Preaching and Praying

“God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center - Christ on the Cross - be trivialized into mere words.” (1 Corinthians 1:17 MSG)

The verb ‘preach’ is often used pejoratively to describe tedious moralizing. Thus, media-savvy pastors have learned to entertain the masses by delivering motivational and humorous sermons. While this may fill the church and its coffers, it pushes Christ to the margins.

Preaching and prayer have a lot in common. Preaching, in its purest form, is lifting up Jesus so others can understand and experience Him. Intercessory prayer is lifting people and their concerns up to Jesus. Whether you bring Christ to the people or the people to Christ, the results are the same. Being in the presence of God allows us to know and experience Him.  

Followers

“God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center - Christ on the Cross - be trivialized into mere words.” (1 Corinthians 1:17 MSG)

Celebrities often measure their popularity by the number of Instagram or Twitter followers they have. They use self-promotion to drive more traffic to their site and gain more followers. In the current climate, your social media presence is directly linked to your influence and success. Thus, collecting a following for yourself is strongly encouraged.

The current trend toward self-promotion is the antithesis of what Scripture teaches. We are not here to promote ourselves. Christ is not a supporting character, sidekick, or wingman to us or any other human. The cross is not a prop. We are not the central figure in this story. As Christ followers, we are not sent out to collect admirers, donors, supporters, or followers for ourselves. Instead, we are to teach the message of what God has done--collecting a following for Him. We are to show our faith by the way we live. We are not to use fancy rhetoric, but always keep Christ’s sacrificial love at the center. Human wisdom is hollow next to what God has to offer. Any time we spotlight our talents or ability, the message of the cross becomes marginalized. Thus, let us keep Christ at center stage, focusing all our energy into following Him and showing others how to do the same.