Preaching is not about words alone. It is refreshing if you are a wordsmith and use words that are not tired, and fire up the imagination, and stir and move holy feelings. However it is more powerful when your words are simplicity itself, but the way you lived your life conveys torrents of life-changing meaning. It conveys an eloquent grace that invites you to change, to follow.Our church had the joy of sitting under such a preacher. Well, he may not be trained in the conventional way: seminary, but he has been so mastered by the Lord over his many decades of following Christ in His way, and this is what really makes a preacher. It’s not about preaching techniques in the final analysis, though certainly this should not be ignored. It’s essentially about imparting life. So our preacher this Sunday was Dr Tan Lai Yong and he poured out not an eloquent sermon, but his life: a spirit of kingdom counter-culture; a prophetic sign of the kingdom life that has already come to us in Jesus – one that is missional, joy-filled and compassionate. I was blessed not with words and a three points outline, but was enriched in spirit. Even after the sermon, in our hearts, there is that continuous invitation to live the kingdom life that Jesus died to offer us freely.

Watch some of his videos here in this Google link, or you may prefer reading about his life (featured in Singapore Medical Association October 2011 magazine issue).