10/17/18 – Pastor Brian’s Blog
In our Worship Service this past Sunday, one of the ladies in our church shared how she had the privilege of leading a child to Christ in our “Kids for Christ” program on Wednesday night. It was such an encouragement for us that were there, as her excitement just overflowed her being. It was such a blessing for this pastor to know her love for God, her love for her students, and then hear how God used both; to transcend into someone coming to know Christ as their personal Savior.
So what will you be testifying about this week? What blessings will you be singing about in your church next Sunday? What person will be changed because of your message this week? Here is what one of our “kids,” Jon, from a youth group that Judy and I lead many years ago, recently wrote on Facebook. May this challenge you as it did me.
“Good News. Pastors, let me ask you something. What are you going to preach about this weekend? In a little over a week, I’ll be filling in for Brian Gower at Center Barnstead Christian Church on Sunday morning and I’ve been really thinking about what message God wants me to bring to these dear people. This morning, I read a Psalm of David recorded in I Chronicles and it got me thinking about that question. Christian, what are you going to preach about today? “Wait, you mean I have to preach?” Absolutely. We all proclaim a message every day with our life. We proclaim it to our families, to our customers, to our friends and to strangers we pass in the grocery store.
“Wait, you mean I have to preach?”
Pastors preach a wide variety of messages. Some get wound up about politics. Others prefer a social gospel of “do good to others.” Earlier this week, I was talking to my father in law. He works for a foundation that gives grants to churches in New England. My father in law knows pretty much every evangelical pastor in the six New England states. He told me about an African American church where people still wear suits and they still have a choir. It’s not your hipster church or your new modern format, yet every week six to ten people are coming to receive Jesus into their lives. The church is thriving. We talked about other churches that are thriving and we noticed a common theme. It’s not the style of music that is the same. It’s not the dress code or even the liturgical culture. The common thread is that the gospel is preached and people are given a chance to receive it.
In I Chronicles 16:23, David urged Israel to “Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” Did you catch that? Preach the gospel of His salvation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s the key. Churches that preach the gospel 24/7 are creating a culture of excitement about salvation. When we are focused on this rotting decaying culture we live in, we tend to get negative, but when our focus is on the good news of God’s salvation of man, our hearts are filled with overwhelming praise, excitement about the grace of God and the joy of our salvation. That excitement about the gospel is what will draw the seekers of a lost world to Jesus. Our world is desperate for salvation. It is a hurting and confused world that needs the good news that Jesus saves.
Pastors, fellow believers, what message are you going to preach today? You can’t preach something that you don’t possess. Take some time this morning to remember all that God has done for you. Remember who you were before you met Jesus and what wonderful things He has done in your life. Let the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ fill you with joy and excitement and then let that excitement and joy spill out on the world around you. Declare the good news of His salvation from day to day, 24/7/365. Let the gospel be the theme of your life. Let the gospel be the theme of every sermon you will ever preach. Your ability to argue or persuade will not change the culture around you. It is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation and sanctification. The gospel is the power to change our world. Receive it and preach it.
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” – I Chronicles 16:23”
If you are in the area this Sunday and do not have a church, you might want to consider coming to our church, as Jon will be preaching this Sunday at 10 AM. Because of his passion, his love for God and for people, I don’t think you will be disappointed!
