Members Pastorj Posted July 15, 2015 Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 What do you want in preaching? I have now visited around 100 churches in 2 NC cities over the last 5 years and I am very disappointed with what is considered "preaching"What is your definition of preaching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members No Nicolaitans Posted July 15, 2015 Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 Exposition of the word of God. Jordan Kurecki, EKSmith and Pastor Scott Markle 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Standing Firm In Christ Posted July 15, 2015 Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 Try New Salem Baptist Church in Level Cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted July 15, 2015 Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 Expounding the Word of God. Genevanpreacher and Pastor Scott Markle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pastorj Posted July 15, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 Level cross is too far So, what does expounding on the word mean?I am not trying to argue. Just want to know what people want in preaching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted July 16, 2015 Members Share Posted July 16, 2015 The Word of God read, explanation of what it means, practical application and/or it's importance to the overall message of Scripture.That may seem a bit simplistic but hopefully you get the gist of what I mean, especially since I have to go tend to some things in just a bit. Pastor Scott Markle, Pastorj, Genevanpreacher and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wretched Posted July 16, 2015 Members Share Posted July 16, 2015 Preaching is only to move people into action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Popular Post No Nicolaitans Posted July 16, 2015 Members Popular Post Share Posted July 16, 2015 Level cross is too far So, what does expounding on the word mean?I am not trying to argue. Just want to know what people want in preaching At the risk of offending fellow Christians and preachers...which isn't my intention...I will try to explain what I meant by the "exposition" of God's word.First, the definition of exposition...the act of expounding, setting forth, or explaining:writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanationA good example of exposition from scripture is...Nehemiah 8:8So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.To me, true biblical preaching will explain God's word to the hearers; it will convey what God's word says so that it makes sense, and it will help people to understand God's word. However, to do so requires tremendous study on the part of the preacher. He must take into account context, he must compare scripture with scripture, he must be able to apply application, he must be able to rightly divide, he must know historical references, and the list goes on. In other words...he must STUDY!When Paul told Timothy to "preach the word", that's what Timothy was to do...preach THE WORD. My opinion is that this is best done through expository preaching...verse-by-verse. Preach a book of the Bible, start at chapter 1; verse 1, and go through to the end of the book. The preacher may only cover one verse in a sermon, or he may cover several verses in a sermon.What I see more of though is this...a preacher has an idea for a sermonhe scours the Bible to find a passage that mentions what he wants to preach onhe reads the text he has found at the beginning of the sermon (often taking it out of context)he spends the majority of the rest of the time telling life stories and personal examples rather than expounding on that textIn other words, "Topical" sermons are the norm in most churches. Also, what I see more of is this...the sermon has become a form of entertainment. The preacher has become a showman...putting on a show for the hearers. The other day, I was listening to a sermon on a local station that's fundamental, and everyday at 2:00 they play a "great sermon from the past" by "great preachers of the past". That day, I started listening a little late, so I don't know who the preacher was. I listened to that sermon for 20 minutes before I turned it off. The entire time I listened, all the man "preached" about was when he rode horses and helped herd cattle...not one verse mentioned, not one mention of Jesus Christ, not one mention of God, not one mention of biblical application, not one mention of anything spiritual...just his cowboy stories...for 20 minutes! He was getting "amens" from the crowd the whole time.I've sat through similar sermons. Entertaining, bombastic sermons delivered by an entertaining, bombastic preachers...and I was entertained. The pastor should be the main teacher of the church, but many neglect that God-given responsibility. I had a pastor once (fairly well-known) who even got on a roll during one sermon and proclaimed that it wasn't his job to "feed" us...we were supposed to feed ourselves. Well, everyone was caught up in the hype of the sermon, and he got a good round of "amens" when he said it, but all I could think was how un-biblical that statement was. Now, with that said, I'm not completely opposed to topical sermons; they certainly have their place. However, if God's people are to grow, they need to be taught God's word.I know that many of today's churches wouldn't like a preacher who goes verse-by-verse, but I truly believe that's what they need. Sure, things may happen that require a topical sermon at times, but for the most part, people need to hear the word...they need to hear it explained...so that it makes sense...so that they can understand. Preach the word!What many preachers don't realize is this...if they would preach expositionally (is that a word?) through the Bible, they would be amazed at how many "topics" are covered by going verse-by-verse.You said that you want to know what people want in preaching...I don't care about a man's entertaining delivery, his charisma, or his personality. What I care about is has the man studied God's word, and can he explain it so that it makes sense and can be understood.Now, all of this is my opinion...so take is as such. heartstrings, Pastor Scott Markle, John81 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Popular Post Ukulelemike Posted July 16, 2015 Moderators Popular Post Share Posted July 16, 2015 I once had a man in our church tell me, shortly after I became the pastor there, "Brother, please don't take offense, but you're really more of a teacher than a preacher." I told him, "Why would I be offended? I'm here to teach the Bible-that's a big part of what a preacher does. If you aren't learning something, I'm wasting my time."A preacher is a teacher, who teaches specifically the things of God. I intermix topical with expository, though for the most part never really thought about it. Why? because some teachings in the Bible are topical and some are expository. Sometimes Jesus or Paul would teach on a single subject for some length, and other times, we see a few things being taught, though often in a single context, which connects them all, and thus, really, is