Today I preached in my preaching class again. It was my last sermon of this semester - thank God! I preached on I. Corinthians 9:1-14, a tough passage in my estimation.
Sandwiched between chapters 8 and 10, two chapters about "Christian restraint" --> giving up our freedoms (rights) for the sake of our brother and/or sister, chapter 9 talks about how Saint Paul used his "rights." Not only was he an apostle, he was the apostle who brought the gospel to the Corinthians, yet he gave up his "right" to be financially and materially supported by the church, because he thought doing otherwise would prove an obstacle or hindrance the gospel.
To be sure, Saint Paul wasn't advocating that all Christians in ministry deny support from their churches, but in his situation he felt it was the best thing to do. I wonder what it would look like if some Christian ministers of the West would give up their rights. Christianity has become a religion of the rich, and contrast this with the poverty that Jesus took on when he became a helpless babe in a manger, compare the weakness and humility he displayed at the cross, compare this with the compassion he had for the poor and neglected, and I begin to wonder whether the church of the West isn't missing the point of the gospel to a great extent.
Regardless, it was a good and painful experience to preach to my classmates. I have a whole new perspective on preaching. I have a whole new respect for preachers. Examining my own life as I prepared the sermon was horrible. Doing so on a weekly basis would be absolutely terrifying. Preaching is an unbelievable responsibility not to be taken for granted, and the preachers that serve us week in and week out deserve not only our deepest respect and admiration, but our regular and heartfelt prayers, so that they continue to live - as well as preach - the gospel of grace in Christ.
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