This series of blogs is based on Ezekiel 33:30-33. God’s comfort of the exiles in Babylon didn’t upgrade Ezekiel’s prophetic office. They listened as he preached but failed to change their spiritual perspectives.
Both mountain heights and atmospheric disturbances can increase this impact of a song or sermon. On our trip to San Jose for Debbie and Tony’s wedding, we reached the summit of a pass in Central California just as Steve Green’s tape reached the conclusion of a song. Since even Christian musicians can’t resist turning a witness into a production, his great voice, accompanied by full orchestra and complementary singers made our hearts SOAR so high we could have floated over the summit and down the valley Never before or since did geography and musical experience coalesce into such spiritual grace. But of ecstasy, understand, not of teaching. Of burgeoning emotion, not of correction. Unsettled meteorological conditions can even increase the effect of preaching. George Whitefield, a companion of the Wesley’s, often preached to thousands in outdoor venues. Instead of listening as Whitefield preached, Ben Franklin one night measured the area packed with people and determined that 30,000 could be in the crowd. While an interesting note of history, the preacher had evangelism in mind, not physical distance. Franklin proved the perfect example of humanistic wayside soil. He would study the impact a preacher had on people, but wouldn’t let Jesus impact him. Anyway, the Wesley’s and Whitefield held outdoor services for two reasons. One, no building could hold the crowds. Two, the established churches didn’t welcome the revival emphasis of Wesley’s music or Whitefield’s preaching. On one occasion he preached the wrath of God against unrepentant sinners. A storm gathered towards the close and continued building as he reached his climax. As his invitation flung verbal denunciations at sinners, eye-blinding lightning, followed by ear-splitting thunder, visibly shook the crowd, and people rushed forward to accept Christ. A person later wrote Whitefield for a copy of the sermon. Remembering the meteorological background that made it SO DRAMATIC, he wrote back that he would supply the sermon if she could supply the lightning and thunder. End Part I
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