How To Have An A+ Preacher
(with thanks to E. M. Bounds)
If you are like most Christians, it will not
take you long to hear a complaint about the preaching from your
pulpit. Mark Twain once said that the difference between the
right word and almost the right word is the difference between
lightning and lightning bug. If you’re like most, you have a
lightning bug preacher. The purpose of this lesson is to teach
you how to put lightning in the pulpit.
Begin by understanding this: the problem is
not with the preacher. The problem is with us. We do not, as a
congregation, seriously commit ourselves to praying for our
preacher. Until we do, we will continue to have lightning bugs.
But you are not convinced; let us take this
from first principles.
Principles of Prayer
We are talking about the kingdom of God. So
the principles of prayer taught in the New Testament are
certainly applicable. Let us review them.
You get what you….
In the world, you get what you pay for – at
best. In the Kingdom of God, you get what you pray for.
·
It is the Father’s good
pleasure to give his children whatever they ask for in
the name of the Son. So when we complain we don’t have a
great preacher, one must ask: did we ask?
·
Indeed, it is not only his
good pleasure to give us what we ask for – but to give
us even more than we ask for! If we ask him for a good
preacher, what do you think he will do?
·
So what’s going wrong here?
James tells us bluntly what our problem is: we don’t
ask. And when we do ask, it’s out of the wrong motives –
in this instance, I suspect it’s when we complain to God
about what we have, rather than asking him to change it.
Who gets heard?
Perhaps you think your prayers might make no
difference. After all, there are many others out there; how do I
know I’ll be heard?
·
James tells us the primary
precondition: God listens to the righteous. Not to the
eloquent, the righteous. We often hear the negative
version of this (“if you’re not living right, He isn’t
listening.”) But James puts it in the positive.
·
This is a result of the
Father and child relationship we have with God. If you
are a child of God, will your Father not grant you all
good things? And is this not a good thing?
Intercession
We need to understand what we are doing in
praying for the preacher: we are interceding. To intercede is to
“stand between” – “inter” meaning between, and “cede” coming
from the Latin root for “place.” We are placing ourselves
between God the Father and our preacher, and pleading on his
behalf. This requires a certain amount of wisdom:
·
Intercession is based upon
having the mind of Christ; as he intercedes for us, so
we should intercede for others. Surely, however, the
preaching of the Gospel is dear to the heart of Christ –
and therefore he will be quick to hear such a prayer.
·
Intercession is the correct
Christian reaction to a problem. The incorrect reaction
is judgment. So when you feel the urge to judge the
preacher for his poor sermons, remember: judge not,
intercede always.
·
Intercession requires
boldness. We are approaching the throne of grace, the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This should command our
fear and awe, but remember that we are there by our
Lord’s command. Intercede with boldness.
Why pray for the preacher?
That may sound like a dumb question. But
think about it: before this lesson, did you have any disposition
to do so on a regular basis? So let us take a look at why God
would want you to pray for your preacher.
Pray for those in authority
We are commanded to pray for those in
authority over us. Look at it this way: if I asked you to pray
for the local police department and fire department, that they
would perform their functions efficiently, honestly and
effectively, would you not think that a worthy prayer? As one
who recently had the privilege of an unplanned ride in the
paramedic wagon, I certainly do.
Now, if that is worthy – to pray for those
who have temporal authority over us – how much more is it worthy
to pray for those who have spiritual authority over us?
The praying church is fertile ground
For reasons that will become clearer in the
next section, God wants us to unite ourselves with our preacher
in prayer. Prayer not only appeals to God; it changes us. In
communion with God we discern things not readily visible
otherwise. God moves in our hearts. Is it just possible that the
reason we are not hearing great sermons is that we are not
listening?
Holding up the arms
There is a curious incident in the Old
Testament. Joshua goes out to fight the Amelekites. As long as
Moses hands are upraised, holding his staff, the fight goes well
for the Israelites. But when he tires, the battle seems to
reverse. So Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ arms, and the
Israelites triumph.
It seems a bit of petty magic, but there is a
lesson in here. Moses alone could not triumph; nor Joshua by
force. Even the greatest of leaders need to be held up. E. M.
Bounds, from whose book The Weapon of Prayer I drew the
inspiration for this lesson, illustrates it this way: we are the
power poles holding up the electric line of God.
God is jealous for his watchmen
It is no secret that God pays particular
attention to those who are appointed watchmen over the church.
It is a fearful burden. If this is so close to the heart of God,
then should it not be close to the hearts of the children of
God?
What shall we pray?
So then, being convinced of the principles of
prayer and the need to pray for the preacher, what then shall we
pray for? We can get an excellent list from the premier preacher
of the early church, Paul. In his letters to the churches, he
frequently asks the church to pray for him. Here are the
specifics:
Deliverance
·
Pray that the preacher be
delivered from those who are unbelievers. So often the
leader of the church is confronted by those who are
unbelievers who want to remove the church from the
community. The common thought of city governments these
days is to get rid of churches as being a drain on the
city coffers. Pray for deliverance from such as these.
·
Pray that the preacher be
delivered from wicked and evil men – especially in the
church. In every church there will be those who are
wolves in sheep’s clothing; we know that. Their chief
target will be the preacher. Pray for his deliverance
from these men.
·
Pray that, with the help of
Christ, his deliverance from circumstances will be
accomplished by the God who works all things together
for the good of those who love him.
Fearlessness
Pray that God will give him a boldness of
spirit so that he will make the mystery of the Gospel plain to
all.
Communion
·
Pray that all the church
will join in the struggle with him for the cause of
Christ - and thus the church be united.
·
Pray that his service to all
the saints will be acceptable to God – not just in
preaching, but in all aspects of service.
·
Pray that the result of
these prayers will be so evident that others will give
thanks to God and be encouraged to continue praying.
Spread of the Gospel
·
Pray that the preacher will
proclaim the Gospel clearly, so that all might
understand it completely.
·
Pray that God will open a
door for the message of Christ on his behalf.
·
Pray that the message of the
Lord will spread rapidly and be honored by all men.
