Preaching and the power of perseverance

Some have a romantic view of Christian ministry.

We look to the role model of C. H. Spurgeon, under whose ministry thousands were converted, or the ministries of Whitefield or Wesley which had such extraordinary impact. We read the accounts of revivals in church history.

And so the preacher comes to the Lord’s Day praying that the Lord will use his sermon in a glorious way to exalt Christ and extend His Kingdom. Those in the pew join in those prayers and that sense of anticipation.

May we never lose that faith, and hope that the Lord will do extraordinary things. But that sense of expectancy comes at a price. The preacher reflects at the end of the day that his message did not rise to the heights he had hoped for. There may have been no clear conversions, and no evident transforming work. All too often there is disappointment and discouragement. Many preachers battle with a sense of personal failure. Is it their spiritual shortcomings which hinder the work?

We need to remember that the extraordinary is – by definition – not the normal experience of God’s people through the ages. We must reflect that the Lord works in gradual and imperceptible ways through the ordinary means of grace. This is why gardening is a helpful pastime for the preacher. It reminds us that the seed sown does not immediately spring up into flower (or, better, fruit or vegetables!). While we faithfully sow and weed, most of the year is spent waiting for the work which only the Lord can do (Mark 4v27). Prayer is as important as preaching. The busy activity of ministry and preparation must be accompanied by faithful waiting for the Lord.

The work of ministry is measured not by the week, or the month, but by the decade and the generation. Just as a newborn baby does not spring immediately to adult maturity, so human hearts and lives are changed gradually and sometimes imperceptibly over the years. We invest in young people not only for their own spiritual progress, but in prayer and hope that in time they will become spiritually fruitful as spiritual or physical parents and grandparents of those who will in turn bear fruit in future generations.

William Carey is celebrated as the father of the modern missionary movement. He was a man of exceptional abilities and achievements. Yet his assessment of himself was very humble, writing to his sisters that he was “… very fruitless and almost useless”. He testified simply “I can plod. I can persevere … To this I owe everything.”

So it is for the faithful believer; we are called to persevere in the work He has called us to, and trust Him for the increase in His time.