Hit the bull’s eye
A sermon should be on target!
You could be the difference in sermons at your church. Have you ever noticed that a message can fall flat and others hit home in a powerful way? Preaching is like bow hunting in some ways. It takes both aim and force to propel the arrow into the bull’s eye.
Of course, a preacher must study and prepare to deliver the Word of God effectively. This is like aiming the arrow. First, you eye the target and then set your sights on its intended destination. A good preacher wants to get to the heart of the matter.
Assuming the minister has done a thorough job of that, there is another essential element. A minister needs prayer back up. Yes, he or she needs to pray, but there needs to be more prayer than that. Johnathan Edwards preached a good sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It was an all-right sermon, but for some reason grown men fell to the ground crying out to God for forgiveness. The game-changer was the group of prayer warriors in his church.
The people who pray will cause the Word of the Lord to reach its intended destination. If your preacher is going to be effective, he or she needs prayer power. The Apostle Paul said, “I beg you that you fight with me in prayer for me” (Romans 15:30). Why should the preacher study and prepare only for the arrow to fall short of the target? Your minister is begging you to “pray that God will give me the right words” (Ephesians 6:19).
Your prayer also removes obstacles that would stop God’s Word from being hindered. Paul said, “Pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified” (II Thessalonians 3:1). Let the message of truth fly swiftly and stay on target by your investment in prayer. Pray for your preacher today. You can make the difference so that the preacher’s sermon will nail the bull’s eye. Better yet, let’s hit the devil’s eye.