‘ . . . when I preach the gospel I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.’ (I Corinthians 9: 16).
The circumstances are different but at the heart of these words is a realisation that the task of preaching is part of Paul’s very being, that he has been commissioned by God to deliver the Gospel, and not to do so leaves him unfulfilled and, indeed, under judgement. This is a realisation that every preacher shares with the apostle and it is not easy to face the fact that preaching is no longer as central to your life as it once was.
But this leads me to reflect on something that Eric Alexander once wrote:
‘The man I am is more important to God than the work I do. The secret of failure is often failure in secret. Resist professionalism in the ministry: be yourself.’
I may state that preaching is a priority, a privilege, and the great fulfilment of my life but my life being completely open to God, what is God’s supreme purpose with me? It is to see Christ reflected in my life. And perhaps that is the great lesson of these pew-filling years. No longer having the status of ‘the minister’ delivering the Word, what impact is the preached Word having on my life?
Confession time. There are passages in Scripture that when I come across them in my personal devotions something within me says: ‘Not this again!’ We’ve been over this time and time again and is there anything else to be squeezed out of it? The Parable of the Sower is an example. But there is a sense that there is no more important passage in the whole of the Gospels. The fact that it appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke would seem to underline this. And the strange thing is that at the heart of this story is how much is wasted in the preaching of the Gospel. We are told about a farmer who sows seed which falls on a path, among rocks and in competition with weeds. Only a percentage falls among ‘good soil’ and yields a crop. What we normally miss is what Jesus says in in Luke 8: 16-18 after he has told the story:
'No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have , even what they think they have will be taken from them.'
We live open lives before God. Nothing is hidden. So how do we look? That’s the challenge and Jesus warns us that the key to spiritual growth is to heed the call ‘to consider carefully how we listen.’ It is important to hear and understand but it doesn’t stop there. How much that we hear is applied to out lives and becomes part of our spiritual DNA? Jesus unpacks the ‘good soil’:
‘ . . . the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.’ (Luke 8: 15.)
If this sounds like a dig at those who fill the pews, remember I am one of them now! Moreover, while we listeners have a responsibility as we leave Church on the Lord’s Day to consider how we will respond to the preached Word, spare a prayer for those who have been preparing for preaching and tasked with delivering it to God’s people. They have been ‘listening’ with mind and heart to the truth which alone will facilitate the growth of the Kingdom. They are called to deliver that truth to God’s people on dependence in the Holy Spirit. Often, we do not appreciate the responsibility involved in this and the accountability that hovers over every preacher. A colleague tells me that he is embarking on preaching series in the Letter of James. Sooner or later, he will bump up against these words:
‘Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.’ (James 3: 1)
If anything should convince us of the responsibility and accountability attached to preaching it is this. The truths revealed in Scripture are vital to the growth of the Kingdom on earth and can never be undermined by carelessness, superficiality, or self-serving interpretation. All of which are temptations to the preacher and must be resisted. The preacher may well wonder on descending the pulpit: ‘Did they get the message?’ Of equal importance for the preacher on ascending the pulpit is to ask: ‘Have I got the message?’
That became important for me once again last Sunday when I preached at an evening service in Renfrew Trinity. First time in eight months! It felt good and I am grateful to my minister, Stuart Steell, for the opportunity. But more than my satisfaction is how the preaching was received in eternity. Did the angels rejoice in the Word that sustains and brings growth to the Kingdom?
