Shortchanging the Preaching

Dr. Bob, I guess this is where we might differ. Yes, I believe there is a "magical" working of the Holy Spirit upon the unsaved whereby they receive the message without understanding.

On the other hand, I firmly believe that one reaches the believer through the mind. The Holy Spirit does the heart thing, and this is not contingent upon either the eloquence or longevity of speech or preachment.

It is incumbent upon me to draw on all my resources, including my command of the English language, to preach and teach God's word.

In some areas one's spirituality is measured by how long and how loud one preaches, and the odd pounding of the pulpit or dancing about the platform like a gazelle. I would much rather persuade by word and remain composed in the pulpit. It might be the fact I am English and Canadian.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I preach only as long a message as GOD gives me whether it be 20 minutes or 90 minutes. I preach on Sunday morning and teach through the epistles on Sunday night and Wenesday.No matter what service I`m in I let GOD LEAD!!! It is impossible to preach or teach some texts in 20 minutes! As for those preachers you hold up highly read 1 TIMOTHY 3.

 

The church that compromises truth today will compromise morals tomorrow.

I wonder where that would fit in the ideal of encapsulated preaching?

 

I honestly have heard very few sermons, 30 minutes or longer, that could not have been profitably pruned down. I'm sure that would not be the case with Dr. Bob's sermons. Sounds like he puts great effort into it, while relying on the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps it would be effective for a preacher to periodically listen to a tape of himself to hear if he is as effective as he thinks he is, and if the product really is coming from God.
I wonder how many do this?

I admit I have a short attention span when the sermon is "the" focal point of the service, and it is long, without much to it.

Karen

 

It actually takes longer to prepare a short sermon with content than it does to speak for a longer time.

We are not talking about just speaking for 30-45-50 minutes. We are not sacrificing content, and we are not usurping the work of the Holy Spirit. I just wonder if we, as humans, don't suppose that wot we call the leading of the Holy Spirit is, in fact, our own desires. We must be very careful here.

How often has the sermon we thought was the best turned out to be a dud, whilst the clumsy piece we put together turned out to be the most effective?

Cheers,

Jim

 

One time we were in a small group setting. As one of the ice-breakers we had to say 2 things about ourselves that were true and 1 thing that wasn't true, and then everyone guessed which one wasn't true. I don't remember all 3 of mine, but I remember 2 of them. It was a playoff sunday in January, I said "I cheered for the Raiders today" and "I'm going to go to seminary because I like long sermons." EVERYONE guessed that the long sermon was the fake thing, which disgusted me (how can ANYONE cheer for the raiders???).

Truth is, I'm at odds somewhat with some people in my church who say they don't want it if its not < 20 mins.

The thing that bugs me is when people say that the attention span is only 20 minutes. That may be true, but the people at work can tell me in great detail about what happened on survivor or CSI or some other HOUR LONG show. It the preacher spent 20 minutes explaining the meaning of each word in a sermon, I could see how that might be hard to follow, but in reality, people can focus for a lot longer, if they want to.

In regards to your original question dr. Bob, it is a hard situation. On the one hand, it would be niave to think people don't make plans on being home by 12 or 12:15. But on the other, if this is the only time people hear God's word, then is making sure we eat right on time as important? Maybe the solution is to just keep stretching a little, a few minutes more every couple weeks, then when you look back in 6 months, they're not set at getting home right at noon.

 

Pardon a layperson's comment, but I always thought the main focus of the worship service was worship. What are the means of worship? Is there only one form or worship? Is teaching to the people the equivalent of worship by the people?

It has long seemed to me that having any preaching (in the teaching sense, which is how most sermons I've heard are prepared and delivered) is secondary to the worship by believers. A convenience, if you will, based on the knowledge that fewer people will arrive at other teaching services. In many ways, the worship gets shortchanged by the preaching, and yet worship is why we gather in the first place.

I don't mean that preaching is not valuable, just that I really don't think we go to the morning worship service for a "full meal," as it were. We go to worship. Certainly, all we do should be done in a worshipful manner, and maybe this all begs the question of what is worship, and who is the Sunday morning service for?

There is, of course, glory to God in solid preaching; however, my experience is that the opposite of what you experience, Dr. Bob, is true - we shortchange worship for study.

 

The more you put into something in the area of worship, the more you'll get out of it. If the congregation is willing to be a part of the message, then the time won't really be a concern. This would explain why so many preachers are now resorting to being comical and entertaining in getting the meassage across. No problem with that, not that I'm looking for entertainment, but the method of the man can hold the attention of the audience.

I preached on "Snakes, and How To Handle Them" for about an hour, the congregation sat in what would be called looking very "tense". I rather enjoyed watching them squirm. (just kidding) I had this part in the message about Elvis and how he shook his leg, (talking about a snake!), I was illustarting how a friend of mine had a snake trapped under a small tree that had been cut down, with his foot on the tree shaking in terror as he reached down to catch what we thought was a cobra. I stood beside the pulpit and illustrated how his leg shook and said,"I hope Elvis doesn't mind me doing this". The place broke out in laughter. It was the highlight of the entire message, but it sure got the point across. One lady did get up and leave in the middle of another illustration of how a man had played with a snake since it was a baby and one day it strangled him in front of his audience, a giant python. Sorry to say what happened with that "lady" not long after, she revealed what kind of snake she actually is.

