The Message and the Messenger

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,

but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NIV)

            Amy Hollingsworth, author of The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers (I highly recommend this book, by the way) shares an incident in which Mr. Rogers, still in seminary, decided, along with some of his friends, to “visit the church of a well-known and well-respected pulpiter. After the service began, they discovered the presiding minister was away and a supply preacher… would be speaking in his place… Unfortunately, this man was neither good nor meaningful. Fred suffered through the sermon, mentally checking off every homiletic rule the man was bending, breaking, or completely disregarding. The sermon went against everything Fred was learning in seminary. When it ended… he turned to the friend beside him to commiserate. But before he could say anything, his words were muted by the tears he saw streaming down her face. ‘He said exactly what I needed to hear,’ she whispered.”¹

            Fred learned a vital lesson that day; “She had come in need, and he had come in judgment. And because of her need, and the sincerity of the old preacher, the Holy Spirit was able to translate the words – poorly constructed as they were – into exactly what she needed to hear.”

            You and I may not preach like Charles Spurgeon. We might not teach like Rick Warren or write like Max Lucado, but God can still use us to touch hearts if we make ourselves available. Because the power of the Gospel lies not in the messenger but in the message. The Holy Spirit convicts, not us, and He will work in receptive hearts, whether His vessels – you and me – are polished or plain.

¹ Amy Hollingsworth, The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers; Spiritual Insights From the World’s Most Beloved Neighbor, (Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2005), 33-34.