Devotion:
Read Matthew 3:4-8.
John’s addressing his audience as a “brood of vipers'' is a pretty clear indication that he is not an appointed, paid, pastor of a local church!! Pastors are taught in preaching classes the need to be both prophet and pastor in our sermons. The person who preaches as a prophet listens to God and delivers the message as if she or he is a herald, delivering a message from the king. The person who preaches as a pastor, on the other hand, also listens to the local congregation in order to determine what they need and are meant to hear. The best preachers are able to blend the two and deliver messages from God that are focused on the needs of their congregations. John may have missed class the day they talked about preaching as pastor. He is the ultimate prophetic preacher!
John was addressing Sadducees, the ruling party of the Jewish people, and Pharisees, who prided themselves on following all the Jewish laws to the absolute letter. Neither group was known for loving others. John called them to live out what God really expects of believers, which would have required them to repent, turning about completely. We too must be faithful in our lives and keep growing in the way of Christ.
Personal Worship Option:
As you pray today, think about what John the Baptist might say to you if he were preaching one-on-one to you. It is good to be humble and to realize that we have much to learn in our journeys of faith. Pick just one thing that will help you move closer to living the way of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment