Heart Tracks - Show Us

Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' " John 14:8..."The great curse in modern preaching is that our people never see God." Leonard Ravenhill

I'm a preacher. I'm one not just by profession, but by calling. Here's a truth. If you are truly His, so are you. Francis of Assisi told his followers "Preach the good news. If needed, use words."

I hold a high view of the ministry of preaching the Word. I also believe that we are to do so not only from the pulpit, but from our workplace cubicles, board rooms, break rooms, and all rooms. Literally, wherever we are. In our doing this, our calling, our responsibility, is that in the "preaching" we really do "show them the Father." No matter how polished and precise we might think our "presentation" of Him is, if it does culminate in giving the listeners a living view of the living God, we have fallen short. Indeed, we've failed. Listeners will do what they will with what they've seen and heard, that responsibility lies with them. But they should know, as Scripture speaks, that there has been "a prophet among them." We are to walk in such a presence of Christ that His Presence cannot be denied even if it is rejected. I think the greatest preachers are those who go unnoticed while showing forth a God who cannot be missed. Are you and I such messengers?

While preaching cannot be confined to the pulpit, it does begin there. It's my heartfelt contention that the ministry of proclaiming the gospel is being steadily diminished in the western church. I doubt that there are many fellowships that lack a message when they come together. The question would be, who and what is the center of the message? Is it ourselves, how to have better, more successful and enjoyable lives? Or is it Him? How to know Him more deeply, experience Him more completely, and live lives that really do go "from glory to glory" in Him. Is it a message that proclaims His holiness, and our need of its transforming power? Our people should enter into every worship service expecting to "see" and encounter Him. Not the "props" we've come to depend on to hold their attention, but Him. To some degree, the words Larnelle Harris sings, "I've just seen Jesus, I tell you He's alive," ought to be the regular outflow of our preaching and worship. If we are not showing Him, encountering Him in our worship settings, those we go out to will not see and encounter Him either.

In every facet of our ministries, the question that has to be asked is, "Are our people seeing Jesus? Are they seeing the Father?" We have a holy calling and responsibility that they do. The results of their seeing is in His hands, but it begins with their beholding Him. In words, in actions, in lifestyles, they must see Him. As we preach Him, do they see Him? Do we show them the Father?

Blessings,
Pastor O