The role of the pastor in the local church is extremely important since teaching the Word of God accurately is critical to a healthy and a vibrant congregation. While accurate doctrine is of course foundational to helping members of a local assembly grow spiritually, in addition to this prerequisite, I would like to share four important signs of an anointed pastor and his preaching:
He gets his congregation to focus on Jesus
So often many pastors get caught up in telling stories and getting involved in politics and the social gospel, that they have little time for the sharing of Scripture, and sadly as a result, their sermon completely forgets about Jesus. Since the only way we can grow as a Christian is to learn at the feet of Jesus, any sermon that doesn’t center on Jesus and His teachings, in my opinion, is incomplete. If we are to become more like Jesus we need to learn more about our wonderful Lord and Savior and how to emulate His teachings. Christ-centered sermons, even when discussing Old Testament stories and history, will make the Scriptures become more alive and help us bring back each message to New Testament teachings on Jesus. Since Jesus is the focal point of the Bible, He should also be the same in a sermon.
He gets his congregation to read the Bible more
Too often, a pastor’s sermon is so void of Scripture verses, is it any wonder that many church members don’t read the Bible very often. An anointed pastor should weave Bible verses throughout his sermon showing his congregation that the Bible is foundational to his message. When a pastor relates stories and his points back to Scripture he is implicitly letting his hearers know that there is just no substitute for reading and knowing our Bible. In addition, a pastor who can get his congregation excited about reading their Bible becomes a powerful force in equipping the saints to defeat the devil at every turn, since Satan is powerless when Christians use the Scriptures against him.
His message comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable
I like how Vance Havner puts it: “The task of the preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”1 When I pray for pastors on my prayer list, I often pray that their messages will both encourage and convict. An anointed message should be able to encourage the flock to get more excited about Jesus and work to glorify His name at all times. And when we aren’t doing this, an anointed message should unleash the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to help us to get out of our comfort zones and draw closer to Jesus and doing His will. But there are times when we are going through a difficult trial or experiencing real pain and suffering. When this happens an anointed pastor will share the compassion of Jesus and surround the afflicted member with the special peace that only Jesus can give.
When the pastor’s message is over we will remember the message and not the messenger
When a pastor is truly hiding behind the cross his message is what is remembered and not himself. Instead of focusing attention on himself, his message is laser-focused on Jesus and His teachings. His sermon becomes unforgettable and one walks away meditating on the Scriptures and how to apply them to his life to become more Christlike. Yes, we thank the pastor for his message, but we praise the Lord for the message!
Finally, may I urge you to keep your pastor in your daily prayers – He needs your prayers more than you may think. He is under a heavy burden to deliver, week after week, messages that encourage and convict, that comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, that make the Bible become alive, and cause the devil to flee!