Precious Words

I love reading the words in red in scripture, the words of Jesus. They are a study in themselves. Jesus’ ability to convey profound thoughts in a handful of words is a wonderful gift.

We have a limited window to communicate with others. If we pour out too many words without sufficient meaning, our listener will cut us off. We have all experienced the termination of listening long before the speaker has run out of words.

Jesus was well aware of this phenomenon and spoke with a great respect for His listener with every word counting. Review the gospels and read any of Jesus teachings or exchanges. They are short and sweet and nothing is left to be said at the end.

It is a gift that has been lost in the modern church. Much of what is said on Sunday mornings is repetitious babble. I don’t know why preachers think they can add to the words of Jesus. I don’t know why they think saying something 10 times is more profound than saying it once.

There seems to be a compulsion to fill an imaginary time period each Sunday morning like we were dealing with a news talk show with a time slot that must be filled. If the service normally ends at noon, we better keep talking until then, even if we ran out of anything significant to say about 11 a.m.

There is clearly a place for expository preaching. We are often aided by application of the Word to modern situations. We can benefit from learning the context in which biblical events occurred. Sometimes we lack sufficient biblical knowledge to tie the subject scripture to the overall message of the gospel. But more often than not appears the goal of the preacher is to muddle the scripture or to stretch it to cover situations to which it was never intended to apply. After a sermon, we should have a greater understanding and appreciation of the Word of God than when we started. We should not be more confused.

The Word of God is the Word of God. We need to comment on it, expland upon it or apply it only after great time spent in prayer and with careful timid steps. God has much to say to us in His word. It’s our obligation to ensure the meaning is not lost in a sloppy delivery.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will sweep through the Church bringing an enhanced appreciation for the Word of God and a refreshed ability to make it’s applicability clear to God’s people.

Nick