Power Preaching

Being a preacher, I've become a student of preachers. I love to sit under different pastors and hear the word of God taught. I'm finding that everybody has their own style and technique. But here's what I'm I'm also finding. There are some preachers that are gifted communicators, intelligent as all get out, can craft a sentence with the best of them, have a charismatic personality and are labeled great preachers. BUT then there are guys who seem to be at a "whole notha level". As they speak, there is no doubt that God is speaking through them and that they have been with him. You know that what they are saying did not come from a commentary or an Internet associate; it's fresh bread from heaven.

For some time I've been meditating upon what the apostle Paul told the Corinthian church. He said, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God...My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Corinthians 2:1,4-5)

I've made a shift in my preaching. Yes, I will always work to develop the gift God has given me and I'll always work hard to prepare my messages but more than anything, I want to walk with God and share from that intimacy. I'm finding that if I'll spend more time praying then nit picking a sentence, I'm better off. I'm finding that if I spend more time praying about what God wants me to say than mulling over a catchy title, God seems to bless the end product. I'm finding that if I consult God before I check a commentator, I tend to bring more, not less. I'm not sure what's happening to me as a preacher. I just know I love it. What this world needs more than another polished communicator is a preacher that is willing to channel the power of God.