When most people think about preaching, it stirs negative images. Red-faced televangelists come to mind... and the scandals that accompany them. I cringe every time I hear another preacher “gone wild” story in the news. Every word ever spoken in a sermon is drowned out by the actions of that person... sad, but true.
This is not me hating on preaching or preachers -- I am one!
I did some serious calculating (anything above a three digit number, I consider higher math), I discovered that I’ve been in professional ministry more than 15 years... a Christian for more than 30. Here’s what that means: I’ve heard more than 2000 sermons in my life time (some of them from my very own mouth). I know... I know... you’d think I’d have it figured out by now! What’s the point of all this preaching anyway?
We still have a need to be inspired... challenged... and encouraged.
One of the most famous preachers of this century was honored this week. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was revered for his ability to stir hearts and reshape thinking. His “I Have a Dream” speech galvanized a group of mistreated people... and frightened another.
I witnessed the ripple effects of his ideas with my family on Monday at the capital building. Who knew that MLK Jr. Day would be ideal for “people watching” in Boise!? I lost count of the number of protestors who were protesting the protest... yeah, it was confusing for me too (but a lot of fun to watch).
Dr. King’s 12 minute speech in 1963 still creates controversy!
This is going to sound odd... I love a good sermon. The Bible has some really intriguing sermons. Maybe the most effective one was preached by Jonah. It was only eight words long, “Forty more days and Ninevah will be destroyed (Jonah 3:4).” If you read the next verse, it says, “The Ninevites believed God.” An entire nation changed because of an eight word sermon!
Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5 -7) is unlike any I have ever seen. It’s so simple (not simplistic)... but thousands of books (that are more than a thousand pages long) analyze every possible meaning in the message. Jesus’ teaching is amazing... it’s profound... it’s Truth...
Here’s the bottom line for me. God is still trying to tell us something. Are you listening? When was the last time you thought God was trying to deliver a message especially for you? Even though you were in a room of hundreds of people, you were convinced that God intended for you to hear what he had to say.
What’s the best sermon you’ve ever heard? I want to know what God is telling you. Maybe... God has a message that he wants YOU to tell -- and you probably know who you need to tell it to... go “preach that sermon.” You never know who God is trying to inspire, challenge and encourage through you.
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