Thursday, July 21, 2011

SPEAKING

One of the great self-revelations of entering into lead pastoring over the past six years is how much I have begun to enjoy speaking. I’m not saying I’m all that great at it, but I enjoy doing it.


That probably sounds high and mighty, but I don’t mean it to. I have just found an incredible joy studying the Scriptures and then helping people apply it to their lives. That has brought great personal joy and fulfillment.


I have consistently hammered the belief that our story is found on every page of the Bible - that when we read about Joseph and David and Peter and Paul and the others, we’re not really reading about them -- they’re all stories about us. You. Me.


I love receiving phone calls and e-mails on Wednesday or Thursday to find people are still chewing on the Scriptural message -- pondering it -- questioning it -- drilling down on it in their own private time. That kind of thing makes me want to get up the next day and do it all over again.


But something else has become clear to me. Nailing a sermon doesn’t mean anybody’s life will change. I used to think that was my goal. Just deliver an awesome sermon and voila!, you’ll have people on their knees repenting in a flash. No.


Or the opposite will happen ... somebody will utterly surrender everything to Christ but you realize it can’t be because of what you said because that was one of your - honestly - worst sermons ever. Not one thing that you did caused him/her to become a believer.


I cannot make someone fall in love with Jesus. He does that.


I am now convinced that a lot more of our work needs to involve prayer and trusting God. I could spend an extra ten hours on every message and make every sentence grammatically powerful, but my time would probably be far better spent praying and sharing the Gospel with people.


I know I’m always going to throw myself into every message like a madman, but I’m coming to realize even greater things will happen if I spend as much time praying for a move of the Holy Spirit as I do trying to craft a message.


It isn’t easy to lead a congregation into greater depth and truth and commitment, but it doesn’t have to be easy, because it’s really God’s doing -- and you have peace with that.


And be blessed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’m definitely not an authority, but I think you are great at it. In the last month or so that we have been attending Kenosha First Assembly I have really enjoyed your messages. I especially liked the one on conscience from July 4th. I also wanted you to know that I have been secretly enjoying your blog for about the past year. What you do does matter.

PK's BLOG said...

HEY Anon: Thanks for the pick-me-up. Very very kind of you. Blessings.

Anonymous said...

I remember about 4 years ago, I started coming to KFA. I still was not saved, but I know I was searching and God led me there. After a few weeks, I was there and you were giving the sermon and then I made that decision. How I wish I had known that we could purchase dvd's of the messages. I would love to have it.

I agree with Anon...you are a wonderful speaker. Had you not been, I might not have stayed. You, so often, make me think in ways I had not before.

PK's BLOG said...

Thanks for sharing the beautiful testimony of God's amazing grace.