Jump Start # 3635

2 Corinthians 10:10 “For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

The Corinthian critics spoke. What they said about Paul wasn’t kind, true or encouraging. Kick a guy when he’s down, is what they were doing. Notice how others word this:

• CEB: his speech is worth nothing
• Phillips: his actual presence is feeble
• Peterson: he’s a weakling and mumbles when he talks

These are not the words we’d think fitting for a leader in God’s kingdom. Dynamic. Charismatic. Energizing. That’s what we’d expect. Even the ole’ prophet Ezekiel had better things said about him. The people said of Ezekiel, “you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not practice them” (33:32). Even Paul’s contemporary, Apollos is said to have been “an eloquent man” and “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).

But, for Paul, many viewed him as a dud. And, that made me think of something I read the other day. It was titled, “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.” It read:

  As a preacher, my delivery is far from “polished” and I often speak from the heart. God willing, it’ll be a heart full of His word, but it’s from the heart nonetheless. I love preaching and it motivates me to be a little “animated” in the pulpit. As a person, I’m somewhat introverted and my humor can sometimes be misconstrued. Like I said, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. Further, my appearance isn’t very appealing. I can put on a suit but I’ll still be a short, chubby, balding guy whose excitement can sometimes make me talk a little too fast. I suspect there are others like me who feel wholly inadequate to preach such glorious news. There will always be those who can find something wrong with me as a preacher; I’ll be the first to admit I’ve got many faults, but I hope they find something right, too.

We preachers sometimes get tongue-tied. Our illustrations can fall flat, and the clock can seem to move ever so slowly when the sermon seems dry, dull and boring. We preachers do not have a team of writers who pick out just the best words to say. We don’t use telleprompters so that every sentence is perfectly perfect. No, we can fumble and drop the ball, use the wrong word, misspell things and get our references backwards. But we are preaching from our hearts. We are not trying to be professional speakers, but rather show you Jesus.

Here are some things to remember:

First, no critic is harder on the preacher than himself. He’ll pick up on mistakes that you never did. Remember that. Remember the golden rule. Be kind as you point out things. Try to help and not destroy.

Second, as soon as Sunday ends, the process fires up again for another sermon. There isn’t much time between Sundays, especially when you toss in a few classes to teach, blogs to write, podcasts to record and visit so many people. When a person gives a Wednesday night invitation about once every five months, it’s easy to think that he has this preaching stuff down. He doesn’t. And, if all the preacher had to do was write one sermon a week, he’d be more polished. But he is racing through things because there are so many things to be done.

Third, the preacher knows that he is not everyone’s favorite. You don’t need to tell him that. How’d you like for the preacher to tell you, ‘You’re not my favorite member’? He would never do that, so you shouldn’t. Learn to learn from your preacher. Bring a Bible. Bring a pen. He’s teaching you the word of God. Become your preacher’s cheerleader. Support him. Encourage him. Spend time with him. Discouragement will cause him to move sooner than he should or quit faster than he ought to. I don’t think I’d want to stand before the Lord and have Him ask me why I discouraged one of His servants. I don’t think that would go well.

And, when others start complaining and nit picking about the preacher, don’t participate. In fact, stop it. He’s trying. He’s trying hard. His best may not be what you think it ought to be, if he is speaking the truth and putting the Lord before your eyes, bless him and don’t discourage him.

A young preacher asked me years ago, “Do you ever think about quitting?” I told him, “Every Monday.” But Tuesdays come along and I have things that need to get done, so I get back to doing things.

I wonder if Paul was around today and we announced that he was preaching Sunday, how many would groan because they don’t like him. We’ve put more emphasis upon the package, the preacher, than we have the message, the Word of God. Maybe it’s time we reversed that and put a greater emphasis upon what is said rather than how it sounds.

I’m not everyone’s cup of tea—yep, I get that. Wish I was, but I’m not. All I can try to do is be the best that I can be.

Roger