Sigh.
The sermons we see in the New Testament are preached out in the marketplace by non-pastors to unbelievers. This is critical to our understanding. Sermons were evangelistic in nature. They were designed to call the lost to repent and believe. A prime example of this is Paul's sermon to the Athenians recorded in Acts 17:22-34. In that passage Paul says, "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
The sermons we see preached today are far from biblical in nature. They are preached not in the marketplace but in special church buildings (something foreign to the New Testament church). They are preached by pastors. They are preached to saved people (or at least those in the pews; we assume they are saved).
Simply put, most of the sermons we see today have little to nothing to do with the model we are given in scripture. However, since most people think they are "biblical," they will continue unabated. How sad this is for the church.
WARNING: this blog series will be somewhat negative and fairly depressing in nature. However, at the end I will suggest, to borrow Paul's words from the end of I Corinthians 12, "a still more excellent way."
3 comments:
Eric,
Sadly, much of the sermonizing has more to do with indoctrinating/brainwashing along some denominational line, or popular fad, than it has to do with " the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ....".
This will be an excellent series. The weekly Bible lecture is IMO the foundation driving all the corruption. It forces a hired expert to do it. This forces 75 or more people into one room to hear him. This forces a need to build a special building. This forces the consuming of 86% of the giving on average to buy the hired man and the building. This forces all the saints to have their hearts stuck on themselves and their institutionalized church. (... for where your treasure is there will your heart be also...)
The teaching elder in our church preaches with lots of questions and the saints are free to answer including the children. When a cross reference is given, the children are quick to have it ready and read it - which is amazing to hear the children read with such great expression. This is a great step forward and is far more engaging than zero participation. Once a month he wants it all lecture since he says Jesus did it this way and the apostles. I asked him to show me where this is stated and of course he can't show me. Regardless, he is an approved elder so he has authority and apparently that is all he needs to not submit to the greater weight of scripture that calls specifically for one another dynamic teaching. He accepts all the tragic authority driving translation errors because it gives him an edge to nullify the texts that say no lording, no dominating, no titles, you are all brothers, which is no positional authority.
I've written an Amazon review to Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes by Voddie Baucham where I show that he ignores the main reason men do not lead spiritually in their homes and I spend time on the Bible lecture issue. If you vote my response helpful it may appear in the top comparison.
Dear "Unknown,"
Thank you for commenting. However, I do not respond to people who do not leave their names. Therefore, if you would like me to answer your concerns, you first need to leave your name along with your thoughts. Thanks.
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