Dear pastor,
Preaching is a beautiful thing.
It is also difficult.
The apostle Paul called it foolishness. Some in your congregation and mine might call it boring. You and I have both heard people say that certain preaching “just isn’t feeding them”.
So how indeed are we to measure our preaching? Should such a thing even be done? Am I wandering into subjective, judgmental or unhelpful kinds of things? I really don’t think so.
As a matter of fact I believe that since we are to be faithful witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ we need to look closely at the words coming out of our mouth and from whence they have come. Scripture instructs us to watch over our life and doctrine closely and also that we will be judged according to the deeds done and words spoken while in the body. So without any further delay, I believe that the quickest and most effective what to gauge or measure our preaching is not with “atta-boys” or praise from men or even altars lined with people (which would nonetheless be beautiful) but instead by asking the following questions. And then after we ask the following questions we better get on our knees in prayer for ourselves and our hearers…
- Do they know they are loved?
- Do they know what Jesus has done for them
- Have they believed in Jesus as Christ and Lord?
- Have they accepted all that God offers them in Christ Jesus?
- Have they laid their struggles down?
- Are they being obedient to the vision that have seen from heaven?
- Have they turned from their wicked ways?
- Are they worshiping and serving the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength?
- Are they walking in step with the Spirit and enjoying every promise and blessing?
- Are they actively sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ far and wise?
- Are they praying for and with other people and serving other people?
- Are they enjoying the Lord in all circumstances and at all times?
You may say: how can those questions measure my preaching when they are all about the people I am preaching to?
You might even go further to remind me that each person gets to choose and that the people you are preaching to are stubborn and stiff-necked.
I get it.
Everywhere I have preached the gospel, I too have met stubborn people who refuse to hear with their ears. But these questions are indeed of extreme value in measuring our preaching because how will our people believe and live as they should if they have not been told? And the question is: “have you and I told people of the gospel in such a way, enough times and with God’s anointing so that they know, understand and hopefully are now living according to the above questions”?
Charles Finney once told a story about a pastor who was not able to lead people to salvation and the response to this pastor was that the pastor “did not intend to get people saved” but rather “preached for another purpose altogether”. I believe that as you and I ask the questions above about our people we may be able to see areas of clarity and faithfulness in our preaching but we may also see holes. Furthermore, after asking the above questions we might see imperfect motives in ourselves or something that is lacking in our preaching (whether content or anointing or something else). Please pray over your people and the preaching opportunities that God gives you so that what you preach will bring such outcomes as inferred by the above questions. I do believe that by the foolishness of preaching many may still be saved! Do you?
Thank you for declaring the full gospel of this new life and thank you for declaring it fearlessly as you should. Thank you for not being of those who shrink back and are destroyed but rather being of those who are faithful and persevere and press on in Jesus’ name!
Christ is with us, Christ is in us!
Mike J
Pastor Michael Johnson 