Preaching

 Someone is shouting:

“Clear a path in the desert!
    Make a straight road
    for the Lord our God.

Isaiah 40.3 CEV)

These verses of course refer to the ministry of John the Baptist.  But they can also apply to us each week as we step into the pulpit.  Just as John the  Baptist was to point others to Jesus, so we should be pointing others to Jesus when we step into the pulpit.  It is not a matter of us showing how smart, spiritual or special we are.  it should be all about making a straight path to discover Jesus.

Here are a few questions I think we should spend some time thinking about.

When you preach who is your audience?

Who are you trying to lead others to discover?

Are you interested in your audience discovering what you know or whom you know?

Who leads the ministry?

1 [a]Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off.

ACTS 13:1-3 (NASB)

We see here a group of men who gathered for prayer.  They were prophets and teachers.  It tells us they were ministering to the Lord.  And upon fasting the Holy Spirit spoke to them and they set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul).  What are the principles we should see here for our own ministry?

• They were together for Prayer and fasting.  As pastors and leaders we need to set aside time for Prayer and fasting.  If we know and believe that the church, God's people belong to Him.  Then we better be spending time in prayer and fasting.  God will speak when we do this.

• God calls men to step forward for His purpose.  God will call men to step forward to lead.  It is exciting to hear the from the Lord.  "Set apart" so and so.  We need to trust that God is working in the hearts of future leaders.  He knows their strengths and weaknesses.  He is the one who needs to do the calling.

• God has a plan for ministry that we may not see or understand.  Antioch was a growing church and they had many things going on.  But God had his sights on Barnabas and Saul for another place.  Don't assume that you know what God is doing.  He may have a plan that we cannot see and we may not fully understand His methods.  Trust God with His ministry.

Be careful fellow leaders that we don't try to manage God and His Kingdom without His Spirit moving us.