We have arrived at a point when churches are constantly pushing the envelope for exciting and entertaining services in order to make sure the attendees do not become bored with just preaching. We are an entertainment driven society and many pastors are pulling out all of the stops so that they will appear to be relevant and hip. For the remainder of this post I will contrast the difference between the foolishness of preaching spoken of in Scipture and the contemporary method of preaching foolishly.
Cultural Preference: The Preaching of Foolishness
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2Tim.3:3-4, ESV)
Apparently Paul was telling Timothy about our culture. Below are some examples of pastors trying to be relevant to seekers. (What they are seeking could be debated for some time.) Below are some actual news stories:
Church service ends on crash-A Kokomo pastor is recovering after crashing a motorcycle during a Sunday church service.
Pastor fined forshooting arrow- A pastor and parishioner have been cited by police for shooting an arrow during a church service in Sheboygan Falls.
Pastor's Sex Challenge For Congregation- The pastor of a Dallas-area mega-church challenged married congregants during his sermon Sunday to have sex for seven days in a row -- and says he's practicing what he preaches.
Godly or gimmick? Churches offer free gas- Carol Umsted got more than the word of God during services this summer at the Congregational United Church of Christ of Valley City. She also got $50 worth of free gas, thanks to winning a raffle...
Woman wins house by attending church on New Year's Eve- The chance to win a new $120,000 home wasn't the reason Tammy Woods attended her church's New Year's Eve service.
ENOUGH, Enough, enough! Please!
A. W. Tozer wrote of The Great God Entertainment in his book Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955, p. 32-33). Here is an excerpt:
"A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart, the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man.
Schleiermacher held that the feeling of dependence lies at the root of all religious worship, and that however high the spiritual life might rise, it must always begin with a deep sense of a great need which only God could satisfy.
If this sense of need and a feeling of dependence are at the root of natural religion, it is not hard to see why the great god Entertainment is so ardently worshiped by so many." (Continue reading here.)
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:8-9, ESV)
Biblical Precedent: The Foolishness of Preaching
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1Cor. 1:21, KJV)
In the Founders Journal, Fred A. Malone wrote an article titled, Is Preaching Foolish Today?, where he stated the following:
"It takes little Bible study to see that preaching, the proclamation of God’s Word, was God’s chosen method for evangelism and edification by the Old Testament prophets, our Lord and His apostles. The question is: “Is preaching foolish today?” Should we follow the example of the prophets, our Lord and His apostles? Is it necessary to obey Paul’s command to Timothy: “PREACH the word!”
In the Bible, preaching is the proclamation (heralding) and explanation of God’s revealed Word to man. It is an outward call to all men to “be still, and know that I am God.” It is a call to be still and listen to God’s revelation to man; to quit dwelling on our own thoughts and start thinking about God’s truth. It is God’s chosen way and authoritative charge to reveal, herald, His truth to mankind (2 Timothy 4:1–2).
The New Testament provides many examples of proclaiming God’s Word. These include the Sermon on the Mount, Peter’s message at Pentecost, Paul on Mar’s Hill and the Epistles read in their entirely to the attentive and listening churches (Colossians 4:16). This act of “proclaiming” is different from activities such as personal witnessing and interactive teaching, which the apostles did as well. Preaching is not about equal interaction between the speaker and the hearer. It is about being still and listening to God’s proclaimed truth which is wiser than man’s thoughts.
Do you believe preaching is the God-ordained means to bring sinners to bow before Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Do you believe preaching is the God-ordained means to edify and strengthen the faith of God’s people as they gather for congregational worship? I would venture to say that most Baptist preachers would give a hearty “Amen” to these questions. However, all is not well in our Baptist Zion.
The Regulative Principle and Preaching
Preaching is often regarded as “foolish” today. It is being set aside in many churches in favor of more culturally “relevant” methods to evangelize the lost and edify the saints. Many consider plays, athletic displays, panel discussions, musical extravaganzas, movies, multi-media presentations, clowns, puppets and sacred dance as “more relevant” to our media generation than a “long and boring” sermon from the Bible heralded by one man speaking to men. Yet, with his last words, Paul commanded, charged, Timothy: “Preach the Word!” He did not call him to adapt this method of proclamation to the entertainment methods of his own contemporary culture. In Paul’s day Greek plays, athletic contests, magic shows, circus acts, give-and-take debates were all popular forms of entertainment. Yet Paul did not encourage churches to wed the gospel to such forms for the sake of evangelism or relevance. No! Paul held to preaching, the proclamation of God’s Word to men—to the very end of his life—no matter the culture, Jew or Gentile.
He commanded Timothy to “Preach the Word”, to herald the revelation of God to men, no matter what the hearers think or desire:
'Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry (2 Timothy 4:2–5).'
Even in a first-century A. D. culture of sports, drama, philosophical debate and inductive educational discussion, Paul steadfastly observed “the regulative principle” of Scripture. That is, he practiced what God had commanded and regulated by revelation to him: preaching God’s Word! Our Lord commanded Paul to preach and Paul commanded Timothy to stay with God’s method no matter what the hearer thinks." (Continue reading here.)
For more on the regulative principle: here, here, here, and here.
Be careful, the foolishness of preaching will likely be costly....
Christian preachers face arrest in Birmingham- A police community support officer ordered two Christian preachers to stop handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham (U.K.).
Evangelist preaching sparks student outcry- Two non-denominational Christian preachers calling for the repentance of gays attracted attention from hundreds of students on Tuesday, many of whom protested their presence.
Mob Brutally Attacks Missionaries- A large mob of anti-Christian extremists brutally attacked two Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries in Himachal Pradesh, India, on Saturday, March 14. After stripping them naked and beating Murari Jay and Atul Rajesh, the vicious group burned all their belongings and then had the missionaries arrested.
These are just a few examples of outrage that can be caused by the foolishness of biblical preaching. Also, I want you to be aware that there are many biblical preachers proclaiming the Truth of the gospel every day. Many of their sermons are available in mp3 formats for you to download and listen at your convenience. See the links on this page for solid biblical teaching. Be careful, though. If you have been attending a circus church, the Truth may be hard to digest, but it will be worth the effort.
Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:20, ESV)
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