Who's Filling the Pulpit?

Preaching is getting a bad rap these days. In a fast-moving, information-saturated society, why should a group of people sit passively and listen to one person explain the fine points of an ancient book? In a day when many question the very existence of truth, how can a preacher dare to say, "Believe this—it's the Word of God"? In a culture that says, "Don't judge us or tell us how to live," what gives anyone the right to stand up and announce, "God says you need to change your ways"? When you can discover whatever you need to know through an Internet search or a slick TV production, why come to church and listen to an ordinary man give a little speech?

The dictionary defines a sermon as (1) a "religious discourse" (sounds boring, doesn't it?), and (2) "an annoying harangue" (as when someone says, "I don't need to hear a sermon from you!").

The Necessity of Preaching

Yet, preaching serves a vital function. Without preaching, how will we avoid being like ancient Israel, where there was a "famine of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11)? Without preaching, how will we communicate the gospel and make disciples of the lost (Romans 10:14-17)? Isn't preaching an essential ingredient if we're going to make disciples of the nations, baptize them, and teach them to observe the Lord's commands (Matthew 28:19, 20)? Doesn't biblical preaching follow in the footsteps of the faithful apostles and prophets of old? Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). The apostle Paul insisted, "I am compelled to preach" (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Wasn't preaching important to the Son of God himself? Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 4:17). At the core of Jesus' mission was his desire "to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). He told his disciples, "As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near'" (Matthew 10:7). His preaching was so compelling and powerful that large crowds gathered to hear the Word of God from his lips (Luke 5:1).

The Relevance of Preaching

Good sermons are anything but boring. They educate and motivate. They arouse courage, bring comfort, and stir conviction. They inform, persuade, guide, and enlighten. Effective sermons change lives—not because the preacher is great, but because the Word of God is great! It's "living and active." It "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). John Killinger wrote, "People are not tired of preaching but of non-preaching, of badly garbled, irrelevant drivel that has in so many places passed for preaching because there was no real preaching to measure it against."

One day a young minister visited a neighboring town where he stopped at the local barbershop. The barber asked, "So, what brings you to town?"

The preacher said, "I'm visiting the church down the street. I'm going to be filling the pulpit tonight."

"Oh, really?" the barber inquired. "Filling the pulpit with what?"

That's the key question. It's not enough just to "supply the pulpit" and fill 20 to 30 minutes on Sunday morning. The pulpit needs to be filled by a preacher who is filled with the Spirit. The pulpit needs to be filled with a sincere, heart-felt, thought-provoking, Spirit-empowered, well-prepared presentation of God's life-saving grace. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) said, "I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men."

"We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5). And that's why, however the church may choose to package its ministry, preaching will always be a vital part of the package.