What the Preached Word CAN Do

Tuesday and Wednesday, Dan Zerbe, one of our Elders and I attended the fifth annual Conference on Ministry at Northeastern Seminary, near Rochester, NY. The title of this year's conference was "Rethinking Conversion and Transformation: Ancient Wisdom and New Perspectives for Contemporary Congregations." Whew!! That's a mouthful.

More to the point, in one of our workshops, "The Call to Preach," Dr. Timothy Dwyer clearly led the class to the conclusion that there is great power in the written Word of God and that when we preach it, we must be very careful that it is the Word of God that the people hear. When it is, the Holy Spirit will abundantly do His inner work. I was struck by a closing quotation from John Calvin where he accentuates the effectual power which emanates from the Word:

Here, then, is the sovereign power with which the pastors of the church, by whatever name they be called, ought to be endowed. That is that they may dare boldly to do all things by God's Word; may compel all worldly power, glory, wisdom, and exaltation to yield to and obey his majesty; supported by his power, may command all from the highest even to the last; may build up Christ's household and cast down Satan's; may feed the sheep and drive away the wolves; may instruct and exhort the teachable; may accuse, rebuke, and subdue the rebellious and stubborn: may bind and loose; finally, if need be, may launch thunderbolts and lightenings; but do all things in God's Word. (Calvin's Institutes, Book IV, Ch. VIII. 9)

Now that's powerful!! Lord, evermore give us this authority.