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Some thoughts on Preaching

I hope the following will help both the minster and the church, we can so easly get lost on what is the mission and roles we play in serving God. Being these things were heavey in my heart I felt the need to share them with you. I have been there, walked those miles, learned the hard way, I hope to spare you some of the hard lessons I have learned. Enjoy, you don’t have to agree with me that’s ok.

I have always believed if you can capture the heart of the youth you can build a nation. I worked with children's church for seven years, and was youth leader for many more, I used to do a lot of youth revivals and young people are the garden. The seed planted now will never be gone, of course then in many ways the people we Minster too is all that way. I used to tell people the real Minster is nothing more then a farmer. We plant, we water, and God brings the harvest.

I have done many years worth of work with the AG's being allowed to preach in many of the churches and some very close relationships with their pastors, but I'm not AG. I was ordained General Baptist, but I guess the truth is I'm independent non-denominational. I have over the years reached the conclusion that no one group is really right or wrong. I prefer to grab what I think the truth of the bible is from each one and use it by the leading of the Spirit.

My experience is that many churches do a lot of changing pastors, the average lives of their pastors are not very good with any group; A bout two to five years. Anytime you see a pastor make it past ten you are seeing something rare. It is my feelings that a pastor should be voted on by the people of the congregation. The term should be until either God tells the pastor to leave or he has done something that is soundly against the Word, at which time the church should decide rather to keep him or let him go. I would hope if he did something against the Word, that first he would repent, and apologize to the church and they would continue to keep him knowing he will be better for the mistake. If he fails to do those things then they would have no choice but to dismiss him.

I do not believe in terms for a pastor, this is not a government job but the work of a shepherd. It takes more then a year or two to build a strong integrity in a community and to build a family, think bout it, it takes nine months for a baby to be born and how much longer for it to grow into a adult. Why would you think you could elect a pastor and in a year he will have done the miracles in your church. In fact, why would you elect a pastor God did not tell you too, and then if he told you to hire him, why would you fire him because he preached something you didn’t like. Isn’t that the whole point of having a Minster, to lead you, teach you, challenge you, step on your toes.

A Minster that does not get close to your spiritual place of living is out of touch with God. If you don’t see people get upset or angry and some even leave, he’s not preaching the word. No family is always in perfect peace, no father never needs to get on to his children, no wife I ever knew didn’t find cause to get on to her husband from time to time either. So Minster's should expect to have someone not always agree with what they do. The key is doing what you do by Gods Spirit but don’t blame God for the stuff he didn’t have anything to do with.

Like its not God that caused the fight over the carpet, or the baby’s crying in the service, he is not the one that made you get angry and say something you should not have, you can’t blame him because you spent more then you took in. God wasn’t the one that had the PA system to loud, or failed to allow someone to sing that felt led to. Come on its time to know the difference.

I know of no other group of people that have been robbed more often by their pastors then the churches of today. They rob them by not doing the job God called them to do. They often rob them because they are allowed to handle the church money, which should never be done. No Minster in his right mind would even let that happen. I personally do not even want to take a salary from a church, why, because then the people think of you as a hired servant to do there biding. You are a servant to them but one appointed by God to do Gods biding. The two often conflict in trying to please people you rarely please God, them, your family and most of all you can't be happy either. Please God always, ever thing else then must take care of its self.

Also to be ordained by most denominations, they have a very ridged study course you must take, and many churches think you must have a degree to preach or be a good pastor. Some denominations force the preacher to agree to pay tithes directly to the General assembly. I disagree with both of the above,

Here is why I disagree; one no where does the bible support any kind of study other then the word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

1 Cor 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

1 Cor 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

1 Cor 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Cor 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Cor 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1 Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

1 Cor 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

1 Cor 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

1 Cor 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

1 Cor 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Cor 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Cor 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.

2 Cor 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things.

2 Cor 11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Seems to me God often called farmers and men of no education to preach (be a prophet) and no where does the bible teach the Levi's to tithe it is the other way around. The Levi's were the priest and singers and so forth and were to be supported by the other 11 tribes of Israel. And in the new testament the Minster was to be supported by the people so they could spend all there time ministering.

Num 18:26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.

Yes I know, they would say by giving to the group you are meeting this verse in the bible. I say, you come nearer meeting that verse when you take your part and put it back into the church you pastor, or the community in which you pastor. I personally put mine into other churches in our town or in meeting needs of folks in and around us that the church couldn't.

