It is sad to know that Robert Schuller whom God used to build the great Crystal Cathedral and who wrote that popular and widely read book; ‘Tough Times Never Last’ has sold the church and that once thriving ministry has gone down. Why? He was dubbed by the American Press as the preacher without the gospel because of his constant antics of selling things in the pulpit without really preaching the gospel. Quite unfortunate that many young preachers are still emulating that style today. If our churches are going to make worthwhile and mighty difference in the world, we need to reexamine our pulpit practices again and again.
A. The Place of The Pulpit in The Church – Acts 2:14, 40-41; Rom. 10:13-15
Apostle Peter preached powerfully on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 souls were saved. His preaching brought immediate result and transformation to the people. God has ordained the avenue of the pulpit to convey His will, presence, power and blessings to the world -1 Cor. 1:18, 21.
1. A true pulpit must exude the power of life to the people.
2. A true pulpit must flow with God’s presence and power.
3. A true pulpit must be built on the undiluted and balanced word of God.
4. A true pulpit not only tickles the ear but also touches the heart for God.
5. A true pulpit brings comfort to the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.
6. A true pulpit is lively, relevant, life- changing and empowering.
John Wesley said; “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth”.
And Francis de sales said; “The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying not, ‘what a lovely sermon’, but, ‘I will do something”.
While Francis of Assisi also said; “The preacher is not a chef; he’s a waiter. God doesn’t want you to make the meal; He just wants you to deliver it to the table without messing it up. That’s all”.
Every Preacher Has Four World To Contend With:
- The world of the Bible.
- The world in which he lives.
- The world of the local church and
- The world within himself.
The world within every preacher will determine his preaching much more than the first three worlds. So then, your life determines your preaching.
B. Abuse of The Pulpit Today
Leonard Ravenhill said; “If Jesus preached the same message ministers preach today, He would have never been crucified”.
With particular reference to the church, the pulpit ministry has been an admixture of blessing and abuse. While in some instances, it has really helped and contributed greatly to the growth of the church, yet in another breath, it has been misused, abused and subjected to ego trip by many so-called big-name-preachers and it has in turn led to stagnation and downward spiral of the church. Many churches and gospel ministers find growth very difficult in their churches because they are in the habit of abusing the godly role of the pulpit ministry.
Apostle Paul was very emphatic in his charge to young Timothy that he must preach the word of God at all seasons to the people;
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”-2 Timothy 4:1-2
1. Entertainment: Most pulpits today only
2. thrive on entertainment. Songs, dance, comedy and plays that amuse and whip up carnal sentiments are the order of the day. Prophecies: Prophecies and prophets are the major features of churches today. To hoodwink people, meetings are arranged whereby prophecies will be the major features.
3. Prayer Points: People are crazy for prayer points today and some churches are expert in it. Instead of preaching the word of God to direct, guide, rebuke, correct and deliver the people, we give them prayer points and turn almost every service into prayer meeting.
4. Sharing: Rather than preach and teach the word of God today, many preachers only share their personal or cooked up stories in the church.
5. Appeasing People: The undiluted word of God is greatly mortgaged in many churches today because the church is built by businessmen and wealthy people who have strong say on the type of messages that must come from the pulpit.
6. Ceremonies: Too many churches are ceremony driven today. They look for one thing or the other to celebrate. If it’s not the church anniversary, it is the Senior Pastor’s birthday, marriage anniversary and wedding thanksgiving.
7. Intellectualism: Yes, we have many highly educated and intellectual juggernauts in the church today. And some of them have become preachers in the church.
8. Purposeless and Focusless: In too many pulpits, there is no direction, focus, purpose and vision. What comes out regularly doesn’t give direction and purpose to the lives of the people. Everything is rumbled and roughened up always. Many of the so-called messages lack focus, direction and purpose.
9. Castigating, Lambasting and Abusing Others: This is a pastime in too many pulpits. The pulpit time is the time to apportion blame, destroy, undermine and rain abuses on others.
10. Failure To Receive From The Lord: Too many preachers are simply pouring out human psychology on the people.
11. Self-Seeking, Self-Praise and Selfish Glory: Today, the pulpit ministry is an avenue to showcase the wealth and worth of the preacher.
12. Settling Scores And Throwing. Missiles: Today, many pulpits are being used to settle scores with perceived enemies and to assassinate others’ character.
13. Wrestling Scripture For Personal Advantage: Another way that the pulpit ministry is being grossly abused today is the ungodly practice of quoting the Scripture out of context by preachers.
14. Caricature Pulpit: Many preachers who are spiritually and mentally lazy have the habit of going to listen to other preachers.
15. Talking The Walk Without Walking The Talk: One of the glaring evidences of the abuse of the pulpit ministry today is the act of preachers talking the walk without walking the talk.
