Early on this past week, I had an interesting discussion with a friend I admire. He was convinced that preaching didn’t do all that much in terms of changing lives. This gentleman has a passion for one-on-one discipling, and I have to admit that he is remarkably skilled at it. Anyway, our conversation made me wonder if I was spending too much of my time “riding the wrong horse.”
Then, in God’s providence, I spent part of Friday visiting an inner-city ministry in Chicago. The beautiful work being done there almost brought tears to my eyes. This was not only due to the individual lives being touched, but also because of the colossal scope of what has been accomplished through the 40-plus years this work has been in operation.
The director told me that there were two critically important factors in beginning and sustaining this outreach. One was a mentoring relationship he had with an older Christian leader who I also know and admire. The other was a series of sermons he heard me preach well over four decades back on “The Christian, the Church, and Society.” I was dumbfounded! I remember that preaching series, but I had no idea my messages had impacted his life in that way.
So, preaching and discipling don’t have to be thought of as conflicting, but complementing each other. For me, it was also a timely affirmation of the power of the spoken word.
I write this to remind you that when you preach God’s Word this coming Sunday, please remember that it has the power to touch someone’s life in a manner far beyond what you might ever think. So, do a good job of preparing and delivering that next sermon!
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
