Camouflaged Sermons and Words
“You can cite a label, use religious talk, sing religious songs, enjoy religious programs, and hang with religious people yet not be ‘born again’. ” — Larry Tomczak
“Evangelism is not an elective but a directive from Almighty God.” — Larry Tomczak
Sometimes after listening to a sermon or reading a book there are a few words that stick out from all the others. Perhaps those few words were all that was needed instead of camouflaging those few words with hundreds or thousands of other words. Maybe, just maybe, those few words were the point where the Holy Spirit spoke to us while all the other words were nothing more than an academic exercise to fill time, and maybe, just maybe, all those other words are nothing but an attempt to say follow me instead of follow Jesus.
Not long ago a pastor and I discussed Sunday school and Sunday School teachers when I ask an off-topic question: “Pastor, instead of spending hours preparing for a sermon that aligns with the lectionary, have you ever considered just taking the headline, praying with the people about it, and asking the Holy Spirit to give you the message based on that headline? The Pastor told me that if I thought that way, I was crazy.”
Perhaps I am a bit crazy when considering allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through the shepherd of a local congregation. Perhaps I’m looking for words from the Lord rather than from humans. Perhaps, what I hear being preached is nothing l could not do on my own—which tells me that: Maybe, just maybe, what I’m hearing, or reading is not from the Lord after all, but from educated individuals who like power point presentations. Or maybe, just maybe, preaching today is nothing more than another occupation that strokes the ego.
I simply do not know the answer to this question. What I do know, is that the Holy Spirit does want to speak to us on a regular basis, either directly, or through those whom the Lord Jesus has appointed.
My final thoughts are: Preaching and writing should not be any different than the event that took place at Pentecost. I believe the Holy Spirit will speak the same today as the way Peter did after being filled with the Spirit of the Lord. Of course, that’s just madness to think such. After all, we have the written word, there is no need to experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to all those who are perishing.
I guess my concluding thought is, I must be crazy!
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