1 Cor 9:16-23
Epiphany 5
"Propelled to Preach"
Epiphany 5
"Propelled to Preach"
Today we are going to talk about preaching. I can tell you that it is a lot of hard work. Saying something different 52 Sundays a year, and something that is faithful to God’s Word, that we can apply to our lives does take some effort. The story is told of one pastor who never prepared during the week, and on Sunday morning he'd sit here while the church was singing the hymns desperately praying, "Lord, give me your message, Lord give me your message." One Sunday, while desperately praying for God's message, he heard the Lord say, "Ralph, here's my message. You're lazy!"
I do know that when it comes to my preaching, many folks like the fact I do not go on too long. The longest sermon on record was preached by Clinton Lacy of West Richland, Washington in February of 1955. It took 48 hours and 18 minutes to deliver it. Small wonder someone proposed a new Beatitude: "Blessed is the preacher whose train of thought has a caboose."
The text today reminds us that we all have the job of preaching, of telling others the Good News that Jesus died and rose again for our sins. For there is something about being Christians, being in the Kingdom of God, that leads us to preach. We are going to talk about that today, how we are all ‟Propelled to Preach."
Last week, Paul told the Corinthian Christians how they were to make use of their Christian Freedom, especially when it came to what to eat. Today we are reminded that in this area of preaching, we really do not have any freedom. We are to share the Love and Word of God with everyone. Jesus did not have any freedom. He knew He had to preach. In the Gospel lesson today, we read about when Jesus cured Peter’s mother in law and a bunch of other people, and then Jesus wanted to move on saying, ‟Let us go somewhere else–to the nearby villages–so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Jesus knew it was part of His mission to come here to preach, and He knew He had to do it. Paul said the same thing today, he said, ‟Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast for I am compelled to preach." The Greek literally says there, ‟A compulsion has been placed upon me to preach." It is passive, God is compelling, God is propelling him to preach the Gospel. Then there is me. I am being propelled, compelled to preach. I did not wake up one day and decide I was going to be a minister. God called me. He didn’t call me on the phone, or give me some vision, but He did lead me, compel me to go to the seminary, where the Church reaffirmed that calling of God by giving me that first call to those churches in Michigan as well as the Call that I have to serve here. But it is not just Saviors and apostles and pastors who are propelled to preach. All Christians ‟preach" by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Let’s talk about preaching for a second. What exactly are we talking about here? Preaching is often given a bad rap as scolding, criticizing, or putting somebody down, as in ‟Don’t preach to me." But the preaching we are discussing today is much more than that. In New Testament terms, preaching is a public proclamation of the Good News that God has accomplished salvation in Jesus Christ and gives new life to those who believe this. And we are all compelled by God to share, to preach the Good News, to all those with whom we come in contact. Whether we outright witness to someone, show them Jesus Christ in our lives by the way we act or by what we say, or simply invite folks here, all of these things are “preaching” the Good News.
We should be eager to do this. Often we are not. There are risks involved. It isn’t always seen by society as acceptable. It is often not the highest priority in our lives. But it should be. There is an interesting story about the old Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks, and I believe that we have some Cubs fans here, for Ernie hoped the team’s management would never find out that he loved playing baseball so much, he would do it for free. Our zeal for preaching and sharing the gospel should be nothing less than that, for the Gospel is the most valuable and important thing we have in our lives.
And when we preach, when we tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what will be the consequences? What normally happens when we are propelled to preach? Some will hear and rejoice. Some will take up what we share with them as a thirsty person will drink water, or a hungry person eats. Some will hear and reject the Good News. While we may do a wonderful job of sharing and preaching Jesus, some will reject the message and their Savior. Some will hear and then reject the messenger, we may end up making some enemies, but Jesus still propels us. He will protect us. Any enemies we make sharing Him are His enemies, too. We are propelled. There is no alternative.
We have to “preach.” All of us. Why? Let me put it to you this way: several years ago, the London Transit Authority had a problem. Customers were complaining their bus wasn't stopping to pick them up. When questioned, the passengers all were sure they had been in the right place and at the right time. But instead of stopping, their bus just flew on by.
The LTA investigated the claims. After some serious evaluations they had to admit the passengers were telling the truth. They were at the right spot at the right time. But ... you're going to love this. The London Transit Authority explained to all the mad customers: "It is impossible for the bus drivers to stay on schedule if they are always having to stop and pick up passengers."
Isn’t that a hoot? The LTA and the drivers had all forgotten that getting people from here to there was their first job. Schedules are important, but so what, when passengers were not being delivered?
There are churches and congregations like that. They are so involved with owning this, and building that, and doing budgets that they forgot the first purpose of the church is to help move people from out there to in here.
