The Forgotten Power of Preaching

How God Forms Disciples One Sermon at a Time

The following article was originally published in Charis Fellowship’s 2025 Year in Review journal.

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Let’s be honest—preaching can feel like planting seeds in a windstorm.

You spend hours in prayer and preparation. You labor over every word, every illustration, every point of application. Sunday comes and you deliver the message God laid on your heart. And by the time you hit the parking lot, someone’s asking if you’ve seen their kid’s missing shoe or whether the thermostat can be adjusted next week.

By Monday morning, you’re wondering if anyone heard the most important thing you said. By Tuesday, you’re questioning if you remember it.

Whether you’re preaching to thousands across multiple campuses, shepherding a faithful flock in a town with more cows than people, or setting up folding chairs in a rented school gym—there’s a moment when every pastor asks, Is this really working? Is anyone being changed?

And if you’re sitting in the pews, maybe you’ve felt it too—that subtle drift toward thinking the sermon is just another part of the service. Something to endure or enjoy, but not something that actually shapes your life.

Here’s the truth we all need to remember: Preaching is discipleship.

Not just occasionally. Not just when the sermon “hits different.” But every single week, when God’s Word is opened, Christ is proclaimed, and the Spirit is at work—discipleship is happening. Slowly. Steadily. Powerfully.

In a world chasing the next big strategy for spiritual growth, we risk forgetting that God has already given us one of His primary tools to shape His people: the faithful proclamation of His Word.

Preaching Is Discipleship

Our modern mindset often separates preaching from discipleship. We assume discipleship happens in coffee shops, small groups, or personalized mentorship—and yes, those are beautiful, necessary expressions of Christian growth. But biblically, discipleship begins in a place we often overlook: the pulpit.

When Paul describes his ministry, he doesn’t say, “Him we discuss over lattes.” He says, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, ESV).

Proclaiming Christ is not a side activity—it’s central to forming mature disciples.

Preaching isn’t a weekly performance or a theological lecture. It’s God’s chosen means to reorient hearts, renew minds, and reform lives around the gospel. It’s where the church, gathered as one body, hears the living voice of God through His Word.

How God Disciples Through Preaching

You might not notice it week to week. Most people don’t walk out of church saying, “Wow, I just took a giant leap in sanctification!” But here’s how preaching consistently disciples God’s people:

It Reshapes Our Story. We live in a culture that constantly tells us who we are—through social media, advertising, politics, and entertainment. Every voice says, “You are the hero of your story.”

Preaching reminds us that we are not the hero—Jesus is. It places us back inside God’s grand narrative, where sinners are rescued by grace and called to live for a kingdom far greater than their own.

Each sermon re-centers us in that story. That’s discipleship.

It Trains Us to Think Biblically. We don’t naturally interpret life through Scripture. We interpret it through feelings, trends, and opinions.

But when pastors faithfully open God’s Word—whether through expository series or topical messages grounded in Scripture—they’re teaching more than content. They’re modeling how to read, understand, and apply the Bible. Over time, congregations begin to think theologically, discern truth from error, and filter life through God’s lens.

That’s discipleship.

It Lifts Our Eyes to Christ Again and Again. Our hearts are prone to wander—not just into sin, but into spiritual forgetfulness. We forget the gospel. We forget grace. We forget that Jesus is better.

Preaching, at its best, doesn’t just tell us what to do—it shows us who Jesus is. It lifts our eyes from our circumstances to our Savior. It exposes idols and invites us to treasure Christ above all.

That’s discipleship.

The Slow Work of God

Here’s where we need encouragement: Preaching is a long game.

We’re conditioned to expect instant feedback and visible results. But preaching isn’t fast food—it’s more like tending a garden. You plant, you water, you wait. And often, God is doing His deepest work beneath the surface.

Isaiah 55:11 promises that God’s Word will not return empty. Every sermon faithfully preached, even the ones you thought fell flat, is being used by the Spirit to form Christ in His people (Galatians 4:19).

So, pastor—when you wonder if it’s worth it, when you feel like no one’s listening, remember this: God is always working through His Word, even when you can’t see it. Whether you preach from a stage with lights or from a wooden pulpit in a drafty chapel, heaven is not measuring your effectiveness by applause, attendance, or social media shares. Faithfulness is the metric.

And church member—when Sunday feels routine, when your mind drifts during point two of a three-point sermon, don’t underestimate what God is doing. Week by week, He’s forming you into someone who knows Him, loves Him, and reflects Him more.

Why This Should Give Us Hope

The beauty of discipleship through preaching is that it doesn’t depend on human brilliance. It depends on God’s design. He has chosen “the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21, NIV).

It’s not flashy, but it’s powerful.

So, let’s recover our confidence in this forgotten power. Not confidence in the preacher, but in the God who speaks through preaching. Let’s remember that every time Christ is proclaimed, the Spirit is at work—calling sinners, strengthening saints, and sending His people into the world.

And when we don’t see immediate fruit, let’s trust the Gardener.

Because one day, when Christ returns, we’ll realize that those ordinary Sundays—the ones where you wondered if anything happened—were the very Sundays God was shaping His people for eternity.

Until then, keep preaching. Keep listening. Keep trusting.

God is making disciples—one sermon at a time.