Thoughts for another day

July 15, 2008

Today's verse: 1 Cor. 2:4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

The Gospel of the Son of Man is given unto men that they may proclaim it among the nations and also live it. People, finding God in a festival of blessing or a retreat or other means, hear and are convinced that they must preach. So we have a number of novice preachers, raring to go and spread the Name of Jesus among the nations.

Considering themselves firebrands and equaling themselves to the greats of yesteryears, their overt objective is to impress people and hope to bring them to the Lord. But, beneath this lies the personal objective, viz. to ensure that they are recognised, known and respected. The desire to bring people to God actually takes a back seat and all that helps ‘self’ goes afore. This may not be the case with all but is, with most. Preaching involves intelligent sentence making and a pouring forth of Biblical verses, as to leave everyone impressed. Wisdom is displayed in plenty and people respond saying, ‘what preaching…so powerful no?’ But as soon as the program is over, gone is everything that was said. Not even a shred of change is there.

So, what happened you may think. I’d say it was human endeavor and wisdom at its best with the Spirit of God, kept outside. How do you know, you may ask. I know because I was like that! He stopped me from preaching. Today, God has shown me what’s required as His messenger. The first and foremost is humility and waiting upon Him for the message and pleading that the Holy Spirit comes upon His people. For nothing can be achieved without the Spirit of God. Moreover, God enforces discipline in our prayer lives, which is really good, as we all know that prayer can achieve much. We tend to pray for God’s purposes and also that God may be, all in all.

Paul today, exemplifies this in His own life when He says it wasn’t with human wisdom that He spoke; rather He spoke with the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Through this flows Power: That Power, which can change man and bring about good, which is of God. Only in this kind of preaching is God’s perfect will attained and He is pleased to grant the desires of our hearts.