Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Be Careful Who You Listen To

I am taken back by some of the preaching that people in the ministry listen to these days. If it can be called preaching! Men and women like Joyce Meyer's, Kenneth Copeland and wife, the whole TBN crew, Rod Parsely, T.D. Jakes, John Hagee, Joel Osteen, and the list goes on. Preaching today tends to be more feel good, saying what the congregation wants to hear; perhaps with a few verses thrown here and there from the Bible. Just like a bone thrown to a dog to soothe him and calm him down for awhile.

I argue for expository preaching in the local church. People need to hear God's inerrant words preached and taught in the local church. We need men will who shape their sermons from the biblical text, and not just say what is desired. There are some good expositors out there. Find them and listen to them and begin preaching in the same manner. Once a person hears expositional preaching in the local church he or she will never want to hear anything else from the pulpit.

I sort of can understand why people in the pews listen to some of the preaching that is garbage. Many times the person in the pew does not know any better because their pastor has not taught them or modeled what good preaching is. Men of God, it is time to take a stand for the Truth of God's Word; I encourage you to begin listening today to good expositional, biblical preaching from men who truly have a love and passion for God's Word. Don't just listen to it, but begin modeling it in your church using your God-given personality.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comment Wright. Yes Spurgeon was not considered an expositor, and yes there are other types of preaching. I still argue for Expository preaching in the church, why? Because it puts God in charge and not man. I don't know about you, but the context is important to consider and I do not hear the context of a passage addressed many times in topical or narrative sermons. So, one is safe with expository preaching in the local church.

I think we see examples of expository preaching in Scripture. Neh. Chapter eight is a classic passage and think expository preaching is done there. I would encourage you to read it or re-read the passage.

Yes, I believe that the character of the minister matters. I love to hear good expository sermons marked with an exemplary life. This is a key issue in preaching; I still think expository preaching is the best way to go in the local church.