Hijacked Preaching

Preaching is not what many have come to think it is.

It is not about giving a good speech with applause and handshakes to follow. 
It is not about delivering a theology lesson with head nods and warm hearts agreeing.
It is not about providing counseling for the myriads of hurting people. 
It is not about motiving people to a better morality, making them feel guilty or superior. 
It is not about making Jesus sound politically correct or incorrect.
It is not about skillful altar calls, and the baptisms that follow. 
It is not about artsy appeals to a live really cool communal Christian lifestyle. 
It is not about presenting the top (insert a number) tips for living a happy life. 
It is not about convincing unbelievers, while ignoring the soul needs of believers. 
It is not about the preacher’s hair, jeans or suit, his language, or his makeup artists.
It is not about the newly released book and the promises contained in it.
It is not about dropping nuggets of wisdom for financial and relational successes. 
It is not about addressing current political concerns, injustices or outrageous atrocities. 
It is not about wooing weak women or duping men easy to be suckered. 
It is not about the number of people in the room or those listening by live streaming.
It is not about meticulously mentioning the concerns of various constituencies. 

The list goes on, and for American Christians this is especially true, sadly, embarrassingly and reprovingly. Preaching has been hijacked, taken to places it should not go.

Certainly, preaching, even good preaching, may contain some of the elements from the above list, but preaching still stands separate; it is not those things. It is a unique calling.

Preaching as Sui Generis

Preaching is a unique event without analogy or parallel. As John Stott named it in his book Between Two Worlds, preaching is sui generis, its own genre. There are only three things a preacher need to know about and concern himself with: the Holy Spirit’s role in Scripture, people and the preacher. God the Holy Spirit has written the Scripture. He indwells Christians. And He empowers the preacher. 

The Bible is God’s Word. There is nothing more powerful and important to study, declare and apply than this! What else is there worthy to be preached?! It is a simple task, though it is a profound task. And we are called to honor the Word before the Lord, His people and the angels.

1 Peter 1:12 ESV “It was revealed to them [Old Testament prophets] that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

Believers in Jesus Christ really want to listen to the Word. They really truly do, more than seeing the things in the list above! They have been re-made to hunger and thirst for the Word of God. And unbelievers will be given spiritual life by the living and abiding Word through the preaching of it. So everyone benefits.

Psalms 119:130 ESV “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” 

2 Timothy 4:1–2 ESV “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word . . .”

The unction of God upon the preacher is easy to recognize and makes a world of difference! This is not simply passion, but the anointing of the Spirit that stirs the soul of the preacher, affecting him first and then the congregation. It far surpasses anything on that relatively boring preaching list above.

Simply Preach the Word

A few years ago I did some academic research on historical metaphors and models of preaching. I was stunned and lamented to see the modern devolutions, especially in the last couple of centuries.

For the pastor today, the pressures to perform and produce are intense. It is a matter of spiritual warfare. Consequently, every Sunday that I preach I must reset myself by prayer to the classical view of preaching, which is simply declaring the Word of God. 

Stay focused. Don’t let your preaching be hijacked, taken places other than God’s designed destination, and don’t bother listening to preaching that has been hijacked.