I watched a sermon from an unfamiliar church this morning in another city. Later, I received these words.

“Pastors and preachers stop apologizing for speaking the truth of the Word. Let no apology be uttered for the Gospel that has the power to convict of sin. That is the purpose. The apology weakens the message. You are not responsible for the response of people’s hearts. You are standing for Christ in front of the congregation and are to speak His Words. The Holy Spirit is the power. The church does not belong to the preacher. The congregation does not belong to the preacher. The tithes and offerings do not belong to the preacher. ALL belongs to Christ.”

I felt convicted as an individual witness for Christ. It’s so easy to slip into the flesh and add useless words or phrases, to make people laugh, to ease the tension of the truth. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:37 to let our Yes be yes and our No be no. Speak straightforward. The Holy Spirit searches the hearts of the people as they listen to the Word. We cannot be discouraged by what we see in the flesh. No prayer is wasted. No time spent ministering to others is wasted. Everything good is a seed. Ask God to bless the seeds.

5/4/2024