Preaching in a large number of evangelical churches today leaves a lot to be desired. What is preached does not measure up to the examples of preaching in the Word of God. Too many preachers--and too many congregations--settle for "sermonettes", addresses that do not delve deeply into the Bible. They give their people "sound bites", pithy comments and stories which is what the people will remember. They talk about what they think people "want to hear" (can anyone say "tickle the ears"? Paul warned the church about such men, telling them to beware.
Then there are the "preachers" who buy into the post-modern way of thinking, and then tweak the Bible to fit the mold.
The Scripture is clear in its instruction: "Preach the Word!" Settling for stories, jokes, anecdotes, drama and the like is to betray the trust given to the man behind the sacred desk. God's word is to be opened up on Sunday mornings for the true believers who make up the church. Once edified, once trained for the work of ministry, the church then goes out to share the gospel and evangelize.
This faithfulness to the Word can and will cause problems for some preachers who do not preach to the "felt needs" of the congregation. They may be chastized for not "including" everyone as the audience. However, there is no example in Scripture of preaching to "felt needs", rather the examples reveal a faithfulness to opening up the Scriptures, drinking deeply, in what's called an expository fashion.
“To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.” A. W. Tozer
Praise God for the faithful preachers who are true to the calling.
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