COMMENTS ON PREACHING

Shouting while preaching

It's amazing how many pastors shout from the pulpit. They believe that by "holy shouting" with frustration or anger, it will change the hearts of the congregation! How absurd and what childish human reasoning. It contradicts everything the Bible teaches about Christian behavior. The Bible tells us to teach patiently. Now I will not deny that in some cases this kind of preaching would have some result, but definitely it is not the best approach. You might say God's word and truth will not return unto him void, but this is not to be used as an excuse. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus did not raise his voice when preaching the gospel.

"He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." (Matthew 12:19)

He may have raised his voice in some restricted occasions, such as when dealing with religious opposition, but practically never with the lost nor with his disciples and so this should be our example.

"By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone." (Proverbs 25:15)

It was a show of strength, self-control and wisdom if a man knew when to talk as well as how to present his words. Shouting was in no way a good example, but fools acted in this regard.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)

"[Every man] shall kiss [his] lips that giveth a right answer." (Proverbs 24:26)

If we look at the qualifications of a pastor, a patient teacher was highly recommended and not one who got angry or frustrated. His spirit must be calm, expressing peace with his God and empowerment of the Holy Ghost and so much more in the pulpit where all, including the lost, can see.

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (2 Timothy 4:2)

Reproof and rebuke are not to be taken as excuses for shouting in the pulpit, because Paul says it should be done with all longsuffering or patience. I have heard sermons preached in which my whole attention was on the preachers shouting and troubled attitude, rather than on the sermon itself. People will be distracted by the preaching and may not be sensitive to the word of God nor to his Holy Spirit. In the end, preaching of this kind can do no good to the listener!

You might ask what would be the reason for a pastor to act in such a way? Reasons may vary. One possibility is suppressed frustrations, which have not been settled with God. Another reason, the person believes it is a way of asserting a sense of authority or power. In some cases, they do so for targeting certain in the church, instead of dealing with them personally. Whatever the reason, pastors who preach in this manner must do their utmost to rectify the problem, or face the consequences.

Crying during a preaching

Crying during a preaching in which the subject may touch the pastor’s heart is acceptable unless he looses control. Crying should never be frequent enough that the congregation finds it bizarre or turns into the pastor's comical trait. It may demonstrate to the congregation a lack of control or deep emotional problems. A pastor must manifest stability in his doctrine and character, otherwise confidence is lost amid the pews. Specifically, crying for the reason of personal failure should not be demonstrated unless it is a rare moment. Crying because of joy is another matter. People react better in such situations, but of course this also must never get out of hand. A pastor should never enter the pulpit carrying personal problems that might interfere or come out during his sermon. It must be remember that the audience is always in a different emotional level than the pastor and it may result in disgust or misunderstanding by the listeners.

Crying may also disrupt the message being preached by turning the attention to the state of the preacher. Preaching should place the focus on Christ and his word rarely omn the preacher.

Not preaching the whole counsel of God

Another problem and sometimes unseen by the individual, is the preaching of a repeated subject or theme. Some examples are, preaching about salvation, about sin or a sanctified life or standards. I’m not saying to neglect them, but they should not be predominant. Actually, no topic should predominate a Church's preaching.The Bible is filled we extraordinary subjects and should not be limited to just a few. Extra-biblical subjects can also be preached, such as church history, false religions or cults, and science that conforms to the Bible and world events to name a few. The preaching of God's word must be a refreshing and interesting time for the listener. Jesus said to Peter,

"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:17)

The Lord wants His under-shepherds to feed His sheep, that they may be healthy and enriched. A true love to the Lord is a true love for his sheep. Shepherds do well for the flock if they bring them often to good pastures. Malnourished sheep can clearly be distinguished. I know of some cases in which good members left a church because they felt undernourished and were fed up with the same food staple. If nobody likes eating the same food all the time, certainly nobody wants to hear the same sermons either.

Jesus mixed His preaching and teaching with God's word, local stories and parables. Preaching should be interesting enough to bring them back again.

Pastors may preach the same subjects because they feel most comfortable with them or interested in them. I could understand that certain biblical subjects are not a persons forte, but we must not overlook them for any reason. Effort must be made to diversify topics for a complete Christian maturity. This is what God wants as stated in the below verse:

"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:15)

Pastor’s who do not instruct the people of God with all of God's word, will inevitably create feeble, immature Christians and naive of wisdom.

Pr 29:18 ¶ Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

The aim of any pastor or teacher, is that their disciples be capable on their own to discern what is good and evil.

I am surprised how many people have told me that they were convicted of sin or got saved or encouraged in the Lord, by some subject that had no relation to the actual message preached! The tendency is to preach some message that the orator believes the congregation needs. In some cases this may be necessary, but in general, it should not be the rule. We must remember that the church is filled with different people living different lives and with different needs. Mixed in are young Christians and mature Christians and both need the word of God at different levels.

Just as the Christian reads his Bible and moves into different subjects, so should the teacher. Church should always be an encouraging and refreshing time in the Word.

One way to avoid this problem is to allow other capable men to teach or preach. As you develop your people’s gifts in the domain of teaching and preaching, the congregation will be blessed. Often I heard a Christian say he was exhorted by the preaching of a visiting pastor, or speaker. It’s only natural, that as God works in each person differently, he will see things in another perspective. Just as God used four apostles to record his earthly ministry, and each apostle adding his own character to it, so could a lay-preacher be a blessing to his local assembly. Would you go to an ice-cream parlor that only offers vanilla? No! A single person cannot excel in all domains nor is he expected too.

So the church must receive the whole counsel of God, and if possible by different people, to enrich it with many flavors so as people come to the church, they will find something to appease their appetite.

Arthur Miriello