Losing God in Sermon-Making

"Even sermon-making, incessant and taxing as an art, as a duty, as a work, or as a pleasure will engross and harden, will estrange the heart by neglect of prayer, from God. The scientist loses God in nature. The preacher may lose God in his sermon." E. M. Bounds in Power Through Prayer

May God protect me from making much of preaching while making little of prayer! Protect me from losing God in sermon-making!

Power through Prayer 2

E. M. Bounds in his classic book Power through Prayer says, "What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use--men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow on methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men--men of prayer."

Do you agree or disagree with Bounds' comments? Why?

Power through Prayer

How would you describe your prayer life? What kinds of things are central to your requests? Do you tend to pray primarily about your “wants” and things that have little eternal significance? Or is your prayer driven by the missional mindset of Christ to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:1-10)?

Do you pray specifically expecting God to answer? Or do you protect yourself from disappointment and pray in a manner that is so generalized you would never know if God had responded in some way to your prayer?

Would you describe your prayer life as powerful? Would you say that your prayer produces wonderful results?

James 5:16 says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

What does it mean to pray earnestly? What does it mean to be a righteous person? When you read this text how do you want to see God change you and the way you pray?

Tell me what you think.

What if we prayed?

On Tuesday during staff meeting we had an interesting conversation. I asked the staff what would happen if we were to grow - really grow - in our understanding and practice of prayer and dependence on God? How would our church be different?

The answers were interesting. Elsa said we would hear from God. Matt said it would change everything. There would be a sense of God at work. Tessa said we would have a greater sense of boldness and urgency in everything we do.

There have been times for me when so much of prayer has felt boring or like a long list of petty petitions about a lot of things that don't really matter.

I want to change. I want to be changed. I want to grow in my understanding and practice of prayer and dependence on God!