When you hear your pastor speak on Sunday do you go away with a clear understanding of what you just heard? Do you see the passion in the reflections of the voice and do you see the word pictures that are trying to be drawn? Is the message clear and do you go away with something you feel like you can use to help you in your daily walk in life? If you answered no to any or all of these questions then we aren't doing what we should be doing as teachers and preachers of the Bible. The Bible is clear and is to be proclaimed with passion and sincerity (and with urgency, I might add).
Who among us knows when the last opportunity to hear the truth of a message will indeed be the last? Therefore it is critical that we don’t take for granted when we listen or when we speak, and especially that the messenger be in tune with the Lord when he speaks. There are many distractions when it comes to giving and receiving the message the pastor wants to give. I’m sure I have not always been crystal clear with the intent in a point I was trying to make. Then there is the fact that we have four or five hundred different people listening, and each brings their own set of circumstances to the table as they listen. Therefore, once again, the message must be made clear enough so that even a child can understand it.
I remember going to the Georgia Dome and hearing Billy Graham. Our daughters had been prepped to understand that we were going to hear a man whom many respected as one of the great teachers and pastors of our time. We sat high in the "crow’s nest" (so to speak) and heard Billy Graham speak on the subject of Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus. It was one of the most simple messages I had ever heard but he made it so intriguing. When the time came for the invitation and all who wanted to receive Christ were given the opportunity to come forward, they came by the thousands to the front. They stood there and he led them in a prayer for salvation and material was given to them and they were given church information etc. My daughter, who was about six years old at the time, turned to me and whispered in my ear during the quietest point of the invitation as people were coming from everywhere in that huge dome, "Daddy, I bet you wish that many people would come forward when you preach". It was humorous and we all laughed at the thought. But just think about what just happened. A simple message was delivered in the most understandable manner possible, and thousands responded to the call to salvation.
The truth is that we as pastors have the greatest opportunity – today like never before – to proclaim the message of hope and assurance to all who come to our churches. The listeners have to listen for the message and the preacher has to preach with sincerity that comes across to the listener as pure and passionate. Here is the message, and especially at this time of the year: Jesus came into this world as a baby in a stable setting, lived a perfect life for 33 years, was crucified, and died and rose again. He did this so that all who believe and put their trust in Christ will have salvation and live for Him and bring others to Him as well. That is the message, plain and simple: Jesus is the way to eternal life.
