THINK ABOUT IT 7-7-24
A story is told about an old American Indian who attended a church service on Sunday morning. The preacher’s message lacked real spiritual food, so he did a lot of shouting and pulpit pounding to cover up his lack of preparation. In fact, as it is sometimes said, he “preached up quite a storm.” After the service, someone asked the Indian, who was a Christian, what he thought of the minister’s message. Thinking for a moment, he summed up his opinion is six words, “High wind. Big Thunder. No Rain.”
I’ve been preaching ever since the “Church Growth Movement” started. I remember when pastors started using clowns, magicians, weightlifters, motorcycle trick riders, comedians, animals, and just about anything to attract a crowd. Then churches started having contest with other churches to see who could have the largest attendance, or the most professions, and baptisms. It’s easy to see how all this led to the “easy believeism” problem.
Although some pastors warned them that “Whatever you have to do to attract a crowd is what you will have to keep doing to keep them”, few listened. That movement was followed by the “Seeker friendly churches”, which based their type of service on what surveys showed the people in the community preferred.
It’s no secret that people love entertainment, and far too many pastors cash in on it – giving people what they want instead of what they need. Consequently we have churches today that are filled with members who are addicted to religious entertainment. And as soon as they get dissatisfied where they are they start searching for a bigger show. And they can usually find a pastor who is willing give it to them.
If you knew how many sermons are designed and delivered in such a way so as to impress people it would, or should, make you sick to your stomach. Sadly, the average person doesn’t know what a good sermon is. Most are more concerned about the style than they are about the substance. Some like it loud, fast, romping, stomping preaching. Others prefer preaching that is a quiet, calm, lecture style.The truth is that good preaching can come in either style. Some of the best preachers I have ever heard can be found in both groups. Their preaching was good because it was from the heart, not an imitation of someone else.
Years ago I was asked to bring evening devotional messages to the men students at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo. Later I taught classes at Central Baptist College in Cincinnati, Ohio. In both instances one of the first things I did was to remind the young preachers of this – “Be yourself. Don’t try to copy, imitate, some other preacher”. Admiration of a preacher has caused many young preachers to make a fool out of themselves by trying to imitate them. They often do it for the sake of trying to impress people.
I say all that with the prayer that none of us falls into the habit of judging every preachers motives and mannerisms. I simply want to remind you that we are not in the entertainment business. As preachers we are to exalt the Savior, edify the saints, and evangelize the sinners – not entertain people.
Good preaching must be Scripturally sound, Spirit led, and delivered out of love, in humility, and with sincerity. The preacher ought to be himself, not an imitator of someone else. We are called to preach the Word, not what we think, or what people like. It’s not our job to make things happen. Only the Holy Spirit can convict of sin and change lives. THINK ABOUT IT – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx
