Today I will wrap up the series of posts called ONE THING. This process began for me a few weeks ago when I preached the funeral of a friend who had overdosed and I felt overwhelmed at the thought of speaking a word from God to the people gathered at his funeral. As a way of review, I have stated that as a minister, in order for me to speak a word for God to His people, I must discern the message, digest the message, develop the message, and finally, deliver the message.

DELIVER THE MESSAGE

It does not matter how much I prepare or how many sources I consult if I cannot deliver the message God has given me. At the end of the day, I must stand up, clear my throat, open the Bible, and speak. It is a physical, verbal, and spiritual delivery that I am called to make.

It is PHYSICAL in the sense that it is an actual body with legs and arms and eyes that stands in front of the people. Even if you attend a satellite campus or watch sermons online or on DVD, someone had to physically show up and deliver the goods. The only people on earth who can understand the physical drain on a person who speaks publicy are those who do it themselves. An hour of public speaking has the same effect on the person as a 16 hour physically taxing work day (laying brick, mixing concrete, etc). There is a commitment that must be made with the body to deliver the message and those who do it pay a price for the task they are called to.

It is VERBAL in the sense that the message must be spoken. It comes from the mind and heart, but it is delivered over vocal chords through the mouth of a willing servant. And words matter. Tone, inflection, volume, they all come into play when the message is preached. Things like eye contact, body language, cadence, a soft whisper building to a crescendo, these accent naked words. And we must choose our words carefully. I have a list of them that I will never use in a message because they could be offensive, misunderstood, or used against me in the future if taken out of context. When I was just 14 years old and had just begun preaching, my wise father said to me, “Son, it does not matter what you say, or what you mean to say, it only matters what they hear you say.”

It is SPIRITUAL in the sense that ultimately, words are not the goods that are being transferred in the delivery. It is more than ideas and theology and information. The Holy Spirit inspires and empowers the words we speak, and in a very real way something supernatural takes place when the Word of God, from God, flows through my mouth to the hearts of the waiting and listening. Change happens. Hearts are cut to the quick. Minds race and blood flow increases. Palms get sweaty, confession of sin takes place, decisions are made, relationships are restored, apologies are extended and accepted. It is nothing short of a mystical mystery how the Spirit of God inhabits the message we deliver and rips people to shreds with those words, brings life and healing with those words, honors Jesus with those words.

Personally, I do several things to be a better “delivery boy.” I pray often and hard. I deliberately trust God for the results of the message. I listen to and watch the masters and learn from their style while maintaining my own. I watch and listen to myself to critique my delivery. And, I give others access to speak to me regarding my delivery. Eventually, I will write about the process I go through prior to stepping on stage to preach, but it is too early and I have not had coffee yet. Alas, I have finished the ONE THING series. Only God knows what is next.

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