I remember Billy Graham’s preaching. The booming voice, the convicting message, the call to repentance and faith — and this passage in Job immediately reminded me of it:
Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.
Job 40:9-14 NLT
And I don’t give credit to Billy Graham the man for the strength in his preaching, but I would say that the strength that saved him and that powered his preaching was from God — by way of the Holy Spirit in him.
I wonder if we would be bold enough to let our voices boom with the shocking message of the gospel?
I wonder if we would give vent to our anger against sin and hypocrisy and wickedness when we see it consuming the church from within and stealing from the people and blaspheming the name of God in the eyes of unbelievers?
When “church people” mock and ridicule others for their true, genuine, (even peculiar) worship and make it clear that this is not the church for them — will the Holy Spirit within us stir up and humiliate the proud and bury them in the dust?
When “church people” gossip and grumble with everything said about the church but praise and honor everything said about the world — will the Holy Spirit within us stir up and humiliate the proud and bury them in the dust?
I wonder how often we choose instead to be silent rather than offend others?
I wonder how often we would rather let God puke them out of His mouth as lukewarm and not truly His — rather than call for repentance and risk them turning away from us just like they have turned away from God?
I wonder how often we are enticed by our own temptations and let our own feelings, opinions and desires speak to us loudly and justify our wickedness and refusal of God — instead of allowing the Word of God and the Spirit of God to thunder loudly inside of us to deliver us from our own sin?
Do we truly believe what God says in His Word?
Do we have faith in the God of the Bible, or have we traded Him for a “Daddy in the Clouds” that we have made in our own image to our own liking?
One of these perspectives would have God praising us, saying “Well done my good and faithful servant!”
Lord, help us.
A reminder from Billy Graham: https://youtu.be/g3krcCSrJjo
Harold J. Ballinger 