"I preached equally never sure to preach once more, and as a dying man to dying men."
— Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor
As preachers, we are subject to the same vices as others. We have a natural tendency to overlook the present and put off for tomorrow what nosotros should practise today. Often, that has crept in and directed my preaching. I have thought, "Today I volition preach this way and tomorrow I will preach that fashion." Simply of course, we are non promised tomorrow. We only go to preach today! If this very twenty-four hour period is our ane last take chances, would we preach differently? What if we preached as if our life depended on it, as if we were to stand before the justice seat immediately later on and give an account? What if we pleaded with sinners and pleaded the case for evangelical faith? If we spoke every bit dying men to dying men?
Today I stand up set and I long for that opportunity again. Y'all meet, I was a preacher for nigh 10 years, but I have suffered with a recent diagnosis and it is only with much difficulty that I am writing to you now. Afterwards months of what I causeless were headaches and migraines due to stress, an MRI discovered a mass on my encephalon October 20, 2019—a lime sized tumor in the left frontal lobe of my brain, located in the area that controls voice communication. I underwent a v hour long awake craniotomy to remove equally much of the tumor equally possible. The surgeon did an exceptional task and was able to resect 95-100% of the tumor. He closely monitored my speech throughout the process, but the swelling and trauma of surgery left me, for the time being, conversationally impaired. The surgeons had given me forewarning that I was facing the possibility of beingness unable to speak at all. Then, although it might non exist as eloquent, it is a real blessing that I am able to speak today. Simply that's not it!
In the grade of time, a very long four weeks to be verbal, the pathology written report came dorsum and suggested that my tumor was what we never imagined but feared all along—that dreaded "C" discussion—cancer. I had a Grade 3 Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma, a rare and adequately aggressive course of brain cancer. Because of the nature of my tumor, handling was scheduled to begin as soon as we could come upwardly with the best possible programme of action. It didn't take long to realize we were headed to MD Anderson in Houston. We packed upward the whole family, even bringing along a grandmother for an extra set of hands. Later meeting with the oncologist and radiation specialist there we knew we were in the correct identify. For the following six weeks, we were Texas residents as I received my thirty rounds of radiation. Thankfully, the Lord was gracious to me and I suffered very minimal side furnishings during the treatment. I am currently waiting for a follow up MRI earlier offset chemotherapy. If I tolerate it well, I will complete 6 cycles of chemo over approximately ix months. My journey has been long and however at that place is a longer road that lays alee. Oct 27th was my final time in the pulpit before my surgery and I pray the Lord will grant me many more opportunities to preach.
Throughout this entire process, my elders accept been so patience and understanding, telling me, "Accept as much time as you lot demand." I know I am not ready to arise that sacred pulpit yet. Like the surgery and radiations, I am faced once over again with the unknown side effects that lay ahead with the chemotherapy. Simply I inquire myself, "What if I get the chance to preach again?" If I stepped into the pulpit and preached as a dying man to dying men, how remarkable that would be! You know that's what we all are anyway. We are all dying preachers preaching to a dying audience. Perchance you could be driving, and a car could of a sudden swerve and hit you. Perhaps y'all could suffer an aneurism or heart failure and all of a sudden take a heart attack without anyone knowing. Or perhaps y'all could suffer from persecution in some different portion of the world and Christ could call you lot domicile in an instant.
I don't say this to cause y'all alert, but I speak this way in order that you might take intermission from your busy globe. I say this so that you might sense, in a very real way, that you might be preaching for the very last fourth dimension. I say this so that you lot might do as the Psalmist says, "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Psa. ninety:12).
If I get another adventure, I firmly resolve to preach in such a way—as a dying man to dying men. You are not promised tomorrow either, so I believe it would be wise for y'all to make that resolution also. Preach in such a way that if tomorrow you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, y'all could glory; that yous might say, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me" (Phil. 1:21–22).
Allen Stanton
Allen Stanton is the pastor of Pinehaven Presbyterian Church in Clinton, MS. He is the co-editor of Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Epistle to the Galatians and a PhD candidate in Historical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.
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