A careful study of the life of Paul the apostle reveals that he would only preach that which he had personally experienced himself. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” (Galatians 1:15-16).
Paul is saying that personal revelation must precede corporate proclamation. Of necessity, we must experience a revelatory encounter with the Christ in us before He can be revealed through us to others. “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me…” (Romans 15:18a NASB).
When Saul of Tarsus encountered Jesus on the Road to Damascus, he was consecrated and commissioned to be a minister and a witness “…of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you” (Acts 26:16).
Many ministers today preach that which they have not personally experienced or received revelation of. They are parrots, not prophets! God is not pleased with such people. “’Therefore behold I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who steal my words everyone from his neighbour’” (Jeremiah 23:30).
Any true demonstration of Kingdom power is predicated upon personal revelation of “…Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Ministry is the outflow of the overflow of the life of Christ in us! We can only give that which we have. Peter understood the vastness of the wealth of the riches of glory in Christ Jesus. He cried out to the crippled man, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6. Emphasis Added).
The world says, “practice what you preach.” God instructs us to preach what we have practiced. I wonder how many pulpits would be silent today if we preached only that which we have personally experienced?
Glenn Bleakney
http://glennbleakney.wordpress.com
