted to encourage him not to give up, and so I responded…

First off, thanks for writing me about your experience with the service. Although you say that it did not go well, so it will be your first and your last, it seems to me that you're jumping the gun. If the Lord calls you to do another service, through the request of the Pastor, what are you going to say?

We as humans are not qualified to make such judgments as "it didn't go well, so I'm done with it" when we are doing what the Lord asks of us. Since His was the call, His is the judgment. The Word of God says, "Let there not be any premature judgment." What the Lord expects from us is not "success" according to externals, but only faithfulness. That's what makes serving Him so easy. He calls. We follow. It's not our business to judge others or even ourselves when we are following His call.

As humans, we tend to want to see results fast. God doesn't work that way. What you did on Sunday night was to plant the seed of the Word. Now, just let it go, and pray God to give the increase. That's what Brock and I did when we read the Word of God out loud downtown. The Lord called us to go and read the Word to the people. It's not our responsibility to make them listen. We plant the seed. God gives the increase.

Deacons were not appointed to the ministry of the Word (to preaching) although they often do, because the preaching ministry and the diaconate can be combined in the same person. It may not be yours to do both, but if you are called on again to preach, just remember that your job is to proclaim the Word of God and then stand aside, and let God give the increase.

When preaching, never scold or use the word "should", and never talk about Jesus in the past tense, as if He were just a historical personage. He is alive and with us right now in this room, and His call is for us today. Always start preaching from the Word by preaching as if to yourself. Let your preaching always include an aspect of personal testimony. You speak the Word to the hearers, to tell what the Lord is doing in your life, you remind the brethren that we're all sinners saved by grace, and that we don't work for the Lord, but the Lord works in us, if we let Him. You invite the people to share in the life that God has given to us. You never focus attention on what you or they are or are not doing. You focus on what Jesus Christ is doing, and you testify how He is calling you and them, and just encourage them to follow the call. I suppose it's a fine line between preaching down to people and preaching up, and it takes experience of trial and error. These are just some thoughts I have from my own life.

I think that if you understand what I just wrote, you could go even amongst the most argumentative congregation on earth, and preach the Word of God to them in such a way that it would disarm most of them. And those who weren't touched by your preaching, at least wouldn't stone you.

When Brock and I used to go out to read the Word of God aloud in public, we were completely defenseless. People could and sometimes did mock us, but rarely. Still, the streets of Portland can be a rough congregation. The more you depend on the Word of God to teach and the less you depend on your own ideas, the more defenseless you become, and the more invisible when you preach. The mockers and revilers and complainers then have a hard time throwing stones at an invisible man; instead, they find themselves throwing stones at the Word of God. That's a sobering thought.

Brother, I just wanted to give you some words of encouragement. Remember, it's not our job to convert the hearts of men. Our job is to faithfully follow the call of Jesus Christ. When you preach, keep praying like this in your heart, "I am only a sinner saved by grace, and I am of the eleventh hour. Help me, Father, to work faithfully and to rely on You for the increase in Your vineyard."