There are preachers who tell us that the Holy Spirit puts the words (messages) that they preach into their hearts and mouths, and without such happening, one cannot understand the Bible. I’m reminded of the preacher that never studied and prepared during the week, and on Sunday morning he’d sit on the platform, while the church was singing the hymns, desperately praying: “Lord, give me your message.” One Sunday, while desperately praying for God’s message, he heard the Lord say: “Ralph, here’s my message. You’re lazy!” There is more truth to that little comical story than you might think.

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For example, one preacher wrote the following: “If the Spirit does not come reveal the truths of God’s word to us, we who labor in both word and doctrine are of all men most to be pitied. The Bible will be a dead letter to us…The Holy Spirit is the Divine Author of the Bible and unless He opens our understanding, it must largely remain a closed book.” Thus, we are told that the Holy Spirit must rest upon preachers, and inspire their preaching labors; that the Holy Spirit actually puts the words in their mouths and guides them in what they preach. Without this help from the Holy Spirit, they cannot understand the Scriptures. And so, some preachers say, like Ralph, that they did not prepare their sermons, but let the Holy Spirit reveal to them what they needed to say. Some even claim that in their writing, “the Holy Spirit literally guides them in what they are to put on paper.” Such claims evidently, are without effort on the part of the one asking for understanding. The Bible does teach that “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” (1 Cor. 1: 21). But the Bible does not teach that God is pleased with many of the confusing, contradictory and foolish messages that are preached by so-called Holy Spirit illuminated preachers. Such is not to be blamed on the Holy Spirit!

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I guess studying, searching, reading, and meditating on the Scriptures (1 Tim. 2: 15; Acts 17: 11; Eph. 3: 4; 1 Tim. 3: 13; Ps. 1: 1-2, 119: 97) is just too much to ask for the lazy preacher like Ralph. Think on these things.

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Dennis Abernathy