How does the natural act of thinking on the occasion of the supernatural experience of authentic worship become?to see, experiment and show the beauty and value of God?I will let the Apostle Paul show the answer.
In Romans 5. 3-5, Paul has just argued that Christians rejoice in suffering. Its argument (and note that it’s really a logical argument!) It says like this: ??we pride ourselves on our own tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, experience; experience, hope. Now, doesn’t hope confuse?
- Then there are two arguments as to why hope does not confuse us: the relationship between these two arguments has spectacular implications for preaching and how natural means.
- Such as rational thinking and historical observation.
- Become the occasion for supernatural experiences of God’s beauty and value.
When I talk about natural means, I not only include logical argumentation, but also historical observation. The principle of how God puts natural means at the service of supernatural experience is the same for logic and history. In Paul’s argument about why hope does not shame us, the intersection of the natural and the supernatural lies between historical observation and the work of the Holy Spirit, giving us a supernatural sense of God’s love.
“Now hope is not confusing, because the love of God is spread in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Why did Christ, while we were still weak, die in time for the wicked? (Rom 5. 5. 6 ).
Paul’s first argument about why hope does not disturb us is that the Holy Ghost is present in us (?Were we given?); and what he does in us is make God’s love real. It is not a simple fact that we learn from the Bible. It’s a real experience we’re living today. ” God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. “It really happens in our hearts. It is a sensitive and sure test of God’s love for us, because God, the Holy Spirit, is in us, giving us this test of God’s love.
Therefore, Paul’s first way of showing us why our hope will not disappoint us is to say that God gives us a truly supernatural experience to confirm our hope; it is supernatural because it is given by the Holy Spirit, which is supernatural. this is what we hear in our preaching: supernatural, transformative, and radical experiences that reinforce God’s beauty and worth, including his love for us.
Our preaching is not simply about transferring information, simply persuading doctrinal truths, or simply human enthusiasm about God. Is our goal the true experience of God Himself, given by the Spirit?In this case, as Paul calls it here, the spill of God. love in our hearts for the Holy Spirit (Romans 5. 5).
But then Paul does something in Romans 5. 6 that has enormous implications for preaching; provides the foundation or basis of supernatural experience and is a natural basis. Can we see the basis in the word?For what? (Greek gar) Where does verse 6 begin?God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us. What makes this foundation so impressive is that it is the declaration of a historical fact, with a theological interpretation of the fact. “God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Why, when we were still weak, die in time for the wicked?(Rom 5. 5. 6). Is Christ dead?is it a historical fact. For the bad guys?
How do the natural and the supernatural relate here?Is there a supernatural experience of God’s love given by the Holy Ghost to the heart, and is there a statement from the ground?Foundation? From this experience of God’s love in history (?Is Christ dead?) and theology (for the wicked?) The experience is supernatural (given by the Holy Spirit). The foundation is natural (a historical fact and a theological affirmation with which even the devil would agree).
They relate to each other: what it means to be loved by God is revealed through historical and theological observation: “Christ died for the wicked”. The Holy Ghost does not give this information to the heart. The Bible and the preacher give this to the mind. It is not the work of the Holy Spirit to describe God’s love for you. Is this the work God has designed for history and the scriptures?And preaching.
Our people learn the nature and content of God’s love through the way love has acted in the history of Jesus Christ. So does the Holy Ghost take this natural truth? Announced by you, the preacher, with an explanatory jubilation?miracle with him. He makes their hearts see God’s love as extremely beautiful and feel extremely precious. It makes them live the real and sincere experience described in verse 5: “God’s love is spread in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. “
Both the natural fact of history, with its interpretation, and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit are essential. If we claim to have experiences of God’s love without solid foundation in history and its meaning given by God, we become skeptical, “emotional”. Fanatics. If we try to understand what has happened in history and its theological meaning, but we do not experience God’s love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we become sterile, helpless, and intellectual.
The place of preaching in this process is to be the voice of historical and theological truth that “Christ is dead by the wicked”. Do we declare all the wonderful things about Christ’s death that the text and reality behind us give to say?it’s our exhibition. And we rejoice in all the joy that the Spirit allows us to taste. Is this our explanatory joy?
But our goal is what only the Holy Spirit can do: the supernatural experience of God’s love in the hearts of our listeners. Our goal is for you to see, experience and show the beauty and value of this love. The glory of preaching is that while we cannot do so with our own efforts, since it is the work of the Holy Spirit, it will spare no effort to clarify the beauty and value of historical facts and theological interpretations.
Proclaiming wonders and riches is our job. It is an indispensable and glorious work.