Prophetic Preaching

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.   (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

We do not need to have the gift of prophecy to preach prophetically. Let God be the prophet. Let his Word be the prophecy. We just need to attune our ears and heart to what God is saying.

Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.   (Revelation 2:29)

We need to spend time with him. Yes, in prayer. But also throughout the day. Let us simply be aware of his presence. I used to stupidly brush him aside. He could easily brush me aside. We are living by his presence. Without his breath we no longer have life.

Let us take in more of his breath. Let us preach with enthusiasm. From Merriam-Webster, we learn that the word Enthusiasm entered the English language around the beginning of the 17th century. It was borrowed from the Greek enthusiasms, meaning “inspiration or possession by a god.” Our sermons need to be God-breathed. That can happen if we allow God to breathe on us daily. We need his God-breathed message as much as our congregation.