Preaching Without Expectations: A Lesson from Ezekiel
Ezekiel 2:5
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
Not always is the case where men turn at the reproof, rebuke, and exhortation of the man of God. Many are they which rebel against the message which he carries. Furthermore, many are the men of God, whom, if not careful, will allow a lack of response to deter them from finishing their course strong to the end.
We must remember that it is God and God alone that “giveth the increase”! Oh sure, we like to get “results”, embellish the numbers, and keep record of the ones we’ve led to Christ. But what of those who have preached the Word just as powerfully, just as faithfully, and just as purely, with a totally different response?
Can we assume that just because a positive response is not generated, that the message is wrong or the preacher isn’t as talented, anointed, favored, or what have you? May I submit that such assumptions are not only arrogant, but foolish as well! Have you not heard of the prophet Ezekiel whom we take our text from? A major prophet of God, and God says in essence, “Whether they listen or not, the only thing that matters, and the only thing I’m worried about, is that they know that a prophet walked among them!”
May God deliver His men today from becoming so result-oriented that we become someone we are not, in order to try to make someone else become something they are not. Ultimately, we are not responsible for their response to the message, but simply the delivery of the message.
Why is it that we categorize those who seemingly get the most results as the greatest among us? I do not read where the prophet Jeremiah had one convert in his day. In our day, by our measures, he would have never been invited to any of our conventions. But God raised him up, and he was God’s anointed none-the-less.
If the emphasis gets back to the content of the message, then the conversions will take care of themselves. We are good at getting temporary emotional stirs, but God wants to produce fruit that remains. Simply put, we need some old-time pure Gospel preaching like that of John the Baptist, who faithfully preached regardless of whether he was with Christ in the Jordan River, or on death row for preaching the truth!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
Not always is the case where men turn at the reproof, rebuke, and exhortation of the man of God. Many are they which rebel against the message which he carries. Furthermore, many are the men of God, whom, if not careful, will allow a lack of response to deter them from finishing their course strong to the end.
We must remember that it is God and God alone that “giveth the increase”! Oh sure, we like to get “results”, embellish the numbers, and keep record of the ones we’ve led to Christ. But what of those who have preached the Word just as powerfully, just as faithfully, and just as purely, with a totally different response?
Can we assume that just because a positive response is not generated, that the message is wrong or the preacher isn’t as talented, anointed, favored, or what have you? May I submit that such assumptions are not only arrogant, but foolish as well! Have you not heard of the prophet Ezekiel whom we take our text from? A major prophet of God, and God says in essence, “Whether they listen or not, the only thing that matters, and the only thing I’m worried about, is that they know that a prophet walked among them!”
May God deliver His men today from becoming so result-oriented that we become someone we are not, in order to try to make someone else become something they are not. Ultimately, we are not responsible for their response to the message, but simply the delivery of the message.
Why is it that we categorize those who seemingly get the most results as the greatest among us? I do not read where the prophet Jeremiah had one convert in his day. In our day, by our measures, he would have never been invited to any of our conventions. But God raised him up, and he was God’s anointed none-the-less.
If the emphasis gets back to the content of the message, then the conversions will take care of themselves. We are good at getting temporary emotional stirs, but God wants to produce fruit that remains. Simply put, we need some old-time pure Gospel preaching like that of John the Baptist, who faithfully preached regardless of whether he was with Christ in the Jordan River, or on death row for preaching the truth!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill