When Preaching the Word is Costly

Guest post from Craig Parro, President of Leadership Resources

To us, preaching the Word is a no-brainer. To people like Pastor John from Kenya, it is a costly choice.

John used to be a “rhema” preacher—that is, one that ‘followed the Spirit’ in preaching—which really meant saying anything that came to his head at the moment. After studying 2 Timothy’s command to “preach the Word” during a TNT (Training National Trainers) workshop, John repented of his preaching approach and began to preach Word-saturated messages, beginning with Jonah.

Many left his church, and one woman even said, “Tell the pastor we’ve had enough of his Bible studies. Can he start preaching the way he used to?”

With this pressure from his church, would John keep preaching the Word?

When Doug Dunton (LRI’s Director of Africa) reconnected with John, he not only confirmed that he was still preaching the Word, but he also shared that his church was growing in ways he had never before seen.

“Where’s this growth coming from?” Doug asked.

“It’s not the same kind of growth, but it is growth of transformation and regeneration in people’s lives…We can see the difference of God’s Word in our lives.“Through new converts,” John said. “It’s not the same kind of growth, but it is growth of transformation and regeneration in people’s lives… We have a church membership now of people who are strongly founded on the Word. We can see the difference of God’s Word in our lives.  And we thank God for where He has taken us.”

John doesn’t want this incredible transformation to stop with him—he is equipping other Kenyan Pentecostal preachers in TNT principles to help them follow God’s command to “preach the word.”

Thanks to the prayers and support of partners like you, courageous men like John can faithfully shepherd their people with God’s Word.

With much gratitude in Christ,

Craig Parro