We only handle snakes with an axe/ Sword of the LORD, around our church we're not the weird type!

 

With no disrespect to anyone intended (promise) if you have people grumbling at the door things aren't going right. You have to capture their hearts and you'll only have them so long and when you pass that point you can do as much harm as good. Yes some can captivate for a longer period, the Andy Stanleys and Franklin grahams and so on, but most can't. Also, the pastor is pretty much in charge of the order of service, you aren't getting enough time to preach cut some other things, but remember your audience. I teach on a 84 minute block but I NEVER lecture for 84 minutes. In fact we live be the rule of 3, at least 3 different activities in the block, and usually 4-6. Notice there aren't very many 60 minute tv shows anymore? There aren't even 60 commercials anymore. Less is more. The gospel can't wait til next week, but a lot of stuff I've heard can.

 

Agree with Dr. Bob on this. Although quality is better than quantity.
2 of my favorites preach different lengths, 30-35 minutes: http://www.emmanuel-baptist.org/sermons/index.htm

hour-long: http://www.audiowebman.org/bbc/start/audios1.htm

The Seeker-Sensitive Movement
by John MacArthur

What exactly is the seeker-sensitive movement? In a nutshell, it's the push within churches across the country to make worship services more "relevant" and therefore more attractive to the world. It's the driving force behind the marketing ploys and high-tech entertainment gimmicks churches use to promote growth.

As you read this, you may be asking, "What's so dangerous about trying to attract unbelievers to your church?" It certainly sounds benign. After all, what's wrong with making church a more inviting place for unbelievers to visit? Where's the danger in spicing up worship services to keep people interested and, more important, coming back?

But the seeker-sensitive movement is anything but benign. In fact, it can be deadly for any church that falls under its influence. Let me share a few reasons.

One of the most common—and most alarming—characteristics of a seeker-sensitive church is in the way it minimizes and downplays the teaching of God's Word. In seeker-sensitive churches, where the goal is to bring people in and keep them there, Bible teaching is cut short or worse, cut out. Why? Because advocates of the movement believe people today are too busy to sit through lengthy expositions of God's Word. Their attention spans are too short to hold them through a long sermon without becoming bored.

Sadly, the content of the message is cut short as well. Visit a seeker-sensitive church and you won't hear a lot about sin or judgment. You won't learn much about the holiness of God or the importance of obedience, either. You're more likely to hear a sermon on human relationships, success in the business world, or how to make your life in this world more satisfying. That's because if a church's primary focus is to encourage unbelievers to attend, it will invariably soften the truth to make it more palatable. It will skirt the hard teaching of Scripture on matters of repentance and the cost of discipleship, choosing instead to focus on God's grace and how easy it is to become a believer.

Another area that suffers when a church adopts a seeker-sensitive approach is the tone of the worship service. To appeal to a broader audience, many church leaders are taking their cues from the world. They're adopting the same entertainment and marketing devices the world employs. Film clips, skits, comedy, pyrotechnics, light shows, and an over indulgence in music are just some of the trappings of the seeker-sensitive church. God is no longer the center of worship—entertainment, "felt needs," and fleshly desires reign supreme.

The effects of seeker-sensitive methodology on the church are tragic because they undermine the very purpose the church is supposed to serve in believers' lives. According to God's Word, when His people gather, it should be to worship Him, hear His Word, and encourage one another. Sunday to Sunday, the meeting of the church is the context in which sin is exposed and forgiveness is found. It's where believers engage in biblical ministry and exercise their spiritual gifts and where Christian men and women form the relationships through which they exhort each other toward greater Christlikeness.

But when churches sacrifice substance for style—when even well meaning pastors soft-pedal the gospel to keep people in the pews—churches stagnate and eventually die. Instead of being a place where men and women grow spiritually by coming under the influence of God's Word, seeker-sensitive churches become mere shells filled with false converts and malnourished Christians. Once a church exchanges its God-ordained mission to preach the Word, which is the only source of spiritual life, for a marketing manifesto to fill pews, it surrenders its claim to divine power along with its effectiveness in the world.

I wish I could tell you that the seeker-sensitive movement has affected only a handful of churches, but the truth is far worse. The movement is currently sweeping through the evangelical landscape, threatening churches in communities around the world. Perhaps you find yourself in a church that's tinkering with it even today. Or maybe you're looking for a church or you know someone who attends a seeker-sensitive church. Whatever your situation, the seeker movement is so pervasive that you're sure to encounter it sooner or later.

 

I agree that cutting the sermon short is not a good idea. But, neither is telling joke after joke, a hodge podge of illustrations. Who can remember all the names of those men and women in the illustrations. The illustration should help us identify with the message.

I have no problem cutting the music portion of the worship service to give the pastor the time that he needs. Even though I've spent time in preparation and felt like this is the what the Lord would have me present to the congregation.

A pastor should do the same if he feels he is losing the attention of the people. I have seen many a preacher, in closing telling one illustration after another. You've heard, "you had me at hello", why go on? Just to say everything you have prepared. Strike while the iron is hot and not after it has cooled down.

 

Bob, I'm not lowering the importance of preaching. I think anyone whose read anything I've written knows how seriously I take it. I'm simply saying that corporate prayer, silence, the Eucharist, the reading of the Scriptures, and other elements of a worship service are also important.

Joshua