We all desire to preach with passion and evangelize with a holy fervor. Many of us have that influential quote from Martin Lloyd Jones tattooed under our eyelids and never far from our lips- “preaching is logic on fire.” But, our personal and corporate ministry often lacks Godly zeal- a flat soda on a hot day. So, what is passionate preaching? What is “logic on fire”?
We have all heard the story of Christ in the temple. In our youth, many of us wondered at His anger, violence, and raw power as He turned over the tables of the moneychangers in the court of the Gentiles. Originally, intended as a venue for the Levites to teach and lead the Gentiles into the knowledge of Yahweh, the temple now served as the seat of false religion, rampant hypocrisy, and systematic corruption.
The role of the Levite was two fold: to offer sacrifices and teach (Lev 10:9-11). Yet, they abdicated their teaching role to the Pharisees, instead choosing to major on the minor. Levites performed sacrifices all day long without any context to God’s word. A modern day, egg-headed preacher with a great hermeneutical skill set (yes, he went to good Seminary!), but no heart for ministry and no scriptural application. The congregation of Israel watched the burnt offering rise day-and-night with no spiritual fire calling for repentance! Such is the state of a heart void of God’s spirit- lifeless ritual.
Jesus came to breath life into Israel. But, he used the same methods of the Levites, often presenting an object lesson-healing the blind, multiplying food, or clearing the temple- to create a venue for His preaching. The incident in the Court of the Gentiles was no different. He flipped tables, scattered coins, and sent animals running to highlight His message. Christ, so heartily despised the profane transformation of Israel, He cleared the temple twice during His ministry (Matt 21-12-13; Mark [11:15]-18; Luke [19:45]-48; John [2:13]-17)! In the inaugural incident, His bold teaching and passionate preaching evoked a distant memory in His disciples. Imagine the great benefit of this object lesson- no useless props, no pastor plays actor. Instead, Christ preaches total transformation amidst overturned tables and a mad scrabble for rolling denarii as the sounds of freed turtledoves intermittently echo off the temple walls.
During the event, the disciples collectively remembered a favorite boyhood verse and, perhaps, sensed a growing nostalgia: Psalm 69:9- “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” They must have contrasted Jesus’s passion for the Lord to their own. How weak and feeble our faith is when compared to Christ! How their youthful passion must have burnt for a little time, before the trails of life snuffed out their wick. They were all struck by the zeal of Christ. His actions were bold, but His intense preaching captivated everyone.
We must look beyond Christ’s object lesson, and seek to understand His disciples’ reaction and their recollection of this great Psalm. Then, we may gain an understanding to the heart of passionate preaching and regain a lost fervor for the Lord. In Greek, the word for zeal is an onomatopoeic term derived from the sound of water bubbling over in a pot. A Godly zeal is produced when one’s inner knowledge and love for God boils over into the public square. This comes from God’s word being stirred up within you. But, this passion remains distinct from one’s emotion. True zeal is not a switch or a character trait! If you hope to instantly turn on your love of God or depend upon your disposition, yet continue to live a humdrum spiritual life, say goodbye to any prospect of bold, God-honoring preaching. As one pastor famously wrote in the margin of his sermon, “weak point, yell louder!” Such techniques will never produce a burning zeal for the Lord and an audience captivated by His word.
A watched pot never boils, but a pot without a flame cannot boil! So, is one’s zeal for God. Godly zeal must be lit by God’s word. True passion comes from this fire. So, is the zeal of Christ! He possesses a singular desire and burning passion for God’s house and the ways of the Lord. This is what catapults His preaching. Not a personality or an attitude, but a heart and mind forever branded for God’s truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the necessary logic of preaching and must form the foundation of any ministry. We don’t have memorized “preaching is fire on logic.” No, the word of God must first kindle one’s flame and ignite one’s passion for God, and then God’s fire consumes you!
Once zeal finds a foothold in your heart, the true work begins. God’s spirit super heats His word inside you and His message bubbles forth. Eventually, this zeal pouring out of you consumes your very person. In the New Testament, the word used for consume means to completely devour without hope of recovery. Count the cost! Once God’s word boils in you, your old self is forever lost. The joy and pleasure of serving God by the ministry of His Holy Spirit overshadows the greatest doubts and fears of living a life totally submitted to Him and consumed by His word. May you enjoy God’s provision of boldness and zeal in your life and ministry.
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