"I preached the Word, slept, and drank Wittenburg beer."
Luther went on to explain that the entire Protestant Reformation was born out of Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered preaching. This quote weighs on my not just because it is pithy and awesome, which it is. This quote weighs on me because I want to be a pastor. I want to reach a city. I want to see countless men and women become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This should be the goal for all of us, not just pastors.
How do we accomplish such a task? We can't. It is the work of the Word by the Spirit.
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Some say that the sovereignty of God kills evangelism; I think it kills the fear of men and the burden that someone's salvation is ultimately and finally my responsibility. The sovereignty of God frees us to joyfully participate in our Father's work.
To think of reaching a city (or simply planting a church) is daunting. Even reading the last few chapters of Vintage Church was overwhelming, to say the least (and I even read them on vacation!). If we sacrifice God's sovereignty then we might as well sacrifice our joy, because the weight of such a task will break us. But God holds the weight and amazingly asks us to help Him carry it - "For we are His workmanship" - think about how amazing that is! God could save people without using His children as the means, but He graciously allows us to participate in His work by using us as means for His glory.
The sovereignty of God means that everything involved in reaching the city is His grace given to us.
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