“Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16).
“No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he is clever and that Christ is mighty to save.” ~James Denny
As far as preaching is concerned, the first priority is one’s commitment toward the Bible itself: Whose Word is it, anyway? Once we settle that it is God’s Word and that there is “no other stream” from which to quench our spiritual thirst for godliness, righteousness, and strength for life—and even death—we move on to the second important priority to consider. The second is the counterpart, the flipside, and a consequent to the first, and if not dealt with severely, it can become a difficult and impossible barrier to preaching the Bible and for allowing our congregation to hear the Word of God preached: Preaching is not about you.
One would think that this would be self evident, namely that preaching isn’t about the preacher. But sadly, the world, the flesh, and the devil, along with our egos and bent toward the need for recognition (okay, that’s “the flesh”), are strong forces that make strong the temptation to make the act of preaching and the content of preaching about “me.”
My hesitant call
It is not about you. We must settle this right away. If preaching even hints at drawing attention to one’s self, whether through overt egoistically grandizement or simply veiled references to boast of one’s own self, or even our need to control or be recognized, the Word is lost. When it is about “me,” the act of preaching is no longer the Word of God preached.
I recall very early on in my walk with the Lord dealing with the “call to preach.” I became a Christian during the summer of 1978, two years after graduating from high school. I was in the Air Force, living in Mountain Home, Idaho. I was about a year into active duty when I asked Christ into my life. I remember thinking at the time, “What do I want to do after the Air Force?” I was actually thinking about going into Real Estate and selling homes. I thought I could take courses while in the Air Force, get my license, and be ready to hit the road selling houses as soon as I was finished with my tour of duty. Actually, I thought I could work hard at it and make a lot of money—the more I worked hard, the more money I would make. Sounded like a plan. But something got in the way.
I was barely six months old in the Lord when one of the church elders approached me about teaching adult Sunday School. He recognized that I had picked up on studying the Bible very quickly, and noticed I was very open to sharing the insights that I discovered in my personal Bible study and daily devotions. Looking back, I understand this elder had recognized in me a spiritual gift, although I was very young in the Lord. I am sure there was a tinge of ego being stroked. Nonetheless, I actually became very cautious, even a little scared, and was hesitant to commit. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard a whisper that I should pray about this invitation. And that very day, in my devotions I read Paul’s words to Timothy,
“and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
Later that week I approached the pastor to talk about this invitation to teach at Church. I explain, of course the flattery, but also I had Paul’s words to Timothy on my mind. I wasn’t sure I was ready to teach. I was young in the Lord, a new convert. My zeal to be obedient, as a young Christian, overshadowed my ego (at the time). I did not want to fall prey to my own “conceit” and certainly not to the devil. The pastor explained that recognizing this temptation was a good sign. He recommended I give the teaching a try, and we’d continue meeting, as I worked into the new teaching role.
That first time experience taught me so very much. I am glad for the personal encounter with the text in 1 Timothy, as well as my discipleship with the pastor. My “call” came with much “fear and trembling.” I continue to fear, however, it is not just the “young convert” who, in the pulpit fall prey to “conceit” and the “devil.” I have watched and listened to too many preachers who confuse the call to preach with feeling good about themselves; mistaking the call of God for the affirmation others grant for saying things up front in a church setting.
This is serious business, preaching. The call to preaching the Word must be guarded against any sense of ego or conceit or pursuit of self-esteem. Preaching is not about you.
Friday and/or Saturday posts are threads for chapters in a manuscript I am developing, Letting the Lion Out of Its Cage: Meditations on the Importance of the Sermon . This is first post for the thread (chapter), “It’s not about you”
Posted by Chip Anderson at 06:19 AM. Filed under: Meditations on the Importance of the Sermon • First things first •
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