written by Pastor Randy Boltinghouse
I love to preach. For over twenty-two years I have had the privilege of standing before the saints who gather at the Windsor Road Christian Church and proclaiming the Gospel on Sunday mornings. Preaching takes a considerable portion of the weekly worship experience and this is no accident. It is intentional.
I believe that the Sunday morning preaching event is in direct obedience to God’s will. Preaching is a God-ordained task to reveal what otherwise would be hidden about Him. The majesty of Everest and the roar of Niagara reveal God as the Almighty Ruler of creation. But the created wonders of this universe cannot speak of the Father’s love which sent His only Son as a substitute for us on the cross.
I believe that preaching is a person of God proclaiming the Word of God to people who matter to God. It is the living, penetrating, eternal Word spoken in order to touch one’s unseen soul. It identifies Jesus Christ as God in the flesh who invaded this universe to provide salvation through his death on the cross. This is why there is no such thing as proper preaching apart from the Bible. Without the Bible, there are lectures, lessons, motivational talks, and speeches. But they are not preaching.
I believe that preaching is “truth through personality,” but it is not effectual because of the preacher’s personality. It is not about style; nor is it about the clever turning of phrases or the ability to speak in one’s vernacular. It is not about outlines that alliterate, poems that mist the eyes, or stories that inspire. It is about God’s relentless pursuit of a relationship with people. It is about the extremes God takes to restoreEden. Preaching is about God.
I believe that preaching is more dependent on the power provided by the Holy Spirit than the effort of the preacher. This is no excuse for lack of preparation. The preacher must wrestle with the text as Jacob wrestled at the Jabbok. Prayer, asking questions, more prayer, outlining passages, still more prayer, commentary work, writing, re-writing, practicing the message and then pleading with God, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” expect such a preacher to be blessed and–like Jacob–expect such a preacher to limp. The fact is: God gets the credit for the effects of His energy poured into the life of an available and prepared voice box.
I believe that preaching not only matures the hearers but the preachers. The effect of God in preaching is how the Holy Spirit himself forges and matures those who wrestle with Holy Words that constantly expose their lives. The more I preach the more I desperately need that which I preach.
Preaching: God the Father has ordained it. God the Son is the center of it. God the Spirit is the power behind it. I confess that I am partial to one of our Adult Bible Fellowship classes at the church I serve. Whenever I greet them, they flatter me with these words, “Well, look who’s here! It’s the Preacher!”
