Job 35:4 (KJV)
I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.
Elihu intended to answer Job, but his answer was not for Job alone. John Gill suggests that by “thy companions” Elihu does not necessarily mean the three friends who were physically present. He may mean those who agreed with Job—wherever and whenever they might be found.
That thought reminds me of the supernatural nature of preaching.
A preacher may enter the pulpit with a particular subject on his heart and even a particular person or group of people in mind. There are occasions when something needs to be addressed, corrected, explained, or encouraged. The preacher knows what he intends to say and perhaps even knows why he intends to say it.
But there are others listening.
Some hear the message who have nothing to do with the circumstances that prompted it. Yet the Holy Spirit may take that same truth and apply it to an entirely different need in their lives.
Others listening already agree with the message. They are not being corrected, but they may be strengthened, instructed, and better equipped to help someone else. What confirms truth in one heart today may become counsel from that person to another tomorrow.
Then there is an audience the preacher cannot see at all.
Someone may carry the message to another person. A truth preached today may be remembered years from now when circumstances suddenly make it necessary. A recorded message may reach someone the preacher will never meet. A listener may teach the same truth to his children, his class, or another believer. The influence may extend far beyond the room and long beyond the moment.
No preacher is capable of managing all of that.
That is why preaching can never be merely public speaking. The preacher can study. He can prepare. He can labor to communicate clearly. He can know the people before him and seek to address their needs faithfully. But he cannot know every heart, every circumstance, every future need, or every person who will eventually be influenced by what he says.
That requires the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:4–5 (KJV)
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
The preacher speaks to the audience he can see. The Holy Spirit can carry the message to those the preacher never imagined.
Preaching reaches farther than the preacher can see.
The preacher delivers the message. The Holy Spirit accomplishes the work.
#BiblicalPreaching #HolySpiritPower #PreachTheWord #PowerOfGod #Job35v4
More Than Words: The Holy Spirit Takes a Sermon Beyond the Pulpit
How far can one Bible message reach? A sermon may speak to someone the preacher never expected—and its influence may continue for years.
What message from God’s Word has stayed with you long after you first heard it? Share your experience in the comments.
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