“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38
Danny BurnleyAs pastors throughout our state, we have the difficult task of maintaining a balance within our ministries. We must find time for family, to pray, study, visit, counsel, plan, attend committee meetings, carry out weddings, funerals, etc.
I have come to realize that after my time with God and his word, the most important thing I do as a pastor is preach. In 1 Corinthians 1:21, we are told, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
As I have shared in previous articles, it is through preaching the word of God that the jawbone, the knucklebone and the wishbone are changed. The same power that moved through Ezekiel’s preaching “thus saith the Lord” is available to us as we preach today.
Yes, we do have “dead men’s bones” to preach to. However, let us not forget another bone needed in every facet of our society – consider the backbone!
We need the backbone in the home. Every home needs a man who will function as the “spiritual” head of the home. The greatest gift any man can give to his family is that of a spiritual husband to his wife and a spiritual father to his children. To the widow and to that godly wife who may not have a Christian husband, God has promised to “relieve the fatherless and the widow” (Psalm 146:9).
We need backbones in the pulpit. Every pulpit needs to be a mouthpiece for a “thus saith the Lord,” not a microphone for denominational dogma, church traditions, or human reasoning. The world needs gospel preaching, not a sensational speech or sounds that tickle the ear, leaving man comfortable in sin. Enough of this “come as you are and leave as you were” pulpit preaching!
Every sermon should be an exposition of the Holy Scriptures, and every pulpit needs a preacher who refuses to buckle under to some man or group who, due to position, wealth and social status, seeks to transform him into a spiritual puppet! Paul said, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
We need backbones in the schools. Peer pressure upon young people to conform to worldly standards is at the extreme. Young people need to develop a backbone to say no and mean it – no to drugs, no to alcohol, no to immodest dress, no to profanity, no to cheating and no to illicit sex. Young people need backbones – the will and determination to oppose wrong and to stand for right.
We need backbones in everyday life. Peer pressure is in the workplace as well as the schools. Adults fear the modern-day pressure of alcohol, backslidden church folk, adulterers, pornographers, social drinkers and compromisers. We need to be people with backbones who stand for God, truth and righteousness in every aspect of life.
How do we develop such bones? It is through the preaching behind our pulpits. Pastors, preach the word!