Ordinary Power

"I did not come to you with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God" 1 Cor 2.1

I have just come back from the Keswick convention, which was a great time of refreshing challenge from God's word. They have this thing at Keswick that we see something of God's general revelation in the greatness, majesty and beauty of his creation, but we supremely hear his saving revelation in the Bible. Keswick does the first outstandingly well. It is really something special to come out of a Christian meeting and look up at Skiddaw mountain or across Derwent water towards Cat Bells or Borrowdale. 

The Keswick convention also makes God's word a priority and I was really struck by one talk in particular. If I am honest the speaker was not very charismatic, he made few jokes, he seemed quite nervous at the start, there weren't a tremendous amount of illustrations and yet God spoke to me very powerfully in the talk. Why? Because the speaker simply explained God's word. In a later talk by the same person, I felt myself welling up as I heard God speak in his word.

It illustrates for me Paul's point in 1 Corinathians 2.1-5. Preaching's power does not come from how well crafted a sermon is, or how entertaining it is, but whether it is God's word. Is it his testimony or simply that of the preacher? That I think means two things: Is it from God or the preacher and is it about God or the preacher. Whichever side of the sermon I stand (either the preacher or one of those the preacher is serving) a good question to ask is this: If all the stories, illustrations, anecdotes, illustrations were stripped away - how much would be left and is it from God's word. For in that lies the power of the sermon.