If we aren't helping move souls from hell to heaven -- from lost to saved -- if we're not moving them from not knowing Jesus to receiving Him as Savior, we are forgetting our purpose. And we are really not worthy of the name "Christian church."
May God remind us of that as we go back out into His mission field.
Amen.
I do know that when it comes to my preaching, many folks like the fact I do not go on too long. The longest sermon on record was preached by Clinton Lacy of West Richland, Washington in February of 1955. It took 48 hours and 18 minutes to deliver it. Small wonder someone proposed a new Beatitude: "Blessed is the preacher whose train of thought has a caboose."
The text today reminds us that we all have the job of preaching, of telling others the Good News that Jesus died and rose again for our sins. For there is something about being Christians, being in the Kingdom of God, that leads us to preach. We are going to talk about that today, how we are all ‟Propelled to Preach."
Last week, Paul told the Corinthian Christians how they were to make use of their Christian Freedom, especially when it came to what to eat. Today we are reminded that in this area of preaching, we really do not have any freedom. We are to share the Love and Word of God with everyone. Jesus did not have any freedom. He knew He had to preach. In the Gospel lesson today, we read about when Jesus cured Peter’s mother in law and a bunch of other people, and then Jesus wanted to move on saying, ‟Let us go somewhere else–to the nearby villages–so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Jesus knew it was part of His mission to come here to preach, and He knew He had to do it. Paul said the same thing today, he said, ‟Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast for I am compelled to preach." The Greek literally says there, ‟A compulsion has been placed upon me to preach." It is passive, God is compelling, God is propelling him to preach the Gospel. Then there is me. I am being propelled, compelled to preach. I did not wake up one day and decide I was going to be a minister. God called me. He didn’t call me on the phone, or give me some vision, but He did lead me, compel me to go to the seminary, where the Church reaffirmed that calling of God by giving me that first call to those churches in Michigan as well as the Call that I have to serve here. But it is not just Saviors and apostles and pastors who are propelled to preach. All Christians ‟preach" by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Let’s talk about preaching for a second. What exactly are we talking about here? Preaching is often given a bad rap as scolding, criticizing, or putting somebody down, as in ‟Don’t preach to me." But the preaching we are discussing today is much more than that. In New Testament terms, preaching is a public proclamation of the Good News that God has accomplished salvation in Jesus Christ and gives new life to those who believe this. And we are all compelled by God to share, to preach the Good News, to all those with whom we come in contact. Whether we outright witness to someone, show them Jesus Christ in our lives by the way we act or by what we say, or simply invite folks here, all of these things are “preaching” the Good News.
We should be eager to do this. Often we are not. There are risks involved. It isn’t always seen by society as acceptable. It is often not the highest priority in our lives. But it should be. There is an interesting story about the old Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks, and I believe that we have some Cubs fans here, for Ernie hoped the team’s management would never find out that he loved playing baseball so much, he would do it for free. Our zeal for preaching and sharing the gospel should be nothing less than that, for the Gospel is the most valuable and important thing we have in our lives.
And when we preach, when we tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what will be the consequences? What normally happens when we are propelled to preach? Some will hear and rejoice. Some will take up what we share with them as a thirsty person will drink water, or a hungry person eats. Some will hear and reject the Good News. While we may do a wonderful job of sharing and preaching Jesus, some will reject the message and their Savior. Some will hear and then reject the messenger, we may end up making some enemies, but Jesus still propels us. He will protect us. Any enemies we make sharing Him are His enemies, too. We are propelled. There is no alternative.
We have to “preach.” All of us. Why? Let me put it to you this way: several years ago, the London Transit Authority had a problem. Customers were complaining their bus wasn't stopping to pick them up. When questioned, the passengers all were sure they had been in the right place and at the right time. But instead of stopping, their bus just flew on by.
The LTA investigated the claims. After some serious evaluations they had to admit the passengers were telling the truth. They were at the right spot at the right time. But ... you're going to love this. The London Transit Authority explained to all the mad customers: "It is impossible for the bus drivers to stay on schedule if they are always having to stop and pick up passengers."
Isn’t that a hoot? The LTA and the drivers had all forgotten that getting people from here to there was their first job. Schedules are important, but so what, when passengers were not being delivered?
There are churches and congregations like that. They are so involved with owning this, and building that, and doing budgets that they forgot the first purpose of the church is to help move people from out there to in here.
If we aren't helping move souls from hell to heaven -- from lost to saved -- if we're not moving them from not knowing Jesus to receiving Him as Savior, we are forgetting our purpose. And we are really not worthy of the name "Christian church."
May God remind us of that as we go back out into His mission field.
Amen.