Beware that you do not preach or teach in spite of yourself instead preach/teach because of yourself.
Phillips Brooks’ famous definition of preaching comes to mind: “Preaching is the communicating of divine truth through human personality.”
- Martin Luther put it well; he said that prayer, mediation, and temptation are what makes a preacher.
- Warren W. Wiersbe also states it well: God prepares the person who prepares the message.
Dear friend, prayer and meditation will give you direction in preparing what you are to say; but only temptation – the daily experiences of life – gives you the declarative “punch” that turns what you’ve prepared to say into a living, breathing word from God.
The point is this – don’t be ashamed of who you are. Your abilities and limitations go into the mix, making you an effective communicator of the Gospel. Your successes and failures are equally important – both are required. Your background, where you are from, who your parents were, your education (formal or informal), your occupation and so much more – all of these factors are part of the formula for making you a great communicator.
One of the key words used in the New Testament for describing preaching /teaching is the word “martyreo” which means “to bear witness.” You are more than just a mindless mouthpiece for God. He uses your personality and your past to put the personal touch on His message.
Perhaps you’ve heard a preacher pray these words before preaching a sermon: “Hide me behind the Cross.” They mean well, but their theology is off. The goal is not to hide behind the Cross but to lift up Jesus’ work on the Cross. The best way to do that is to be a witness by pouring the message/lesson God has given you through His vessel – You.
Every time I start work on a new passage of Scripture I pray this prayer: “Father God, please show me what You want me to learn and practice from this passage so that I can demonstrate and teach it to my family and church family.”
I encourage you to do the same. There’s a world of difference between saying, “This is what’s I’ve learned” and saying “This is what I’ve experienced.”
Bottom line, never be ashamed of who or what you are when you stand before God’s people. God has been preparing you all your life for that moment. Be sure to lift up the Cross, but also be sure to tell the people what Jesus did for you when you visited the Cross. Nobody but you can communicate that message/lesson.
“The man – the whole man – lies behind the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life.”
_E. M. Bound
The ONE THING 