sort of expository topical. I will not do topical if I cannot find sufficient evidence for it, not a verse or two out of context, but numerous places in scripture, old and new testament, sometimes, and all that agree in context. There's nothing wrong with topical sermons, so long as its actually there, and doctrinally correct.By the way, I'm not a particularly dynamic preacher-always wanted to be one of those stomping, spitting, hollering, stalking back and forth-type preachers, but it just wasn't what God gave me, At the first I tried to imitate other preachers I liked, but just couldn't hold to it. So I just teach and don't worry about being anyone else. Seems to work okay. Jim_Alaska, Pastorj, Genevanpreacher and 2 others 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members No Nicolaitans Posted July 16, 2015 Members Share Posted July 16, 2015 What many preachers don't realize is this...if they would preach expositionally (is that a word?) through the Bible, they would be amazed at how many "topics" are covered by going verse-by-verse. is sort of expository topical.Or what I like to call "expopical". I agree with what you said Mike. Again, I do believe that one-time topical sermons have their place. On the other hand, if a preacher is going to preach topical, at least periodically spend several weeks (or months) covering the topic thoroughly.Speaking of which...how many times have we heard a preacher say something to the effect of, "I've been so busy...I've gotta find a sermon to preach for this Sunday!" Expository preaching doesn't have that problem. Pastorj, Pastor Scott Markle and Ukulelemike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pastorj Posted July 16, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thanks everyone. I was an expository preacher. After visiting over 50 churches in my area, almost every preacher is just yelling their opinions and I have rarely opened my bible after the initial verse.I believe that preaching is to expose the word of God and allow the holy spirit to work in the lives of those listening. One preacher actually jumped up on the communion table and broke the glass. Everyone laughed and praised the Lord. Another preacher yelled about old time religion for 45 minutes, but never opened the bible. A third preacher preached a message entitled amazing grace according to Isaac newton. He preached out of the hymnal. What shocks me is that the people actually enjoyed those messages. Had Christianity gotten this shallow? No Nicolaitans and Pastor Scott Markle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted July 17, 2015 Members Share Posted July 17, 2015 Yes, unfortunately much of Christianity in America is very shallow. It's not just those in the "seeker friendly" sort of churches who are shallow, there are plenty in what passes for the more fundamental and conservative type churches too.Many folks go to these churches to hear rousing sermons that stir them up, make them shout and feel like they really got something that day. Sadly, all they got was their ears tickled and their emotions stirred.The only real difference between those in the supposed fundamental type churches and the seeker friendly ones is a matter of style and how they like their ears tickled and emotions stirred.I visited a church a few years ago and the preacher read a bit of Scripture, closed his Bible, started walking around and began telling stories and weaving tails to which the congregation gave many shouts of "amen". After about an hour of this he got back to the verses he read, made a tacit attempt to tie that to his story time and the sermon was over to many more adoring shouts. The pastors sermon actually reminded me more of something Jerry Clower might have said on stage than something to be preached in church. Pastor Scott Markle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wretched Posted July 17, 2015 Members Share Posted July 17, 2015 Strange the differences in perception I had in this thread, I figured PastorJ's complaint would be expository teaching instead of preaching.Nothing wrong with expository preaching as long as it is preaching and not teaching. IE, the purpose of the sermon is action on the part of the congregation. If it is simply a lecture on a passage to provide information, save it for Sunday School or Wed Bible Study. You are not preaching the Word with a lecture. Only the foolishness of preaching accomplishes reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all long-suffering and doctrine.Weren't the pharisees expert expositors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted July 17, 2015 Members Share Posted July 17, 2015 The Pharisees were expert at preaching and promoting their own rules for how they believed everyone should live.If a pastor preaches through a book of the Bible, each verse is read and those needing some explaining, expounding upon, are addressed. Practical application of how these verses are to be lived and used is presented. This would include how we should live our lives in a godly manner, share Christ, spend time in prayer, live in accord with our spouse, instruct our children, determine what is good and what should be avoided, etc., depending upon the text covered. Our pastor preaches through the Bible. He also teaches an adult Sunday school class. While there can be some overlap, his preaching sermon and class teaching are not identical in method. From the sermon on say Ephesians, the congregation will get a good overview of the whole book, key points will be expounded upon, practical application put forth, etc.; from the Sunday school teaching verses can be examined in more depth, questions can be asked, practical experiences in living can be discussed, history and context of passages can be examined if needed, etc.The worst example of expository preaching (if one could really call it that) I've ever experienced was in a Methodist church many years ago. That preacher dryly and in low volume, read from the Bible. A couple times he made some dry sentence or two comment, but then went right back to dryly and quietly reading from the Bible. Then he woke the congregation by speaking a little louder that he was finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members No Nicolaitans Posted July 17, 2015 Members Share Posted July 17, 2015 Strange the differences in perception I had in this thread, I figured PastorJ's complaint would be expository teaching instead of preaching.Nothing wrong with expository preaching as long as it is preaching and not teaching. IE, the purpose of the sermon is action on the part of the congregation. If it is simply a lecture on a passage to provide information, save it for Sunday School or Wed Bible Study. You are not preaching the Word with a lecture. Only the foolishness of preaching accomplishes reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all long-suffering and doctrine.Weren't the pharisees expert expositors? I could be wrong, but I think the complaint (if that's the correct word to use) is one of sermon substance or lack thereof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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