I remember listening to a preacher a few years ago and walking away with a single thought… hmmmm. No need to wait for some big reveal, that was the only thought I could come up with… hmmm.<\/p>\n
I know that \u2018hmmm\u2019 is not much of a thought, but if I could be very honest, it wasn\u2019t much of a sermon.<\/p>\n
I know I sound rude, judgmental, close-minded, arrogant, yadda, yadda, yadda; but before you judge me take a look at a snapshot of the message I am talking about.<\/p>\n
The preacher claimed to be able to tell us how tall God was….?<\/p>\n
Here is how he came to this special revelation:<\/p>\n
Okay, first of all… hmmm (now you understand, right?)<\/p>\n
Second, a ten foot tall guy is an impressive dude, but a pretty puny God.<\/p>\n
Third, even if he was right (but lets not get into that), who cares? What would this knowledge mean to me, or anyone else on this spinning blue ball.<\/p>\n
Again I must say…hmmm…<\/p>\n
Obviously, there is a problem. But, it\u2019s not a problem with a single sermon, or a sermon giver. It\u2019s much larger than that.<\/p>\n
The problem is with the expectations of modern preaching. For example, \u2018successful\u2019 and acclaimed pastors are often complimented with phrases like \u201cThat was amazing, I\u2019ve never heard anything like that before.\u201d<\/em> Or, \u201cI have never thought about that passage like that!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Almost never has a preacher been complimented in this way: \u201cI have heard that same message a thousand times before from a hundred different pastors, thank you for being faithful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Believe me, as a preacher, that never happens.<\/p>\n People today like novelty, the new and the unique. The only problem with that is we have been writing about, praying about, teaching and preaching the Scriptures for thousands of years.<\/p>\n That being said, if you come up with something new, you\u2019re probably wrong.<\/p>\n \u00a01 Corinthians 1:22\u00a0For\u00a0Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ\u00a0crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ\u00a0the power of God and\u00a0the wisdom of God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We need to celebrate truth, not the novel. We must value the real, not just the creative. We stand on the eternal Word of God, not the temporary fad of man.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a preacher<\/strong>… preach with power, passion, fire and creativity, but never feel compelled to be unique. That was Jesus\u2019 job, not yours.<\/p>\n If your a sermon hearer<\/strong>… be hungry, be diligent and applaud the gifts God has given those in leadership, but don\u2019t chase something new. The Gospel that was then is the Gospel that is now.<\/p>\n If your a seeker<\/strong>… be open, be keen and be real, but don\u2019t judge the truth by the weirdos on the fringe (by the way, thats good advice for lots of arenas in life). There is truth and you can find it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2014Archbishop Whatley<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I remember listening to a preacher a few years ago and walking away with a single thought… hmmmm. No need to wait for some big reveal, that was the only thought I could come up with… hmmm. I know that \u2018hmmm\u2019 is not much of a thought, but if I could be very honest, it … <\/p>\n\u201cPreach not because you have to say something but because you have something to say.\u201d<\/h2>\n