Sit Down Brother, Do Us all a favour...
Convert me, convict me, correct me and bother me, but please O please don't bore me or waste my time...
Is the quality of preaching today lower than that of our forefathers?
They knew how to preach and teach and present the Word of God not only in an intelligent manner but also in a way that provoked thought, stirred the conscience and brought one under conviction. I'm well aware of my apostolic brothers know these things. However there are many churches that have no standards of truth and presentation and as a traveling preacher visiting many different organizations and denominations, I don't see to often, passionate, soul stirring, articulated, creative and meaningful preaching.
Lets tackle the root problem. Entering the ministry for the wrong reasons. Here are some of them.
1. The call of God is not seeing a need and filling it. Don't mistake the need for a speaker on a mid day meeting for the call of God to ministry. If you have no call you should take no pulpit. Everyman should be able to say, when God called him and to what specifically God did call him to. (Acts 9:6,15)
2. Don't take mistake an ability to speak before a crowd as a sign you are called to lead a church. Come on now, everyman can speak! What separates you from the crowd is God's authority released to you to go ahead and speak. If you are not been authorized by God, don't preach!
3. Don't mistake the call to preach with the actual time to go and preach. Saul heard God's call to preach yet it was three and a half years later that he began his ministry. Jesus knew at 12 that he must be about his fathers business yet it was not until he was 30 that he began to preach. The call is not God's Go ahead, the possession of "truth" is!
God does call one to preach the Methodist doctrine and another to preach a charismatic doctrine and another to preach a word of faith doctrine, no! We are called to preach truth! If we don't know truth how can we preach truth! Most preachers I talk to today don't even know what doctrine is! Now explain that! (1 Tim 4:13-16). Take the time to study doctrine, take more time to know it and never go into the pulpit until you can preach it.
Maybe the problem is with the attraction of being a Pastor. The money, the audience, the status! Let me say this. You have no status! The call of God carries no status! The ministry carries no status. All the authority you will ever have is in the TRUTH you preach. Only truth carries authority! and if you have not truth, sit down! (Matthew 23:6-10).
4. If you don't have it, sit down brother!
I rather sit down with no word than stand in the pulpit without no anointing.
I once went to a church and heard this brother preach. I remember keeping my head down, trying to answer my own question, "why am I hear!" He had nothing to say, just a repeated testimony. No message, no content, no anointing and I thought, Paul, you're wasting your time here. If folks travel to your church with the last dime or pound in their pocket, you better give them good enough reason to be there. If you cant be like a prince in the pulpit you better sit down where you can sit like a Lord in your armchair. The church don't need flimsy, preachers.
Bottom Line. If you're called, we see some fire. If your not, were gonna see a lot of smoke!
Is the quality of preaching today lower than that of our forefathers?
They knew how to preach and teach and present the Word of God not only in an intelligent manner but also in a way that provoked thought, stirred the conscience and brought one under conviction. I'm well aware of my apostolic brothers know these things. However there are many churches that have no standards of truth and presentation and as a traveling preacher visiting many different organizations and denominations, I don't see to often, passionate, soul stirring, articulated, creative and meaningful preaching.
Lets tackle the root problem. Entering the ministry for the wrong reasons. Here are some of them.
1. The call of God is not seeing a need and filling it. Don't mistake the need for a speaker on a mid day meeting for the call of God to ministry. If you have no call you should take no pulpit. Everyman should be able to say, when God called him and to what specifically God did call him to. (Acts 9:6,15)
2. Don't take mistake an ability to speak before a crowd as a sign you are called to lead a church. Come on now, everyman can speak! What separates you from the crowd is God's authority released to you to go ahead and speak. If you are not been authorized by God, don't preach!
3. Don't mistake the call to preach with the actual time to go and preach. Saul heard God's call to preach yet it was three and a half years later that he began his ministry. Jesus knew at 12 that he must be about his fathers business yet it was not until he was 30 that he began to preach. The call is not God's Go ahead, the possession of "truth" is!
God does call one to preach the Methodist doctrine and another to preach a charismatic doctrine and another to preach a word of faith doctrine, no! We are called to preach truth! If we don't know truth how can we preach truth! Most preachers I talk to today don't even know what doctrine is! Now explain that! (1 Tim 4:13-16). Take the time to study doctrine, take more time to know it and never go into the pulpit until you can preach it.
Maybe the problem is with the attraction of being a Pastor. The money, the audience, the status! Let me say this. You have no status! The call of God carries no status! The ministry carries no status. All the authority you will ever have is in the TRUTH you preach. Only truth carries authority! and if you have not truth, sit down! (Matthew 23:6-10).
4. If you don't have it, sit down brother!
I rather sit down with no word than stand in the pulpit without no anointing.
I once went to a church and heard this brother preach. I remember keeping my head down, trying to answer my own question, "why am I hear!" He had nothing to say, just a repeated testimony. No message, no content, no anointing and I thought, Paul, you're wasting your time here. If folks travel to your church with the last dime or pound in their pocket, you better give them good enough reason to be there. If you cant be like a prince in the pulpit you better sit down where you can sit like a Lord in your armchair. The church don't need flimsy, preachers.
Bottom Line. If you're called, we see some fire. If your not, were gonna see a lot of smoke!
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