I love preaching the Word. That’s my calling, and I can’t imagine not doing it. So, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities I get to speak in different churches, and I’m especially thankful to worship with believers around the country. Moreover, I’m always pumped when . . .
- The service indicates that the leaders have thought through what they want to accomplish. Honestly, you just know when leaders have given time to prayer and preparation . . . and, I’m afraid, you also know when the service suggests no intentional preparation. Without ever wanting to hinder the work of the Spirit, leaders still know that preparation does matter.
- The church seems to strive for excellence. I realize that what is “excellent” is subjective—and I also realize that excellence apart from integrity and deep faith is also problematic—but I trust you get my point. Worshiping God means giving Him our best.
- The church’s commitment to prayer is obvious. By that, I mean prayer is more to them than what they’re supposed to do because it’s in the order of service. I especially appreciate churches that include a time of confession and prayer in their service, and I’m always humbled in the presence of pastors whose pastoral prayers are genuine and powerful.
- The worship music is so God-centered and God-honoring that I almost forget that I’m soon to preach. At least for me, it’s sometimes hard to worship when I’m thinking through my sermon. That’s why I especially appreciate worship that draws me to the Lord above everything else.
- The worship music is so God-centered and God-honoring that I also can’t wait to preach the Word. I realize this thought seemingly contradicts the previous one, but it really doesn’t. When you truly sense God’s presence in worship, you want to tell others about Him as soon as you possibly can.
- The congregation seems genuinely excited and happy to worship. To be frank, I’ve been in some services that are so dead that it’s not easy to preach. It’s tough when you sense that unhappy, often divided, apathetic people are just going through the motions. When it’s the opposite, though, there’s nothing quite like it.
- The church rejoices over public decisions to follow Christ. Sometimes it’s public baptism that shows that commitment. At other times, it’s a verbal profession of faith in Christ. In some rare cases, it’s a public confession of sin from a repentant heart seeking reconciliation. What I love, though, is when a church almost can’t help but rejoice aloud at the work of God.
- If I lived in that community, I’d want to come back to that church. I wish I could say that always happens no matter where I speak, but that’s not the case. It’s always fun when I can say, “I can’t wait to be with these believers again.” My hope, of course, is that others who live in that community experience the same thing—and the church grows in a way that pleases the Lord.
Just my thoughts today. . . . What are yours?