There is a preaching that does the expected; exciting young men and women; and a teaching that makes the elderly nod in deep thought, say the occasional Amen, and afterwards shake the hand of the preacher as a measure of appreciation. We bless God for that.

Yet, we also know that the teaching of a good orator that knows understands oratory and connecting to people’s emotions, may be able to do the same. One who knows how to steam a powerful message in a broth of rhetoric and cadence, spiced with an impassioned voice and well timed gesticulations; will surely steer the audience, but only the expected will occur.

Only those who like speeches will be impressed. Only those who are happy, will smile. Only those who are okay will clap. Only those who are young will, hoot, and make a great deal of noise, “yea!”, “aye!”, “on point siiiir!”, “preach!”

Yet…

The rich will not embrace the poor. The hypocrite will not relent. The sinner will not repent.
The aged will not dance. The hurting will not be healed. The agnostic will not be persuaded . The stingy will not give, and The offended will not forgive.

However, there is that preaching that readily produces the unprecedented, and easily accomplishes the impossible.

THAT PREACHING that is the current ministry of the Holy Spirit. That is a ministry of weakness, brokenness, fear, and much trembling, and yet one of the demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

THAT PREACHING that is a ministry of love. A ministry of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. That chooses the least likely, and exalts the most unexpected; that destroys artificial barriers, dissolves race, casts out caste

THAT PREACHING that is the message of the Cross. That confounds the wise and turns the knowledge of this world into foolishness

THAT PREACHING that knows no man after the flesh, but beckons to all, man or woman, black or white, great or small, Jew or Gentile, to come to the Cross – the place where everything previous, everything Adam may end, where Christ and Him crucified becomes the common denominator by which all old things are passed away.

THAT PREACHING which by the same vital force that raised up Christ from the dead, becomes the platform alone upon which we here the glorious shout that breaks the hold of darkness “Behold, All Things Are Become New!”

THAT GOSPEL that

Thoroughly forgives the sinner,
And makes him completely new.
Restores the brokenhearted,
Broken dreams, broken minds, broken homes.
That heals the sick,
And restores the life of the dead.
Dead lives, dead bodies, dead marriages,
That turns sworn enemies into trusted friends.
That sets the solitary in families, 
And gives the desolate an inheritance.
That enriches the poor,
And makes the barren more fruitful than the fertile.

THAT PREACHING that fixes teenagers to their seats for the quarter of a day, taking notes, resetting the tiny visions which they had previously thought mighty, and digging deeper stakes, all the while praying under their breath, and seeking the face of God; replacing ambition with vision, so that instead of preparing to take over the world, rather deciding to let the Lord take over their lives; [for it is only when Jesus is Lord of one’s life that one may gain the whole world and still possess and keep his soul]

THAT PREACHING that turns a roomful of elders in their 70s and 80s, loose in tongues, pacing, jumping, laughing, and running about prophesying and rejoicing, for hours on end…judging God faithful, speaking of things to come, against hope believing in hope, receiving strength to bring forth, and giving glory to His name.

That pregnant virgin, king in a manger, God in a diaper, Savior on a cross, criminal in paradise, graveyard dwelling madman-into-sound evangelist,

pharisee terrorist-into-apostle and bond servant of Christ-making, sinner-into-saint,

blind-seeing, 
lame-walking, 
enemy-reconciling,
dumb-speaking, 
dead-raising…….GOSPEL.

That is the message of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Ebele UzoPeters