Preaching Not For Personal Acclaim But For Christ's Glory

In his book "Christ-Centered Preaching" Bryan Chapell offers some very helpful words regarding the use of illustrations in preaching.  Not only would I wholeheartedly recommend this book but I consider it one of the greatest contributions to the field of homiletics.  Regarding the "wrong reasons to illustrate" he writes:
"Preachers who illustrate primarily to entertain ultimately destroy the foundation of their messages.  An entertainment ethic creates shallow congregations and hollow pulpits.  People who attend such a church are implicitly taught that their own desires and sensations are to be the objects of their worship.  Such people learn to evaluate the success of a sermon not by the conviction of spirit it brings but by the lightness of heart it offers.  This shallow expectation is matched by the hollowness of purpose behind the pulpit: personal acclaim.  Such preaching inevitably fails over time.  Congregations realize that no one always entertains well.  They grow to resent the manipulation of their emotions in a world in need of deep spiritual discernment.  Though the dynamic may take years to unfold, ministries that compromise truth for appeal lose their allure."

Many times preachers are frustrated with the self-centeredness of their congregation and they fail to realize that through their own self-centered preaching they have contributed to that which creates greatest frustration in their own lives.  It is good to be reminded that the goal of preaching God's word is not to be well liked but to declare God's truth.  There is a subtle desire in us all to be well received but let us not forget the preaching of Jeremiah, Paul, and of course, Jesus.  Cross-centered preaching may or may not cost you your life but it will at times cost you some popularity.

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  Galatians 6:14

Voice of a Southern Baptist Prophet: George W. Truett

"Superficial observers and readers of the Bible are prone to find fault with the frankness of the Bible.  Why should they?  Because the Bible is history and history is expected to tell the truth.  And the Bible does tell the truth.  It paints life as it is.  It doesn't gloss over.  It doesn't misrepresent.  It doesn't omit.  It doesn't deceive.  Its one of the crowning proofs that this book is divinely edited.  The Bible is God's divinely given revelation to man."


-  George W. Truett
From the introduction of a sermon entitled, "Lessons from Esther".

Essentials In Finding A Good Church

I have conversations on a weekly basis with people who are sincerely seeking a good church home.  This is an extremely important decision and must be considered thoroughly.  Spiritual guidance and eternity are at stake.  In light of the seriousness of the discussion I would like to offer some guidelines that I would use if I were the person looking for a sound church.

1.  HOW IS GOD'S WORD HANDLED?  The church must believe in the perfect inspiration, preservation, and inerrancy of the Bible.  But not only must they believe rightly, there must be an honest effort to live rightly.  There must be an earnest effort from the man serving as pastor to preach expositionally.  Is he presenting the text?  Is he seeking to explain the text?  Is he faithful to seek accurate application from the text?  He may not be the most dynamic speaker nor the most intellectual presenter but the word of God must be handled with reverence.

2.  DO THEY EXPRESS GENUINE LOVE?  I know that every church thinks they are a loving church but often that really means they only love those they know are just like them.  There must be a welcoming presence and there must be a genuine love for those who are being damaged by sin.  I want a church that is willing to roll up some sleeves and be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Jesus loved and embraced the undesirables of society (although still requiring their repentance), so should we.

3.  IS PRAYER A PRIORITY?  As the temple of the Holy Spirit we are to be a "house of prayer".  A praying church is a staying church and a non-praying church is a straying church.  The power we need to raise our children, to love one another, to love our enemies, to love our wives as Christ loved the church, to be salt and light comes through prayer.  Prayer is an essential that must not be neglected.

4.  IS THERE PASSION FOR THE GREAT COMMISSION?  The last words Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended are the summary of what He had been teaching and the emphasis of what they (we) should be doing.  "Preach the gospel (Mk. 16:15), make disciples (Matt. 28:19), be my witnesses (Acts 1:8)" are very clear commands.  A healthy church will be seeking to grow in their involvement in missions for the sake of the lost and for the sake of God's glory.

There are other things to consider but if these four are right everything else will fall into place.  It will require some crucifixion of our preferences and not all things will be as we may like or want, but better to sacrifice some comfort in this life and be right in the next than to be entertained in this life and wrong in the next.

