Uniquely (excerpt--I Am All That)

Let’s face it—there is only “one” T.D.Jakes,  Joyce Meyers, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin and you.  One can be a lonely number, but with our Father, one is intended to be that one-of-a-kind person who is truly dependent upon God for developing their own unique style of doing business—whatever that business is.

            I remember when I tried to “practice” preaching when I first understood that calling on my life.  I stood in the front of the mirror trying to “make the sounds I’d heard” from other preachers.  I ended up with a sore throat and having difficulty speaking.  I decided I didn’t want to preach like other folks because that was too much work.  What I didn’t understand then, but soon learned, is that God had implanted a teaching spirit in me—one that had been with me all of my life and that was the tool I used to do what He wanted me to do.

            Teaching—in order to be effective—must be understood.  We have our example from Jesus with all of His messages—from the mountaintop to the sea.  If he had not been understood, there wouldn’t have been a record for us to study in order to become more Christ-like.  Jesus did not whoop, He did not screech, He did not moan unintelligible sounds; He spoke clearly so even a child could understand.  Therefore, since I understood teaching, I was able to present messages that were taught rather than preached, messages in which people gained understanding of God’s Word because His Word was the focal point, not my ability to entertain or emotionalize the audience.   I used the same techniques and strategies to prepare for a message that are used to prepare in a classroom.  After all, a church should be a classroom—one in which people come to learn The Word—and so every speaker ought to know how to teach. 

            What was just said probably won’t be very popular with a lot church leaders, but that’s okay.  Not many people would have the guts to say what was just said, but then, I’m different—I am fearfully and wonderfully made-God’s unique being—created for His glory and not my own.  My secular students often tell me how different I am from other teachers.  I simply smile and say, “God has given every one of us a means and methods to get the job done.  This is mine.”  What is that method?