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

ChristopherPaul · #12 (**permalink**) 04-03-2008, 09:37 AM

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Originally Posted by JBaldwin

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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.

While I believe most of the sermon should be explaining the text, I think it is valuable for the pastor to use sermon illustrations, and on the occasion (if it will help to clarify the text) to use examples from his personal life. Look at the sermons of Jesus; He used illustrations and stories all the time. Paul also used personal examples.

The best sermons I have heard are those which focus on explaining the Scripture, but throw in examples when they help make a point more clear.

Your "best" and my "best" may be two different things. Personally I agree with you and I prefer the Puritan style over the Redemptive Historical that does not include application. It takes much more work on my part as the listener to follow the sermon with no application than it does when the preacher just goes ahead and rips my soul to shreds and revives me with the gospel week after week. But then again I think we should not be afraid to "work" at hearing a sermon so much.

Bottom line is that each preacher does or perhaps should have a conviction where to preach any other way would be a violation of conscience. In my case my Pastor would be sinning if he preached in any other way. And many in the congregation appreciate his style where only scripture is explained and nothing else is added or taken away.

I find I like the Al Martin approach, but that may just be due to the many years I was entertained at the seeker churches where I could sit back with my Starbucks and turn my brain off for 20 minutes while the "Pastor" (motivational Speaker) did his act. That was one extreme where The Ben Stein ("Bueller?") voiced, preached word only, approach is the other extreme.