Preaching with Power 4 (Final)
Aug 20th, 2007 | By art rogers | Category: PreachingTwo things about preaching with power now.
First, passion. When I am passionate about that which I proclaim, it has power. Frankly, that is just good oration. Any good public speaker will speak with passion. Any great public speaker will roll his passion in waves, peaking at just the right moments finally ending with the greatest crescendo.
The good thing is that, as a preacher, you can get better. The bad thing is that you can fake power. Oration and power aren’t the same.
The flip side is when I think I’ve gone flat, but people are changed. The Word is powerful. The Word can’t be faked. I loved yesterday’s sermons. There were just a few brief moments of passion, but not many. Mostly, I was trying to get through the vast material on time, which I did. I had five points in the morning and just 30 minutes to get through them and the invitation.
You see, we share our facility with two other congregations, one Korean and one Hmong. They meet after us, and they have been patient, but we have pushed them back with almost 90 minute services – which is way out of hand. The services are flying by, and most people really enjoy them, but that’s another blog. The deal is, I had to put a move on.
So I did. The night was similar, pressed by an impending business meeting. On both occasions I picked my moments to settle on profound truths, but for the most part, I hit the high points of the Scripture and moved on with brief illustrations.
But I got more feedback from the congregation today than I had on many occasions when I had tried to illicit a reaction. The after sermon comments talked of great content. Hmm. The content? Simple exegesis of the text. In truth, I am not responsible for the content. The Scripture is.
I have heard many a “powerful” orator preach with tremendous ability to capture the mind and inspire. I have also been greatly captured and inspired by Shakespeare. I have further seen many a great orator fall from the pulpit with personal scandal. Passion and oration is seldom power.
Paul wrote this:
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Emphases mine.
So, how do you improve your preaching, but deny your desire to use oratory skills to fake power, or produce temporary inspiration that will never have eternal significance?
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Interesting…I assume by your comment “…which is way out of hand” means you think a 90 minute service is too long. I find that very interesting. As a former member that is all I knew. In fact, the services used to be even longer a few pastors ago. Since that is all I knew I go crazy that my present church desires a worship service that is less than one hour long and complains when we go 70 minutes. I long for a group of people that don’t want fast food worship services. Maybe I’m the one that is wrong. Maybe it will always be a point of contention between me and every church I serve. I hope not.
I know it wasn’t the main point of your blog today but it was very eye opening for me. Thanks.
Michael,
Actually, I have no problem with a longer service, so long as the people are caught up in the worship. I have had several tell me that they have no idea that it was that long – they never looked at their watches.
My primary concern is our commitment to let the other congregations have the worship center at a certain time and our complete failure to do so.
On the other hand, there is the very real principle that the mind cannot comprehend what the seat cannot endure.
Some have complained about the length of the services, but they are the older crowd. Interestingly, the folks that were here when you were. My take on that is that they aren’t personally drawn to the choruses that we do – about 55% of our music – although they support it in an effort to reach younger generations. As a result, they grow weary of songs that they don’t enjoy and are ready to move on. We have the best blended service I have ever seen, but this is one downside to blending: you can’t hit everyone all the time. (Of course, it out weighs the negatives isolating certain generations by style, IMO.)
Of course, I could be wrong.
Art,
Great post. I genuinely appreciate your candor and your desire for power from God. May we all chase that. I, too, wrestle with the question of HS power and human oratorical skill. I have preached great sermons, but with no power of the Spirit (that I sensed), and yet God used them in the lives of people. I chalk it up to the power of the Word, even when the messenger is flawed.
My take is that God gives both the gift of preaching as well as the ability to speak. We should allow God to use both…and we can do that by remembering Who it is that gives both us gifts and abilities. I think we ought to develop our ability to communicate effectively, but we need to rely on the Holy Spirit in that development, in preparation, and in delivery.
At the end of the day, all I can say when lives are changed and when conviction or encouragement happens, is…God can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick. But my job is to trust His Spirit and power – not even to trust the gift or ability, but to trust Him. Thanks for making me think about this again.
Art,
I agree. Circumstances require the time constraints. By the way-I have always been impressed with Skelly’s cooperation with other culture/language groups in sharing the facilities for worship. My only wish was that we could have found some way to occassionally come together as one group for worship.
You are correct though…cold, dead worship doesn’t improve just because it is longer.
Interesting note regarding those that feel that worship is too long. I agree with your assessment of where that comes from…worship style.
I still long for true, authentic worship that isn’t bound by clocks, rumbly tummies, tired tushes, or the like. Eternity is going to be GREAT!
God bless you and your ministry.