Preaching: Co-Working with God

"The eternal salvation of the human soul, through the presentation of divine truth, is the end of preaching.  The created mind is never employed so loftily and so worthily, as when it is bending all its powers, and co-working with God himself, to the attainment of this great purpose.  -WDT. Shedd.  Homeletics & Pastoral Theology.

Now is not the time for Christian preachers to stay quiet

Christianity is the true religion because it is from God.  Her message is from God.  Her word, the Scriptures is from God.  Her God is for the world (Jn 3:16).  The church preaches Christ and him crucified which is the wisdom and power of God.  Sure, the world says its foolishness, but when were Christian preachers told listen to the world and keep quiet about God's truth.  Never.

Christian preachers you must not keep silent today.  WGT. Shedd gives us good advice.

"It is no time for Christianity - the only system that has the right to say to the world, 'Thou shalt,' and 'Thou shalt not'; the only system that has a right to utter its high and authoritative, 'He that believeth [in Christ] shall be saved, and he that beleiveth not shall be damned', - it is no time for that absolute and ultimate religion, in and by which this miserable and ruined race must live or bear no life, to be  deprecatory, and 'borrow leave to be.'" -WGT. Shedd

A gospel centred preacher

A gospel-centered teacher isn’t satisfied to see his people learn truths about God. A gospel-centered leader wants them to feel those truths. To feel the full weight of God’s provision for us in Christ. To have the heart’s affections stirred to worship the loving God who has saved us by his grace and incorporated us into his family.  - John Piper

In preaching God must give us what we want to give to others.

"Oh Lord my God, hear my prayer, and let Thy mercy regard my longing, since it burns not for myself alone, but because it desires to benefit brotherly charity; and Thou seest into my heart that so it is.  I would sacrifice to Thee the service of my thought and tongue; and do Thou give what I may offer to Thee."  - Augustine, Confessions.

A preacher’s awesome responsibility.

I was talking with a friend of mine about how little people in the church know and love the gospel of God’s grace in Christ. He mentioned the greatest confusion and worry came in understanding the relationship between law and gospel; and preachers added to the confusion.

This reminded me of a minister’s great responsibility to preach Jesus Christ in order to help God’s people know and love the gospel. I then read this excerpt from George H. Tavard’s work, The Starting Point of Calvin’s Theology. In this quote Tavard summarizes Calvin’s view of the ministry. It’s a great encouragement to press on to help God’s church mature in the knowledge of God, even the relationship between law and gospel. Now I think we should be aware Calvin does not promote the CEO, the facilitator, or the ‘be a winning leader’ model. He says be a shepherd, a father, a leader, a guardian and back it all up with a life filled with the love of the gospel. Here is the quote.

"Rather, a true bishop is a guardian of the people of God, entrusted with its care, watching over its salvation. His administration is geared to the dispensation of the divine mysteries and the building of the house of God. Since preaching is itself call 'power of God for salvation to every believer' (Rom 1:16), and 'kingdom of God' (Mt 4:17), the chief duty of bishops is to proclaim the Word of God. They must give the people 'the taste of the word of God,' not any kind of taste, but the one that the Lord wants. They have also to become the providence of the people, their voice, and 'the eyes of the church.' As 'shepherds' they must be more than 'father, president, leader, or guardian.' Or rather, 'the shepherd not only has the task of leading, ruling, and serving, but somehow also being father.' This may be summed up in three functions: 'to feed the church with the food of the word, to protect it from Satan's incursions with the resources of the word, and then through holiness of life to show the way that should be followed by those who aspire and strive after the Kingdom of God.'" G.H. Tavard, The Starting Point of Calvin's Theology. Pg, 147.