Spirit Anointed Preaching

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). Spirit-anointed preaching is still the greatest instrument the Church possesses. Every preacher should ask himself, “Do I have the anointing?” And, “If not, why?” Unless the man of God has the anointing of God’s Spirit, he cannot bring the message of the gospel with authority and power. Furthermore, when a preacher stands behind the sacred desk with God’s anointing upon him, like John the Baptist, he will understand, “I must decrease; He must increase” (John 3:30).

Three things can be said of Spirit-anointed preaching. First of all, it is due to the Spirit of God. Jesus promised, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). Secondly, Spirit-anointed preaching is expository preaching. By expository, I mean the verse-by-verse preaching of God’s Word. Far too many preachers today are more often prone to preach in a way that panders to the self-centered “felt needs” of people while ignoring their deepest, eternal needs. It seems too many preachers have become “seeker-sensitive” at the expense of expository preaching. Now don’t misunderstand. My goal here is not to knock so called seeker-sensitive churches. However, we must understand, in reality, apart from the Spirit of God there is no one who seeks after God (see Romans 3:11). Furthermore, there really is only one seeker, and His name is Jesus Christ. He said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Finally, Spirit-anointed preaching is Christ centered. This should be no surprise. After all, all Scripture centers in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In John 5:39, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness of Me.”

Spirit-anointed preaching is preaching God uses. It is centered in Christ and always true to the text. It lets the Bible tell its own eternal message. It is less interested in felt needs but wholly interested in deep, eternal needs. Think about it, God’s Word says that He is “well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). Ministers of the Gospel should preach expository, Christ-centered messages over feel good man-centered messages. It’s no wonder many churches aren’t growing today. They have departed from the clear expository, Christ-centered preaching of God’s Word. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32).

Are you a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If so, is your preaching expository and Christ-centered? If not, why? Is your preaching anointed by the Spirit of God? If not, why? The anointing of the Holy Spirit is essential for life-changing preaching. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel…”