Preaching the Passage... to the Preacher

Tim, something I was asked yesterday tied in closely with some of your comments last week about the preacher applying biblical truths to himself prior to preaching. Am I the only one who finds this challenging??

GD: As far as you are concerned, what is the most spiritually challenging aspect of the preaching ministry?

CA: Preaching the passage to oneself. It is ‘relatively’ easy to study the text, construct the outline, work out the application (for others!) and then deliver the sermon to the congregation. In this the preacher can be bypassed altogether. However it is much more profitable (and painful) for God’s Word to speak to the preacher first before they apply that message to their flock. Normally the preacher then becomes a more authentic and able conduit for speaking the message. He ceases to lecture and starts to preach a Word that is changing his life. But because this approach requires my regular and humble submission to God’s Word it is challenging. Properly done, this practice ‘breaks me’ every week.

(I think this ties in, to some extent, with a brilliant post yesterday over at Church Matters: “A Hypocrites Guide to Preaching.”)

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