Thursday, 05 November 2009

• The Message is Bigger than the Man

  By Clayton King
  
  When I was still a teenager and young in my new Christian faith, I knew that God had called me to preach the gospel.  There was no doubt.  This calling was affirmed by older, more mature Christians, my parents, my pastor, and the Holy Spirit Who lived in me.  And since there was no internet or iTunes or podcasts in 1987, the only sermons I heard were delivered by real life preachers.  And I idolized every one of them.

  As a matter of fact, the bigger the event, the more I admired these men.  I remember being 15 years old and hearing Josh McDowell speak at a Petra concert (PETRA, ya’ll!) and dreaming about speaking with big Christian bands one day to thousands of people.  That dream has come true, and Josh McDowell is still preaching faithfully.

  But many others that I once idolized have fallen by the wayside, tapped out under pressure, burned out or quit.  Some of them have disqualified themselves because of sin.  I could, quite literally, write a good sized book about the preachers and pastors and speakers and evangelists that I have known and how they messed things up.  And I could easily be a chapter in that book.  So could you.

  We are all one bad decision away from failure.  I am one click of the mouse away from throwing 22 years of ministry in the toilet.
  

  But as I reflected on this reality recently, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the MESSAGE of the gospel has outlived all the MEN who were called to carry it, both those who did so faithfully and those who blew it.  Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart blew it.  So did Tedd Haggard and a thousand other nameless preachers (just like me and you).  Billy Graham and Adrian Rogers and Bill Bright all remained faithful and finished well.  But neither of these categories changes the fact that the message is bigger than the man.

  God chooses to use the man (or the woman), no doubt.  And we should strive to make every effort to live a life above reproach so as not to bring shame on Christ or His church.  But notwithstanding every single scandal and affair and embezzlement, the gospel still advances.  The gospel still saves.  The gospel still works.

  Many a talented speaker, many a gifted communicator, and many a charismatic leader have become less than a footnote on the pages of history because they forgot that this whole deal is not about the MAN who delivers the mail.

  This whole deal is about the MESSAGE.  Christ is Lord.  He died and rose again for the forgiveness of sin.  He is coming again.  Repent and be reconciled to God.  Any man can deliver that message.  But only ONE MAN can BE that message.  It is my joy, by God’s grace, to be a very insignificant man He has chosen to bear such a very important message to the world.

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