[1]MELBOURNE, Australia (BP)–Preaching can be a fake — even when it’s interesting, well-crafted and biblically and theologically sound.
That condition prevails when preachers separate their preaching from who they are as followers of Jesus Christ, Michael Quicke of London, England, said Jan. 6.
Quicke, president of Spurgeons College, and Korean pastor Billy Kim addressed about 1,000 participants in the opening session of a “Pastors Stream” conference during the 18th Baptist World Congress, Jan. 5-9 in Melbourne, Australia.
The Pastors Stream sessions, conducted for the first time at this Baptist World Congress, were scheduled Jan. 6-8 to help Baptist pastors from around the world prepare for more effective ministry.
“Preaching is an overflow of who you are in Christ,” Quicke told pastors. “God calls you out to be a disciple above all. All else is secondary. The Lord even blesses average preaching when we abide in him.”
“Much service performed in the name of the Lord seems to be done in the flesh,” said Kim, nominated for election Jan. 8 as president of the Baptist World Alliance for the next five years.
[2]Preachers, he said, must focus on a vision for God’s work, sustained prayer and reliance on the Bible — the Word of God — as their power source.
Our continuance in the Christian life is largely determined by vision,” Kim said. “Vision enables us to walk by faith, stand by faith, fight by faith and overcome by faith.”
Kim said pastors without a strong prayer life will falter in their ministry. “Lack of prayer is one of the evidences of lack spiritual power in our lives. There should be no ‘day off’ when it comes to prayer.
“If I had it all to do over, I would do more praying and less preaching,” said Kim, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Suwon, South Korea, for the past 40 years.
But beyond vision and prayer, the preacher’s main resource is the Bible, Kim said.
“The Word of God is the power resource in our ministry,” he said. “Preach the Word or there is no power in preaching.”