Keeping The Momentum Going In Your Preaching
by Rev. James Smith
www.preachit.org
On a certain day in Jesus busy ministry, He was on His way to heal a certain child. While on the journey a woman with an issue of blood reached out to Him and through faith touched Him and received her miraculous healing. Jesus felt the virtue (or anointing) leave Him as she received this healing. He asked, "Who touched me?"
In your ministry, many people are going to pull strength from you. Though Jesus was simply walking along the road on the way to heal a child, someone found a way to press through the crowd and pull it out of Him.
They will call you nearly any time of day. They'll show up at your house when you least expect it. They will tell you their problems at the grocery store. If you show up early for church, there will often be someone there who feels it is their opportunity to "have your attention".
By the time you get up to preach you may find yourself without virtue from time to time. Preaching itself will drain you of your virtue when you preach under the anointing. I have worked hard in the construction field most of my life, and seldom felt as tired and exhausted as I do after preaching an anointed sermon.
Jesus Himself experienced times when He had to retreat from the crowd and even His close followers to get alone with the Father. This is where He found His virtue (anointing). There is no replacement for personal prayer and time alone with the Source of virtue. Prayer, fasting and constant communion are of absolute necessity if you desire to maintain your virtue.
A Preacher without virtue is like a mechanic without tools. He can tell you what is wrong, but he can't help you very much. Virtue is needed to minister to someone who has been attacked by Satan. Anointing is needed to lift them up and heal them of their physical and spiritual wounds.
Preaching without virtue is just oratory. It might be interesting to listen to, but if it does not heal, it is of little use. It takes virtue to deliver souls from sin. It takes anointing to break the yoke of bondage in people's lives. Without a saturation of the Spirit on a message, it is little more than a lecture.
While a well thought out and prepared message is of absolute necessity, it alone cannot break the yoke. It takes virtue. It takes anointing. It takes prayer. A preacher can accept no substitute for having power with God.
If all Peter had was a good message to preach the day he came across the lame man at the gate Beautiful, there would have been no healing. Peter had something more that day. Peter had anointing/virtue. He had the goods to get the job done.
What is the response after you preach? Do people receive the Holy Ghost? Do they get delivered or healed? Is there virtue in your preaching or is it just good oratory.
Recently a mentor of mine was speaking about evangelists who seem to have a hard time getting their message across. He told me that he stopped second guessing these evangelists as the result from the congregation in the altar was often very powerful. "Many would be be saved " he said "even though the message was not all that compelling."
Preaching under the anointing of the Holy Spirit will break yokes of bondage in people's lives. It will deliver the lost. While you find time to study this week, don't forget to seek God for the anointing. Neither Mathew Henry, Strong, nor a thousand hours of study can take the place of your time in prayer before the Lord.
When we first started PreachIt.org, our hope was that we could help ministers who's time was so burdened to reduce their study time by utilizing the resources from the site. This reduction in study time would then be better used as time seeking God in prayer for the service.
Many people do not understand the enormous pressure and constraint of time on the average pastor who may be working a full time job as well as Pastoring a church. I understand it all too well. My prayer for you is that the Lord will provide you a way to have more time to get into His word and prepare your heart for that next move of His Spirit.
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