CONCLUSION:  Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus.  There is no perfect church.  Preferences must be placed aside at times.  Not everything will be just the way I like it.  This is actually part of the beauty of church life, that great diversity comes together by the bond of Christ's redemptive work and loves one another sacrificially.  In the midst of a consumer driven culture with way too many options on the grocery store shelves and menus with countless considerations, churches have bought in with their own marketing campaigns in order to present themselves as the church that will make all of your dreams come true.  "Great music, relevant messages, exciting children's programs, relaxed atmosphere, comfortable environment" are just a few of the claims offered in order to grab one's attention and offer a dream-fulfilling church experience.  In these days it needs to be said, "Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus." (see Matt. 16:24)

Here is my marketing campaign:

• I spit when I preach and I am at times broken by sin but I thank God for the resurrected power of Jesus Christ in which there is no condemnation for all who believe.  
• Our music leader is very faithful and although he is a very gifted musician, most importantly he wholeheartedly loves Jesus.  
• Our Youth Minister loves Jesus and loves people and although he may be cool, he is not the coolest guy in town.
• We have many faithful servants of Christ who seek to share God's word with children but we are not here to entertain your children.
• The Bible has been relevant for thousands of years and will be when you and I are gone.  So learn the Bible.
• If you come to our church you will find conviction first and then comfort only as you repent and submit to God's word.
• Reverence for God is more important than your relaxation.

The Woman And Her Water Pot

It did not seem like all that extraordinary of a day.  The woman awoke and began her chores as she did every other day.  There was much work to be done and much of it required water.  So she grabbed her water pot, just like always, and walked down to the community well.  The weather was not uncommon that day although it was already getting hot.  She reflected upon many memories of an unsettled and troubled past.  As she approached the well, she saw a man sitting by the well but he had no water pot.  He asked her for a drink, and she realiz ed he was a Jew.  He simply said, “Give me a drink.”  No formalities, no howdy, just “give me a drink.”  She asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask me, a Samaritan, for anything?  Everybody knows you have nothing to do with my kind.”  This was odd.  The man said He had a fountain of water, a gushing river, that springs up into everlasting life.  This was extremely odd.  But something in the woman desired to know more.  She had been through a tough life, she was tired and her soul was thirsty, so she replied, “I would sure like some of that kind of water.”  But Jesus would not make it easy.  He first had to deal with the root of her unsettledness in life.  He called her out and asked her about her husband.  She said, “I have no husband.”  He knew that already, and told her that she had previously known 5 different husbands and the man she currently lived with was not her husband.  He cut straight to the heart.  Got right down to issue.  Can you imagine a man, a stranger, piercing to the heart of her sin without even a warning?  This is more than odd, beyond ordinary.  How could He know such things?  The woman tried to change the subject by discussing where was the proper place to worship.  As with most people, when His truth pierced her heart she tried to talk about religious things without actually dealing with her sin.  She said, “Samaritans say one should worship at Mt. Gerizim, but the Jews say one must worship in Jerusalem.”  He wasn’t persuaded.  He didn’t buy into the debate.  He said, “True worship is in spirit, not bound by location. And true worship is in truth, not dictated by traditions.  He told her that true worship is coming and now is.  She started to feel something inside.  A stirring, an unfamiliar and extraordinary emotion.  She said, “I know that when the Messiah comes he will explain these things.”  He said, “I am He.”  Now there was more than a stirring.  Rivers of life began flowing into her soul.  She began to know life in a way she had never known possible.  Her heart was transformed.  She thought, “He knew my sin, and He dealt with it, but He was merciful and kind.  I tried to discuss religious things, but He met the need of my heart.  I went to the well to get water, I received so much more.”  She ran back to town to tell everyone about whom she had met, completely disregarding the fact that she left her water pot at the well.

Reflecting Upon Jonathan Edwards

I don't remember who provided this summary of the famous sermon, "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" but I give them thanks.  This is always worth reflecting upon.

Edward’s Eleven Points - “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” 
Most of the sermon's text consists of eleven “considerations.” They are:

1. God may cast wicked men into hell at any given moment.
2. The Wicked deserve to be cast into hell. Divine justice does not prevent God from destroying the Wicked at any moment.
3. The Wicked, at this moment, suffer under God's condemnation to Hell.
4. The Wicked, on earth - at this very moment - suffer the torments of Hell. The Wicked must not think, simply because they are not physically in Hell, that God (in Whose hand the Wicked now reside) is not - at this very moment - as angry with them as He is with those miserable creatures He isnow tormenting in hell, and who - at this very moment - do feel and bear the fierceness of His wrath.
5. At any moment God shall permit him, Satan stands ready to fall upon the Wicked and seize them as his own.
6. If it were not for God's restraints, there are, in the souls of wicked men, hellish principles reigning which, presently, would kindle and flame out into hellfire.
7. Simply because there are not visible means of death before them, at any given moment, the Wicked should not, therefore, feel secure.
8. Simply because it is natural to care for oneself or to think that others may care for them, men should not think themselves safe from God's wrath.
9. All that wicked men may do to save themselves from Hell's pains shall afford them nothing if they continue to reject Christ.
10. God has never promised to save us from Hell, except for those contained in Christ through the covenant of Grace.
11. The wicked shall not escape the wrath of God unless they repent.