Great Preaching

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world though wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:21

Maybe it’s the words themselves! Preaching seems at times to have a negative connotation, even if it is great. Perhaps that is because real preaching (that supernatural operation of the Spirit of God speaking to the spirit in us via a human vehicle) is always colored by the preacher. Let’s be brutally honest. Sometimes the communication is damaged by the communicator.

So what does it take to have great preaching? First, it takes the Truth. There is a lot of communicating these days that contains some Truth, or points at some Truth, or takes a stab at Truth. But, in reality, great preaching must be the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth (to take a definition from the courts). Good illustrative materials are valuable, but worthless unless they promote and codify the Truth. Jokes, while an effective tool to arouse the sleepers, are seldom able to encapsulate genuine Truth in an effective manner. (see 1 Corinthians 2:4)

Preaching proclaims the whole counsel of God. It is not a contest to determine the most creative thinker, the most personable individual, the finest wordsmith, nor to determine how long one’s mind can endure when one’s body reaches the limits of stamina.

Secondly, great preaching takes a gifted individual who, not only has a handle on Truth, but a handle on the limits of the hearers. Different hearers have differing limits, but everyone has a limit (I’m sure of that. . .at least pretty sure). Learning to measure the audience and fit the message to the limits is an art seldom learned. We need to know and understand that some preaching is too short. If we fail to allow time for the Spirit of our Father to be about the work of ministering grace to the hearer, we have missed the whole idea of the action. If we take too long, the distractions of the enemy, and the rampant apathy and indifference of our society, will multiply into the creation of an environment where Truth will not permeate the exterior of the mind, much less reach the heart where God does His work, and we will have once again missed the design.

So where does one find great preaching? Here’s what I think! One finds great preaching in the mind of the hearer. The individual who approaches the venue must have his mind (heart) attuned to God, whether by one’s own effort, or the drawing, wooing power of the Spirit. One must be prepared to concentrate, not endlessly, but for a while, on the Scripture and all its ramifications. One must be willing to listen for the voice of God, and that still, small voice must never be drowned out in the fervor of the communicating vehicle. There must be a delivery of Truth. There must be a spirit of humility on the part of the communicator and the hearer. There must be a recognition that preaching is not some speech by a variously challenged orator, but a work of God Himself as He speaks to His children, and to those who will be, by His infinite grace.

Don’t look for great preaching in buildings. Look for great preaching in your heart!