I am hoping the title of this post might attract some
attention in the same way that the person it talks about caught my attention
.
I was flicking channels on TV the other night and came
across a shopping channel featuring a juicer type thing and decided to watch
for a couple of minutes as I have been thinking about increasing fruit and veg
intake.
I ended up watching almost an hour because the second person
in the presentation was to coin his own words ‘evangelical’ about this particular
product. He said he had bought one at Christmas and stared using it in the New
Year and had used it every day since – he said he was feeling the benefits in
lots of ways and there had been some weight loss which he thought was due his
change in diet.
He was so excited about the product and I could see where the evangelical comment
had come from as he talked with a high degree of zeal and fervour about this marvellous
product, and it got me thinking.
I thought to myself is this what is missing in much of the
preaching in our churches – we don’t always seem to grasp what a marvellous
product (I know you might not like that description but it works for this) we
have – the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and yet much of the
preaching I hear is so lack lustre and almost apologetic.
I am keenly aware that my fiercest critic is my wife and I
am thankful for that because I think she helps to keep me sharp in my preaching
but I am also grateful that like the guy selling the juicer I firmly believe in
the product I am encouraging people to try in the same way he believed in the
juicer.
I think that all too often we are very wishy washy in our
faith and our preaching and are frightened of offending someone – it didn't
seem to bother Jesus!
