There are always some very kind folks who say to the
preacher, “you are great”, or, “your preaching feeds me like no other preacher I’ve
ever heard.” And they really mean it
too! No doubts there are some preachers who
absolutely live to hear words like that.
The real problem occurs when the preacher begins to believe those
reports.
I’ve
been thinking recently about how really dangerous “good” preaching can be. When a congregation first gets a new pastor,
and he is deemed by most in the congregation to be “good”, the doxologies at
the church door are like the praise for all blessings flowing out of
heaven.
· “Wonderful
job, preacher!”
· “I
really enjoyed that.” (seldom spoken on
stewardship Sunday)
· “Oh….I
just can’t tell you what that meant to me.”
Now,
if those reports are absolutely accurate, and the sentiments are heartfelt,
where’s the foul…what’s the harm in giving a compliment? Everyone likes a stroke, a pat on the back.
Here’s the harm
Preachers
are human; if you hear those reports often and long enough, they begin to
sink-in and take hold. Preachers are
prime targets for pride and self-promotion.
Most of us have sufficient ego to float a battleship; we don’t need
secondary inflation.
So…what DO you say after the service?
Well….whatever
is said at the door, it is best kept short (you don’t want to get trampled by a
bunch of Methodists heading for the cafeteria).
And
whatever is said should reflect what God’s Word meant to you. After all, we call preaching “proclamation of
the Word” (not the preacher’s nifty
speech). To reflect meaningfully on God’s
Word it is imperative that you should be listening for God’s
Word in the sermon, AND applying His
principles to the way you live your life.
And whatever is said should be in light of what’s at stake:
Jesus
told a story[1]
of a very wealthy man and a beggar. They
lived very different lives, of course.
The rich man was very selfish, ignoring God’s opportunities to help the
poor man. In the end, he wound up in
Hades, while the beggar wound up in paradise.
The rich man had a conversation across the great gulf between heaven and
hell; his requests for relief were denied, and so was his request to send
someone to warn his still-living brothers back on earth about this awful
place. Request denied; this way:
“…‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they
won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:31b (NLT)
The
point here – what’s at stake here – is whether we will listen for the voice of God.
It’s never about who’s preaching, or how
cleverly or powerfully the message is delivered; it’s all about God’s message to
you.
The
danger of good or even great preaching is that we become so accustomed to the
voice, we forget The VOICE; it is God’s will we are seeking – not entertainment
from a highly-skilled, charismatic man.
Today
Make
it your purpose this coming Sunday to listen for God’s voice. Then tell the preacher what you heard. The preacher also needs to hear how God’s speaking.
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