Powerless Preaching
A great deal of preaching today is weak and
pointless. It is so weak, if it was poison it wouldn't kill
anybody and if it was medicine, it wouldn't cure anybody.
The point of a good deal of it seems to be to entertain the
congregation and to help them like the preacher.
Someone said, "We are suffering today from a weak pulpit and
pointless preaching. We have clever speakers but few prophets; we
have too few fearless speakers for God and truth. We have the
best paid and best educated ministry but too much of it is
popular, flabby and insipid and stirs neither heaven nor
hell."
Many speak as though their calling is to make people comfortable
in their sin. Vance Havner said, "God pity the preacher who
has grown cross-eyed watching certain faces in the congregation
to observe whether the message is acceptable or not." God's
message is "Repent." It is "Be ye holy." It
is "Come out...be ye separate."
The average preacher reminds me of a radio personality many years
ago; he always came on the air
saying, "Is everybody happy." It takes courage to be
God's man! Seems like few have it.
Spurgeon and a friend were walking when the friend pointed out a
store with a sign in the window:
"Wanted - 50 tons of bones." Spurgeon said, "Yes,
and mostly backbones!"
Preacher, better remind yourself that God is watching. Are we
going to cater to the worldly, carnal crowd or be obedient to
God? If there is one thing the Church of Jesus Christ needs in
this hour, it is men who are afraid of nothing but God; men whose
only ambition is to please the Lord of Glory.
A. W. Tozer said he noticed as a young Christian many preachers
"spoke so gingerly, so apologetically that one got the
impression that they would rather remain silent forever than
offend anyone."