The dangers of insipid preaching
Adrian Warnock offers a reminder for preachers to "act and speak in such a way that it is not possible for anyone to disregard him:
In his book Preaching, John Killinger says, in effect, that boring preaching is not only a waste of time; it's sinful. The power of our preaching comes through the Word of God, not our own strength. Still, in the words of John Schroeder, the best preachers "did not take themselves very seriously, but they did take their jobs and the Word of God deadly seriously."
Every time we stand up we are tempted to hold back a little, not to challenge too much, to speak for consensus and approval just a little. The trouble is that insipid preaching gives rise to insipid listening. I want to preach for response, such that the one thing my hearers cant do is ignore me. They must either respond with rejection or choose to accept the message and live in the good of it.
In his book Preaching, John Killinger says, in effect, that boring preaching is not only a waste of time; it's sinful. The power of our preaching comes through the Word of God, not our own strength. Still, in the words of John Schroeder, the best preachers "did not take themselves very seriously, but they did take their jobs and the Word of God deadly seriously."
posted by Milton Stanley at 12:40 PM
4 Comments:
I certainly agree with you and Adrian on this. If one looks at growing, healthy churches these are ones in which the preacher is bold in his proclamation. Just one caution, however, we are producing of late a crop of bold preachers who overstep their bounds (gaining an audience by their boldness) by pandering to the parts of the Church that delight in controversy and creating an "us versus them mentality." Such "cultural" preaching is as dangerous as insipid preaching. We need boldness, but it ought to be Holy Boldness.
You're exactly right, Scott. Thanks for visiting. I welcome your comments, brother!
Thanks, Tommy, for visiting and for your encouraging comments!
Thanks for visiting, Phil. I've left some comments for you at The Spirit Filled Life. Peace.
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