My response to this question will be incomplete: too little time and too little knowledge! I will simply present a few Biblical truths for consideration. I would appreciate others’ contributions to this post to add to what I write.

John F. MacArthur Explains that Preaching is not about Pleasing Men

John F. MacArthur’s book “Our Sufficiency in Christ” brings up many important points. He reminds the reader that preaching in the New Testament  is not about pleasing men and winning them over. MacArthur writes: “When Peter preached at Pentecost, people were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37-41). He didn’t undertake to win them over. He didn’t try to charm them, entertain them, or make them feel good. He made no effort to engineer a positive response; he just proclaimed the truth. That’s the only methodology that the Holy Spirit uses. Those who employ any other technique are operating on their own.”

The Preacher should Explain the Terrible Nature of our Sin

In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel”. If preachers avoid teaching much of the Word of God it may be because they believe that it might be offputing or offensive. However if we soften the Word of God to please our culture we are unlikely to clearly proclaim why we need salvation. God’s gift of grace is a wonderful message and easy to receive, but it is incomplete and makes no sense if  the preacher does not also explain the terrible nature of our sin which needs to be repented, and our dark, miserable status if we have no relationship with Christ.

God gives to us and we give back to Him

The Bible is full of covenants. We can’t earn the right to be forgiven but we do have a role to play beyond merrily opening our mouths like baby birds to receive the delicious spiritual food that God gives us. Surely good preaching must teach God’s grace but it should also clarify that there are two sides to a covenant: God gives us His Spirit, an eternity in Heaven, forgiveness…., and we give Him our lives and we surrender our wills, as an act of worship and sacrifice. We can no longer be the same when we become children of the living God. At the beginning of the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul preaches: “And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

We are God’s Holy Ambassadors on a Mission

God does not want us to be fat, immobile baby birds that sit waiting for the next word of encouragement. We have not been set free from the kingdom of darkness to look from a distance into the kingdom of light. God calls us to be his holy ambassadors to be filled with His love and His light to penetrate into the kingdom of darkness, to help rescue others and to radiantly declare Christ’s presence.

Preaching must wholeheartedly teach the whole Word of  God to prepare men and women to leave behind all remnants of the darkness and sinful living and to live  Holy, Christ like lives.

A Definition of the Word of God

The Word is to encourage us and to uplift God’s people but it is not just a tonic to keep us pepped up as we either shudder in a dark world or feel naively separated from it, clutching our tickets to Heaven. 2 Timothy 3:16 explains that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is profitable for “instruction, for reproof  and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, (and) for training in righteousness (in Holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose and action.) Verse 17 adds that the purpose of the Word of God is that “the man of God may be complete and proficient and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Preachers must administer the Word of God powerfully to Change Lives

I believe that the role of the preacher is to apply God’s Word to our lives to result in dramatic spiritual change as we become more like Jesus. As we are naturally sinful and foolish and stubborn, we need more than a word of encouragement, or the sharing of some benign truths. The Word of God is described as a sword(Hebrews 4:12) for good reason. It needs to penetrate deep within us to prompt significant change. If preachers teach God’s Word faithfully they will be like expert doctors diagnosing and removing life threatening disease. I would not want my doctor to humor me rather than to honestly deal with my medical condition. Similarly, preachers, please do not avoid the Gospel truth and deprive people of the opportunity to meet with the risen Christ.  Poorly diagnosed patients often die prematurely. People who sit in churches where the truth is withheld, may die in their sin and never receive the healing and refreshing forgiveness that they so desperately need.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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