On Sermon Suggestions

Every preacher gets sermon requests now and then. Most of us are glad to get fresh ideas. But may I make a few suggestions about our suggestions? When you ask the preacher for a lesson on something, ask yourself some questions, too.

1. Will I be there to hear it? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood up to preach a lesson someone requested, only to see that the person who requested it wasn’t there! Does the preacher know you care enough about feeding your soul to be present whenever the gospel is preached? Or is your attendance at worship so hit-and-miss that he couldn’t even guess when you’ll be in the audience?

2. Why am I asking? Is it because you want to learn and grow? It’s gratifying to hear someone ask for a lesson because "I’m confused about that" or "I’d like to understand that better" or even "I have a family member who’s struggling with that issue."

On the other hand, there are folks who ask for sermons they want aimed at somebody else. Someone is out of line and they want the preacher to tell him off. Listen: if your brother has sinned, Jesus says you should go to him (Matthew 18:15), not ask the preacher to preach on it. If you have a personal dispute with someone, you should seek to be reconciled (Matthew 5:23-24), not ask the preacher to preach on it. If there’s a serious problem in the church, you should bring that concern before the elders (Acts 20:28f), not just ask the preacher to preach on it. A sermon on those subjects may be needed, but your responsibility is not met by muttering a self-satisfied "Amen" or two during the lesson.

3. What am I willing to do? This is closely related to number two. Whether the problem is personal or congregational, it won’t likely be fixed simply by the preacher’s giving a sermon on it. You must have the humility to accept the truth and the resolve to apply it. You must commit the time, energy, and study that will be needed to make things better. What are you prepared to do to support and live out the message the preacher proclaims?

Keep those sermon suggestions coming. And be sure you’re doing your part to make the most of them.

[My thanks to David McClister for providing the inspiration for this essay.]

The Power of Speech

In Ephesians 4:25-32, Paul briefly addresses several matters of personal conduct — a variety of do’s and don’ts for our relationships. As I was reading this passage recently, I was struck by how many things on this list primarily involve our speech.

Some are obvious, of course: falsehood (verse 25), unwholesome words (verse 29), slander (verse 31). But these are not all. Consider: there may be plenty of ways to express bitterness, wrath, clamor, and malice (verse 31), but the handiest tool for all of them is the tongue. And what of Paul’s admonition, "Be angry, and yet do not sin…do not give the devil an opportunity" (verses 26-27)? Isn’t the first temptation of anger to say something we shouldn’t?

On the flip side, the tongue is also the ideal vehicle for many of the positive commands given here. "Speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor" (verse 25). "[Speak] only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear" (verse 29). And what better way to express a heart that is kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving (verse 32)?

Truly, "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). It has the power to build up or tear down, the power to strengthen or destroy. Use it carefully.