The PuritanBoard - View Single Post - To Preach Yourself Or To Not Preach Yourself

ChristopherPaul · #11 (**permalink**) 04-03-2008, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A5pointer

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristopherPaul

There is a conviction within Reformed pulpits that I was not aware of until I moved to NC and traveled around to different churches around the country last summer.

My pastor is convicted to only read and explain the text. He rarely adds any application and feels the Holy Spirit will apply the text to those who hear. Some in my church really appreciate his style and other prefer more of a Puritan Style that includes application.

Then there are some pulpits where no emotion is included at all (i.e. monotone words only) in order to not distract from the preached word.
In many cases it is not so much a preference but a conviction of the Minister.

Our congregation is blessed to have as a member a fill in preacher who preaches like this. He is not a pastor but and ordained minister who makes his living as a trial laywer. His sermons display no emotion. However they are so well planned out displaying logic and conviction. When he preaches you could hear a pin drop, the mind does not wander away from his argument. His legal training and trial experience offer a unique gift that makes him an effective preacher. Half the congregation was left in tears one Sunday(probably the Christians

) after he preached on the Uzza account. His thesis was that one cannot aprehend grace until God's right judgement and wrath is embraced. Anyway, this would be my favorite style but the gift seems to be rare.

I have heard that this was the manner in which Jonathan Edwards delivered is infamous sermon, Sinners in the hands of an Angry God.

It is not the most popular style, but I can see how some ministers can have this conviction. The word of God will be effective, not their public speaking skills.

We can infer from the scriptures that even the Apostle Paul was not the most powerful public speaker. He was criticized for being more mighty in letter than in person and you gotta be pretty dry if one of your listeners falls asleep to the point they fall out of a window to their death (!).

So they may have a point.