Benjamin

Is your preaching safe or obedient? Or maybe I should ask: Is your life safe or obedient? That question has been rattling around in my heart after reading a quote from this week's skills article—"Preaching in Global Perspective." When I asked Dr. Benjamin Homan, President of Langham Partnership U.S.A., what we can learn from preachers outside the West, he immediately mentioned that they have a lot to teach us about how to handle suffering. Then he told the story of Bishop Zac Niringiye, a Ugandan leader who has been arrested and persecuted for his gospel preaching. When he was visiting the U.S., Bishop Zac said, "Some of you are praying for me. Don't pray for my safety, pray for my obedience. If you pray for safety that's a denial of the cross."

What a powerful example for all of us! So I've been asking myself lately, Is my preaching safe or obedient? As I prepare, write, and deliver sermons, is my driving passion to obey God? May the God of grace fill us with this one holy passion in our ministry of preaching.

This week we also feature one of our top skills articles from last year and a new sermon in our Global Preaching Voices series—a message from Alpha Mohammed, a former bishop from Tanzania, on choosing obedience over safety.

• Featured Skills Article: "15 Preaching Best Practices" by Aaron Damiani
• Featured Sermon: "Changed People, Changing Lives" by Bishop Alpha Mohammed
• Featured Illustration: Expert on Bull Runs Gets Gored By Bull
• Featured Video: The Power of Words: A visual reminder of the Power of Words using the imagery of dominos falling.

In Christ,

Matt Woodley
Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.