A stranger entered the church in the middle of the sermon and seated himself in the back pew. After a while he began to fidget. Leaning over to an older white-haired man at his side, evidently an older member of the congregation, the visitor whispered, “How long has he been preaching?” The old man answered, “Thirty or forty years I think.” The stranger decided, “I’ll stay then. He must be nearly done.” As of this past July 2024, I have been preaching 50 years. If my math and memory are correct, I have written / taught / preached somewhere around 9,000 articles / classes and sermons in worship services and other means and places. When will I be “done”? If the Lord wills, I’ll be slowing the pace soon, but I hope and pray to not be done sharing God’s love and “preaching Christ crucified” publicly and privately until God is done with me and my life here is over. Like Jeremiah, I still feel a fire in my bones (Jeremiah 20:9). Preaching Christ’s gospel has been the greatest challenge, joy and privilege of my life. A special word of thanks to the elders and members, past and present, of the Smithville (Tennessee) church of Christ for allowing me the privilege of being their pulpit minister these past 29 years! Following is but a few of the things I have learned in 50 years of preaching:

* I have learned there is a God, and that no preacher, no not one and starting with me, is Him!

* I have learned preachers plant and water, but it is God who must give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

* The preacher’s life is a life of tears (Acts 20:19) — at times tears of triumph and joy and others tears of tests and trials.

* The preacher’s wife is his most important asset except for the Lord!  Donna is my greatest friend, fan, critic and helper.

* There are a few “expert” armchair quarterbacks in the pews who should do the preaching since (they think) they know more about preaching and how it ought to be done than the man in the pulpit, though they never preached a single sermon.

* The best people on earth are in the church of our Lord, but the best people in the church are sinners in need of God’s grace

* Just about any problem (in individual lives or the congregation) can be “fixed” if we all have the mind of Christ.

* Not even slight problems (in individual lives or the congregation) can be “fixed” if we don’t submit to Jesus and His word.

* The great majority of people who come to church are there to worship God, but not everybody.

* Preaching has power to change people’s lives when people allow it to.

* Preaching is powerless to change anybody’s life until they allow it to.

* I am one of the best preachers some people have ever heard … and one of if not the worst preacher others ever heard!

* I have learned I can please God but not all people, but it’s okay — Jesus Himself didn’t please everybody (John 15:25).

* People can take “hard preaching” if it comes from God’s Word through a preacher with a “soft” heart.

* Preachers, elders and members sometimes fail, but God never does.

* I have learned that the church (the old ship of Zion) sometimes springs a leak and lets in some of the world’s water!

* I have learned that the devil and all the demons in hell and on earth cannot sink the old ship of Zion!

* Problems and offenses and “hatchets” between some members of Christ’s church won’t be buried until those members are.

* Some people in the church seem unwilling to tolerate any kind of sin.

* Some people in the church seen willing to tolerate any kind of sin.

* I have learned that nothing is too hard for God (Genesis 18:14 <> Jeremiah 32:17).

* I have learned that God works through His people to do great things (Ephesians 3:20-21 <> Acts 14:27).

* I have learned that God is good all the time . . . all the time God is good!

* I have learned in fifty years of preaching that while times and things and people change, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

I have been and continue to be blessed to be a preacher — by God and by His people!  To God be all the thanks and glory.

“And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel …” — Romans 15:20

by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN