WOW-23 OCTOBER 2024: A FLAMING MESSAGE FROM A BURNING HEART (CONT’D)

Senior Pastor Daniel O. C. | Oct 23, 2024

DISCIPLINED LIFESTYLE OF STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD

One major ingredient in preparing a flaming message from a burning heart is the Scriptures.
It is common to see evangelists and preachers in the crusade field talking for over one hour without substantiating their message with the Scriptures.

Beloved, the Scripture is the sword of the Spirit, an indispensable weapon to accomplish the task of the Great Commission
(Ephesians 6:17 / Hebrews 4:12 / Joshua 1:7-8 / Jeremiah 23:29 / 2 Timothy 4:1-4 / John 6:63-68 / 2 Timothy 3:16-17 / 1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
The preaching of the gospel is not an act of oration. It is not eloquence but the demonstration of the power of God through the sword of the Spirit (Romans 1:16-17).

A preacher with a flaming message from a burning heart must be a man or woman saturated with the knowledge of the Scriptures.
He or she must have thought through the holy Word of God until he or she becomes inflamed.

Apostle Paul encourages us to study the Word.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).
Besides the knowledge of God’s Word, three other important factors are necessary for a flaming message from a burning heart:

Purity of life (1 Peter 2:21-23)
Prayerful life (Acts 6:2-4)
Personal Pentecostal experience (Jude 1:20)

Jesus had His meetings after spending several hours in prayer.
We should not do less. Preaching done without heartfelt prayers is powerless.
Jesus Christ occasionally withdrew Himself from the crowd in order to fellowship with His Father (John 7:25-26 / Acts 4:31).

DELIVERING THE MESSAGE WITH WISDOM AND FERVENCY
(Matt 10:16 / John 7:45-47 / 2 Cor 5:11 / Acts 19:26 / John 2:13-17 / Acts 2:37-40 / Acts 7:51-54)

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He emphasized the need to apply wisdom in the preaching of the gospel. Wisdom is the principal thing.
We need wisdom in order to persuade men to believe the gospel (Proverbs 4:7).

The ability to move from one point of message to another point without losing the attention of your audience is necessary.
The preacher must carry his or her audience along with pertinent practical illustrations.
We must speak at the level of the understanding of our audience, otherwise they will drop by the wayside (Matt 13:19).

Jesus must be the center of all our messages (John 12:32 / Acts 12 / 1 Corinthians 3:11).
We must not divert the attention of our audience to something else other than Jesus Christ.

We must always touch on the:

Depravity and sinful state of man.
The atoning work and vicarious death of Jesus Christ.
The power of grace and faith in Christ.
The love and mercy of God manifested to man.
The blood of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.
The necessity of repentance from sin and faith in Christ.

Our message must be full of zeal and motivation (Revelations 3:15-16 / 2 Kings 10:16 / Psalms 69:9 / 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 / Psalms 104:4).
Jesus Christ reacted to situations with great zeal. He was not cold or lukewarm in His ministrations (John 2:17).
Therefore, let us draw from the pool of abundant resources of God, Who makes His ministers a flame of fire (Hebrews 1:7).

Remain blessed and rapturable,
Yours to reach this generation with the Gospel,

Dr. Daniel O. C.