Preachers & Their Churches

Much is said these days about pastors neglecting the proper, biblically expected, and in fact required work of giving themselves to the preaching of the Word of God. By and large, the majority of men filling our pulpits have tragically given themselves to a seeker-driven, customer knows best, culturally sensitive, and God-diminishing brand of sermonizing unknown to the prophets and apostles in our Bibles whose preaching was more often than not introduced by the clarion call “Thus saith the Lord”. On the other hand, not much seems to be said, at least in my hearing, about those churches that accept this kind of preaching as the norm and see nothing empty, powerless, anemic, or do I dare say it, wrong with it. While many are asking, “where are the men?” I am wondering “where are the churches?” I mean, whatever happened to those churches that took their calling as “the pillars and supporters of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) seriously and insisted, no, demanded that their preachers “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim. 4:2)? Perhaps, if more churches understood and took to heart their calling more preachers would too. As in the riddle about the chicken and the egg, the question of who comes first, thus resulting in the other, the Bible preaching preacher or the Bible believing church—neither is independent or unnecessary to the other. Personally speaking, as a man who has pastored a couple churches, here and there, I have always preached best to those churches, who like Cornelius, in speaking to Peter in Acts 10:33, make it a point to remind me: “. . . Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”