Unfortunately even most full time pastors today rob the church and God because they spend very little time doing the job they are paid for.

Many are to busy watching TV, going fishing, doing work around the house, sitting on the seat of their pants, reading, hunting and going to the malls and Wal-Mart. Some spend days to write out a message, to prepare notes and outlines. God help us, we should be spending days studying and praying and witnessing and going into the community to teach, witness and lead, visiting in the homes and hospitals, and when it comes time to preach, trust God for the words of the hour for the people that is there.

It is a shame how many times I have heard people say to me, my pastor will never go to the hospital, I invite him over and he never comes to my house. Now I am not advocating just going to folk’s houses all the time, some like that others don’t but meet the needs of the people you serve. Ouch, serve, yes your job is to serve them.

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Luke 22:26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

Luke 22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

I have heard Pastors say they are not baby sitters. Show me that in the Bible! In fact you are to be,

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Gal 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

Gal 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

Gal 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Seems to me that makes us baby sitters, and almost anything else needed to reach hearts of those around us. If you don’t care enough about the people you serve to be a servant but think you should be the master you should not be a preacher, you have much you need to be taught.

How sad to have to sit and listen to well written but no spirit filled message. Often messages that were prepared and repreached over and over. Many evangelist only have a small brief case of sermons, so if you hear them at one church for a couple weeks and then follow them to the next, you will only hear the same things over with little new added. This is not what God word teaches.

I am not saying its wrong to make notes or even write a sermon, its wrong to let that be our leg to stand on. When you face a group, and you look into that crowd of faces, God knows there hearts and the needs of what they should be taught, why not let him give the direction and words, if you see in the faces they are going to sleep why continue to bore them in to not coming next week. The best messages ever preached were from the heart, from the Spirit and usually not very long.

A message should have a point to the listener, often messages say a lot, yet say nothing. Lots of nice sounding words that give little or no real direction.

Someone stopped me the other day and asked for directions to get back to the highway, my brother was there with me, I told them the fastest way back to the highway was to turn around and go back 11 miles and they would be there. My brother said or you can go this way, and begin to tell them go up here make a left then go to and make another left, then you go to and make a right. The person asking was not only from another state but another country. I said, stop, you will have them so lost by so many turns to get back to the place you requested this requires only a u turn. Then my brother and I asked where they were headed for, they told us the city they were looking for, "ah, forget all you have been told, the route you were going to take is both longer and more places to get lost, go back on the road you were on go straight to the highway ahead go west it takes you all the way to where you want to go with no turns."

This is a perfect illustration of what preachers do, we give so much directions we lose them with the turns and doctrines and rules and just plain stop and go signs, find out where the Holy Spirit wants to send them then give them the shortest simplest directions.

How often we try to send them back where they been because we don't know and they don't know where they are really going too. The real trick in serving God is to know where they are and how to get them to the next place on the map with out getting them lost.

I feel so strongly that church is in deep trouble today and the answer is not in better colleges or study courses or more rules or in how you pay money or what Dr. so and so says. It’s in the word and his spirit.

I would not walk across the street to hear a man preach that says he does not have God speak to him in a audio voice.

Why?

Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
John 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Acts 7:31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
Acts 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Acts 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Acts 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Gee seems some preachers could not be shaken.....'s'

2 Pet 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2 Pet 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

How can you be called if you can not hear, I guess I'm just saying we often try to give directions with out first hearing the directions we are to give.

So we miss teaching the things important to salvation. If I tell a man he must be born again, but I do not tell him what that means how can he do it. If I say you must live holy, but do not tell them how to get to the place of being holy what have I told him of value. If I say sin not, but don't tell them what is sin, or how not to sin, or what to do or expect if they do sin, I have told them nothing.

Interesting we tell people to pray, but often ministers don't even know how to pray. Many years ago I was in a revival in a small country church in Hope AK. and when the altar call came a young man who had been going to that church from the time he was a child, turned to me and said I want to go to the alter but I don't know how to pray. Its interesting most can quote the Lords prayer but few can tell you what it means, and even fewer understands it was a example to be taught what and how to pray not to just say that prayer.

I'm sorry, when I feel something on my heart and led to say it I do. Please do not take offense, the bible and his word and talking bout it and studying is my favorite of all subjects.

God bless you my friend;