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The basis for confidence in our ministries and the key that unlocks fruitfulness is the power inherent in God's Word.
No other asset compares to the Holy Spirit's shuttling of Scripture from the ears of listeners to their mind and hearts. When we're discouraged, or doubt our capacity to fulfill God's call to teach His Word, it's encouraging to realize that the primary key to effectiveness isn't our training or giftedness, but the inherent power in the Word that we communicate.
An encouraging story
Charles Spurgeon told the story of a pastor so burdened about unsaved persons in the congregation that he didn't give the usual benediction after a message. He said, "How can I dismiss you with a blessing when some of you will be accursed when the Lord returns because you didn't love the Lord Jesus."
Spurgeon described the outcome for a teenager who was present to hear that pastor's words.
A lad of 15 heard that sermon and utterance, and 85 years afterwards, while living in Virginia, sitting under a hedge, the whole scene came vividly before him as if it had been the day before. It pleased God to bless that pastor's message and warning to the centenarian's conversion. He lived three years longer to bear good testimony that he had felt the power of truth in his heart.
Imagine—85 years later, God's Spirit imprinted that pastor's gospel message onto the heart of a congregant!
Permanence and power
What follows are two insights about God's Word that instill confidence when I teach it.
1. God's Word is permanent.
Peter told his readers that they owed their conversion to God's Word: "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). Then he added a citation from Isaiah 40: "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever" (vv. 24–25).
As Spurgeon's story points out, seeds that we sow from the Bible don't have an expiration date!
2. God's Word wields power.
This simple reminder buoys my Spirit when I feel inferior, don't see results or wonder if all the time and effort invested in Bible study and teaching is worth it. Memorizing the following verses helps me counteract negative thoughts about the effectiveness of what I do. Just as a believer who's touched by a particular sermon will hear it time and again, preach these verses to yourself over and over when your energy for service needs replenishing.
Jeremiah 23:29.While contrasting his words with those of false prophets, God exclaimed, "Is not My word like fire. . . . and like a hammer which shatters a rock?"
First Thessalonians 2:13.Paul understood that God inspired the words he proclaimed. Reminiscing about his initial preaching venture in Thessalonica, and their responsiveness, he wrote, "We also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe."
Hebrews 4:12.When there's no evidence that our communication of Scripture packs a wallop, let's remind ourselves of this assertion: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Will we believe appearances or our feelings, or cling tenaciously to this promise?
Your own experience with God's Word is additional evidence of its clout. Look back over your spiritual pilgrimage. Can you still see the fog lift on the day a biblical principle clarified an important decision you made? Do you remember the battlefield where a verse you had memorized fortified you against temptation? Can you still feel the pain of conviction over sin that the truth of God's Word exposed, which spawned confession and renewal? Do you recall the Bible truth or verse that comforted you during a trial, assuaging your pain and instilling hope for the future?
Then don't lose heart. What transformed you is the same Word you use when you teach, counsel or witness. Keep reminding yourself of how you've experienced the power of Scripture.
This article is adapted with permission from Serve Strong: Biblical Encouragement to Sustain God's Servants by Terry Powell, Ph.D., released from Leafwood Publishers.
 | Dr. Terry Powell is Faculty Emeritus at Columbia International University, in S. C., where he is an Adjunct Professor in Church Ministries. Dr. Powell writes a blog on faith and depression entitled Penetrating the Darkness. He is the author of Serve Strong,which helps volunteers as well as vocational Christian workers combat discouragement, persevere through weariness, and cultivate endurance for the long haul. Learn More » |
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