I was listening to a preacher this morning and was strengthened and encouraged by his Christ-centered sermon. I was also truly impressed by his incredible giftedness in preaching. From his exegesis to his exposition and delivery, it was as near flawless as it could be.
There have been times in the past when I would have been what I call “selfishly discouraged” when watching someone preach a nearly flawless sermon. Us preachers are an odd lot at times. We desire to give glory to God; that’s our calling and purpose, but now and then our flesh gets in the way of that. When this has happened to me it’s most often linked to the area of my ability and giftedness; or lack of it.
I’ve often said that I am the “Master of Mediocrity”, meaning most things I do seem to be mediocre. Whether it’s music, fishing, sports, etc., I could never seem to reach a level any higher than mediocre. If my abilities were measured in golf terms, they would be par…. Right down the middle… not really bad and not really good… just par. I’ve often thought my name should be Jack Parr (enter a giggle here). Allow me to pause here for a moment and assure you this is not an exercise in false humility…it truly isn’t. God has taught me an eternally valuable lesson, and I simply want to share it.
Our goal in preaching is to expose to text of Scripture by proclamation, in a God-honoring manner. As in any human endeavor, this task can be done poorly or well. A sincere preacher will work vigorously and diligently to preach as well as he possibly can, because of the enormous responsibility involved in handling God’s word. This is the thing that petrified me when I began preaching. How could I, someone who was always extremely shy and mediocre, perform such a great task as proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ?!?
What I thought was my handicap was the very thing that God designed and used in me to preach properly. My desires and goals in preaching are to point people to Jesus and not me; to decrease as Christ increases (John 3:30); to “Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten” (Zinzendorf); so that the hearer’s faith will be in the point of the preaching (Jesus), not the preacher. Even mediocre preaching, so long as it’s pointing properly to Jesus, does those things. When I preach, although it’s not the most eloquent vocabulary and most polished delivery, nevertheless accomplishes my previously mentioned desires and goals in preaching!
Mediocrity in the local church can be tremendously used by our Creator, for His glory and our good. I’m genuinely grateful that God granted assigned me to preach, giving me enough ability to sufficiently point people to Jesus, without being so good at it that people miss Jesus and focus on the preacher.
In the words of Charles Spurgeon,
People have often asked me, “What is the secret of your success?” I always answer that I have no other secret but this, that I have preached the gospel,—not about the gospel, but the gospel,—the full, free, glorious gospel of the living Christ who is the incarnation of the good news. Preach Jesus Christ, brethren, always and everywhere; and every time you preach be sure to have much of Jesus Christ in the sermon.
My mediocrity prompts me to point to Jesus, and that is the point. Thank God for mediocre but sufficient preaching.
Treasuring Christ 