What's Wrong with Preaching Today PODCAST

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Sermon 8   "What's Wrong with Preaching Today"

A person who shares the Word of God and biblical spiritual ideas with an audience is called a preacher and the speech is called a sermon.

But -- is sitting in a pew, silently, passively absorbing a lecture from a pastor -- is this a spiritual experience? Is it the best God has for you? Is it right for the same person to always "deliver the message" from the pulpit? Do you ever get a chance to share what's on your heart, to discuss what God has been teaching you? Is something wrong with standard church formats?

The problem with preaching today is that many times, preachers read a few Bible verses, then go off on a tangent, in a grand oratory, discussing their ideas, their experiences, their understandings, their reasonings -- instead of sticking to a solid teaching based on what the Bible itself says.

Even the best preachers fall into this mode of using the Bible as a springboard to launch into a sharing, not of what the Bible means or implies, but what their own concepts are, until you have wandered rather far from the scripture text.

Or they will preach only topics that the audience is comfortable with and expect. They will avoid preaching about witchcraft, gluttony, consumerism, materialism, gambling, war and pacifism, clergy arrogance, or spiritual pride which is the worst sin of all and the sin that caused Lucifer to fall from heaven.

What happens is the focus is on preacher and his ideas, rather than on the Bible. No wonder so many church goers elevate their pastor too highly and will not tolerate any questioning of the man. No wonder so many church goers rarely read the Bible. The preacher is not making the Bible come alive for the congregation.

It's like God's message is shoved aside, and the preacher's flesh and mind take over. They may have great intentions, but the substance makes one wonder.

While it's good to speak from the heart when delivering a sermon, why not fill your heart with God's Word, then let that Word pour forth from within?

A better style of sermonizing, based on examples of sermons in the Word of God, will be described. We will also consider the motivations of the preacher, which are sometimes dubious, deceptive, or even diabolical.