Don't Waste Your Exclamation Points

Jared C. Wilson

Jared C. Wilson Blog | June 19, 2012

Generally speaking, a church will over time become affected by, influenced toward, and transferred into whatever her preacher is most excited about.

Pastor, our people don't usually get excited about what we tell them to be excited about. Have you figured that out yet? Instead, they get excited about what they see actually excites us.

This means we ought to steward our exclamation points wisely. If you're one of those rah-rah guys firing on all emotional cylinders for everything from bake sales and the book table to baptisms and baby dedications, you create an equality between minutiae and missional milestones that can be disorienting, and ultimately dulling. But more directly, just remember that if everything is exciting, nothing is.

Or if the real energy of your gatherings is reserved for knock-out musical productions and cool videos but your teaching is "low-key," sit-on-a-stool, let's chat about how to "let God be Lord" over your finances, you are cultivating dysfunctional discipleship. Check out Skye Jethani's stuff on "experience-driven" worship in The Divine Commodity for some insight on this concept.

But we also have to be careful in our preaching about what we are most naturally reacting with awe to, driving home, and exulting in. If we are most excited about or most emphasize the biblical imperatives, we communicate that what's really exciting about God's Word is the Law. And there is certainly a way to delight in God's commands! (Note that exclamation point.) But over time, we will impress upon our bodies that the Law is more dazzling than the gospel, and this is fuel for a quick sprint into a brick wall. Let's save our real enthusiasm for our beautiful Savior, our awe for his finished work, our exclamations for his grace.

Comments:

Ms Mary Carpenter

June 22, 2012 at 11:30 AM

This is such a needed message to the pastors. I hope that many read, comprehend and adapt as needed. Thank you.

Maureen Enderlin

June 20, 2012 at 01:17 PM

I had never heard of Skye Jethani before today..My husband tells me that he is coming to speak at our church in October. I looked him up on Wikipedia and found that some of the things he stands for I agree with. But I feel he is not coming from a place of gosple centeredness.... "What Jesus has done, not what we would, could or should do"

Shrode

July 8, 2012 at 04:02 PM

Jared,
Your blog is SOOOO good. Thank you. Not just this post but the 5 or 6 I just read. You help me both personally and professionally.

Thank you.