C. The Preachers’ Mirror
Watchman Nee said; “The gospel we preach must not be just something we hear from men or read from books or even conceived through our meditations. Unless it is delivered to us by God, it can serve no spiritual purpose”.
1. The Wayward Preacher
This preacher doesn’t know the Lord in an intimate and personal way. And if he does, he has somehow lost his relationship with the Lord in the maze of ministry activities. He is living a double life.
2. The Ignorant Preacher
This is a preacher that refuses to learn from anybody, claiming that the anointing upon him will teach him all things. He has very little knowledge of the scripture. He refuses to attend any Bible School or ministerial training. He mutilates the scripture when he preaches.
3. The Prophetic Preacher
In most cases, the prophetic preacher doesn’t preach. If he starts a message, midway he would turn it to prophecy session. He is much more concerned with prophecy to individuals, families and businesses than dishing out the word of God to people.
4. The Testimony/Story Preacher
Usually, the preachers in this category are those who feel they have arrived and had been in the ministry for quite some time. They will only pick a verse of the scripture and start lazing it with stories and testimonies of supposed open doors, breakthroughs, miracles and provisions that are calculated to daze and mesmerize the listeners.
5. The Noisy Preacher
This preacher shouts a lot. He believes that the anointing is in the noise. The church also erupts in shouts and noise. He announces a text and will shout it through.
Recommended Reading
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE
How To Handle Gifted And Anointed People
Ten Ways To Serve God With Your Talents
30 Reasons Why People Marry Wrongly (1)
6. The Philosopher
Preacher Wise sayings, moral quips and quotable quotes are the features and styles of the philosophical preacher. He uses the wisdom of words to hoodwink the gullible and get away with it.
7. The Erroneous Preacher
These are preachers that innovate the word of God. They teach special revelations and extra-biblical insights.
8. The Compromising Preacher
They preach for people. They water down the message to suit the demands of the people. They are afraid to preach the hard truths of the scripture so that people will not feel hurt and thereby withdraw their membership. They feed people with the bread, butter and sweets of the scripture and leave out the meat, bones and sinew that can help their personal growth in the Lord and their spirituality.
9. The Entertainer Preacher
The entertainer is a show-boy preacher. He calls it branding, but he is actually showing off. His dancing, jumping, jokes, singing and demonstrations are meant to amuse and entertain the people. His talks, not preaching are laced with vulgar words and jestings.
10. The Didactic Preacher
This preacher knows the word of God, but it’s only the letter, devoid of the Spirit. He is a theologian, arguing and proving the veracity of the scripture. However, the messages are dry, lifeless, powerless and ordinary letter that killeth. He is theologically correct but lacks the anointing and skill to bring light, life and liberation to the people through the word of God.
11. The Entrepreneur Preacher
These preachers see everything from business angle in their preaching. They usually raise business men in the church, start financial clubs, investment groups and even do entrepreneur’s services in the church on Sundays. Business, success and breakthrough principles, laws and codes are the bedrock of their sermons. People come to their churches, not to really serve the Lord but to connect with business deals.
12. The Growing Preacher
He is not a perfect preacher, but a growing one. He has made many mistakes but he is willing to learn and grow. He knows the Lord and he is committed to preaching the undiluted gospel of our Lord Jesus without fear or favour. He is bold, courageous and frank. He seeks the leading of the Holy Spirit and he is a great communicator. He connects with people because he speaks in relevant and lively ways.
D. Pulpits That Make A Difference
Lots of preachers have evolved different ways. But experts have recognized five available options for preachers when they address their hearers:
1. Preaching For The People This is Performance. When you preach for the people, you entertain, amuse and inspire them. You only motivate them, not grounding them in godly living and scriptural lifestyles.
2. Preaching At The People Cowardice. This is When you preach at the people, you are simply attacking them. And this happens when you erroneously believe that the people are your enemies.
3. Preaching Down To The People – This is Arrogance. Lots of preachers choose this option today. They downgrade and attack the self-worth of the people through their preaching.
4. Preaching Up To The People – This is Fear. In many churches, the preachers only preach what is dictated to them to preach by the boards and trustees of those churches. In such churches, there are no- go areas in the Bible.
5. Preaching To The People – This is our Calling. Preaching to the people is taking the whole gospel of Christ to them. It is preaching and teaching the truths of the scripture without fear or favour. It is declaring the whole counsel, not one- sided, to the people under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- Salient Quotes
“Preaching is to much avail, but practice is far more effective. A godly life is the strongest Hosea argument you can offer the skeptic” Ballou
“God has ordained that our preaching becomes – deeper and more winsome as we are broken, humbled and made low and desperately – dependent on grace by trials of our lives” – John Piper
“The preaching of Christ is the whip that flugs the devil. The preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes all hell shake” Charles Spurgeon.