What makes for a really good sermon? What makes for a really good church service, or a really good
small group gathering? Another question (for another time) would be what constitutes “really good” in relation to a
sermon, service, etc. For now, my
assumption is that “really good” = truly biblical and immediately-recognizable as helpful and life-changing.
Here’s my attempt at giving a brief stab at the answer….
There is nothing
that we can do on our own to ensure that a sermon, a church service, or
a small group is really good. So, THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is at stake here. John 3 teaches us clearly that, like the wind, we cannot manipulate
or harness the Spirit of God. God the
Spirit is free to move as He pleases.
He is free to take a sermon and bless it so that the hearers immediately
recognize God’s power. He is free to
take a gathering of God’s people—large or small—and bless it so that time
stands still and the presence of God is evident. Or not. This is the
fundamental point. Do we know this and
seek for this? Do we not only believe in the Holy Spirit, His freedom and sovereignty, etc. but also seek after His presence and blessing in the Christian work that we undertake? Is this our primary burden when preparing for sermons, services, small groups?
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