preaching to the invisible listener

A pastor-mentor and friend of mine just passed along this quote from Kierkegaard’s Practice in Christianity.  Nice and necessary to hear time and again.

“Therefore it is a risk to preach, for as I go up into that holy place — whether the church is packed or as good as empty, whether I myself am aware of it or not, I have one listener more than can be seen, an invisible listener, God in heaven whom I certainly cannot see but who truly can see me.  This listener, he pays close attention to whether what I am saying is true, whether it is true in me, that is, he looks to see — and he can do that, because he is invisible in a way that makes it impossible to be on one’s guard against him — he looks to see if my life expresses what I am saying.  And although I do not have authority to commit to anyone else, I have committed myself to every word I have said from the pulpit in the sermon — and God has heard it. Truly it is a risk to preach!”  (XXII.215)

This quote ranks right up there with my favorite from Charles Simeon:

“My endeavor [in preaching] is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not thrust in what I think might be there.  I have a great jealousy on this head – nmever to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding.”

 I think I’ll go submissively and soberly work on my sermon.

covet your prayers

I covet your prayers.  Though shalt not covet, except for things that God himself is zealous for. 

This Saturday, the session of Cornerstone PCA (elders) will be meeting for the express purpose of seeking clarity from God in regards to our specific strategy for launching out to plant a west valley church in the Fall of 2008 (Emmaus, Lower Macungie… East Penn School District and beyond).  We all covet your prayers.  Kingdom prayers.  Gospel prayers.  Unity prayers.  Fervent prayers.  Maybe, if any of you would be so able, some of you could simultaneously gather in community and pray together that we would sense God’s picture of a church plant in his place in his time with his gospel for his glory.   Yes, this has been in the works and discussed for some time (it is why we were called to PA in 2006).  But, this meeting is about specific structure and strategy and timing and vision.

Here’s the thing.  Cornerstone has never done this before – the whole ‘release a limb’ kind of a thing.  So pray not only for this church plant in embryo, but for the entire model by which we approach this plant – as it could be reduplicated time and again (probably tweaked time and again).  Pray for a church that is 6 years old, has no building, has only 200ish people and is still compelled by God to plant other gospel-centered churches in our Lehigh Valley even now.   I praise God to be a part of a church that does not want to be a big church, but wants to promote a BIG saturation of the Lehigh Valley with the gospel through numerous healthy and strategically placed church plants.

The gospel-need is great.  The gospel’s power is greater.  The Lehigh Valley cultural church-need is great.  The local church’s missional power in Christ is even greater.  So please PRAY!

please pass this on.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy Kingdom come ON EARTH [through your church] as it is in heaven.