As I sat through last night’s Good Friday service that I was a part of it occurred to me that I’ve got to be better. If my preaching truly did justice to the gospel the church I serve would be overflowing with people. I’ve got to do better, we’ve got to do better.
How did Christ’s sacrifice those many years ago become forgotten? He died as brutal a death a man can die, he didn’t have to, he chose to out of obedience to his father. He conquered death so that we could live. The cold, brutal, painful taste of death was forever taken for those that believe.
Given this it is difficult to understand why people don’t believe, why church and faith are so inconvenient as to be ignored, faith is seen as a crutch and churches close each year.
I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find another level to my preaching and ability to pastor to reach those that don’t know Christ, don’t know faith and don’t know his church.
Pastor Shawn LaRue
Seymour UMC, Seymour, IA
Author of Incomplete
Life Less Ordinary 
I’m not sure what’s going on here, but my advice as a non christian is that you should spend less time preaching in church and more time connecting with people. You seem to be under the impression that people are choosing not to believe the obvious, but really, people are evaluating their situations and their lives (and whether a guy may or may not answer prayers in a way that is actually helpful) and are deciding that there is more to life than sitting in a pew being told that they are sinners going to hell for loving whomever they love or thinking that all refugees are people too (I generalize– insert whatever rules people perceive that turns them away from what you say).
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Let the Holy spirit guide. going it alone spells disaster. Let the Lord be your guide in all things. Happy Easter
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Shawn, remember the words of Jesus; “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT – you don’t need to ‘do better’. Or ‘be better’. Jesus is your ‘yoke-fellow. He shoulders the burden with you and is with you every step of the way. As a pastor and regular preacher I’m sure you know and understand the analogy Jesus was using of the oxen in the yoke, and the implications-yoked together, the two oxen have to go in the same direction and be united in their endeavours.
And he invites you and I to be his yoke fellow, not to struggle along on your own. Jesus also said “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” – he didn’t say to US ‘build my church…” be encouraged. 😊
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Thanks for your post. Connecting with people and communication with them and life itself will bring understanding & community. Observe and see what needs to be done to help others which is the essence of the gospel. By their fruits you shall know them. Matt 7:16-20.
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I was surprised when I read the New Testament to see what a progressive Jesus was. The last shall be first in the first shall be last. Recognizing the worth and dignity of all of us, women, people outside his ethnicity. Spreading the message of love and hope. The primary message of the Resurrection is just that — we can all come out of the darkness of our lives and into the light. Good advice for a minister who thinks he needs to do better.
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I sense the presence of guilt in this post. Guilt can be good for us but in excess it can drag us down into depression. In this case I believe the burden is excessive.
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