What thoughts conjure up in your mind when you think about going to church on Sunday? Most would say they think about singing, prayer, giving an offering, and of course preaching. Every one of these is vital to us worshipping the Lord Jesus at church. And most probably when you think of a preacher on Sunday, you associate him with preaching. Preaching the Word of God so that it pierces the heart and brings change to our lives can only happen when the Holy Spirit brings that message home during preaching.
John Owen was a preacher of days gone past. When he was thinking of the role of the preacher and preaching, he put it this way: “No man preaches his sermon well to others if he does not first preach it to his own heart.” Well said! When I get before a congregation on Sunday, I do not preach at them; I preach with them. The message I bring is a message of hope and encouragement from one beggar who has found bread to another beggar looking for bread. I am working through the applications of the sermon in my own life as I encourage the congregation to do likewise.
Since me, as the preacher, and you, as the congregation, come together to worship and draw closer to Jesus, let’s realize we are all in this together. Therefore, I strive to “preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2a).
So let’s apply the preaching truth’s daily!
