Last month, Michele and I made our trek to the Evangelical Homiletics Society annual conference. This year it was hosted by Talbot Seminary on the campus of Biola University near Los Angeles. The conference theme was, Spirit-led Preaching, and our plenary speaker was Jack Hayford. If you’re not familiar with Jack’s ministry, he is probably the most well-known and well-respected Pentecostal pastor in the U.S. The plenary sessions contained heavy doses of anecdotes, sprinkled with insightful one-liners. Hayford, for instance, described praying over your preaching portion as “interfacing with the One who breathed the Book.” In preparing to study he would pray, “Let me breathe in what you breathed on.”
Hayford gave me a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study. He helped me realize that my grammatical-historical-literary-rhetorical-theological method is inadequate. Hayford firmly believes that a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study contributes what good study habits can’t (the concept is his; I added and emphasized the word, active). He made me a believer, too. I’m sure you know that it is the Holy Spirit, for instance, that brings the Word alive. Think about what difference, if any, exists between the interpretation of an unregenerate scholar and a Spirit-led scholar. Then, think about the difference between a sermon preached by an unregenerate preacher compared with a sermon preached by a Spirit-led preacher.
Except for the grace of God, it’s possible that I could be working in my study just like a non-Christian theologian/pastor. I have been trained fairly well and possess adequate study skills. But, in the end, those study skills are inadequate. I want to buttress them with a passion for the Spirit’s active presence in my study and during the sermon. So, I’m trying to remember to pray for the:
- Spirit’s help before I begin studying
- Spirit’s help during my study
- Spirit to change me during my study
- Spirit to show me Christ and how faith in His work sanctifies (cf. John 16:14 “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”)
- Spirit’s help right before I preach so that my learning and growing occurs in the moment.
Share your ideas about Spirit-led preaching.
My bud Art Pink, The Life of Elijah, Chapter 20
“The preacher must not think his work is done when the congregation is dismissed: he needs to seek further communion with God, to ask His blessing upon his labours, to praise Him for what He has wrought, and to supplicate Him for further manifestations of His love and mercy.” Chapter 21; “Moreover, he knows that God alone can give the increase to the seed he has sown, and for that he needs to supplicate the throne of grace.”
It’s been a while since Pink has been mentioned! Thanks, Daryl, for reminding us the work’s not done when the sermon’s done. I should be praying just as hard for the Spirit to move in our lives on Monday morning.
Another interesting aspect to examine is the power of the Word of God in itself. The word of God (assuming we mean the Scriptures) is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). The top reason why an “unregenerate scholar” can still impact the lives of other people is because the Scriptures themselves are powerful. Of course, this is no excuse for a preacher to be inadequate in their reliance on the Spirit. But it does give us something to think about.
Great thought, Brian. Thank you for contributing good stuff.