It’s always nice to receive a message from my wife. And one day, in an email simply entitled “Preach the Cross”, she sent me two Cross words from her Oswald Chambers devotional …
“If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the Cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing. It will not transmit the energy of God to man; it may be interesting, but it will have no power.”
“Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary…God forgives sins only because of the death of Christ.”
In a day where shallow preaching abound, these words are so timely that the depth of our Christian faith can once again be centred and rooted in the work of the Cross. For sure, many have moved away from the Cross, or have transformed the Cross into a symbol of blessing and prosperity to suit selfish wants and desires. How scandalous! And if I do not constantly hold before me the vision of the Cross, upon which Jesus suffered and died, I can also commit the same mistake.
What a wonderful reminder from a preacher’s wife! What an encouragement too, to know that Serene desires that my preaching be as effective as it can be. Not merely based on great communication skills, dramatic deliveries or humorous anecdotes, but firmly grounded upon the Cross of Jesus Christ!
Related Article: Him We Preach
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