1. Some people love to hear themselves speak… they should not be preaching;

2. Some people hate to bring up hard topics… they should be careful about preaching;

3. Many, if not most, sermons in America today have lost the “Power.”

Paul makes it very clear that the WORD is a WORD OF POWER. Teachings can be merely teachings, even when exegetical. Just as following the law for the sake of following the law doesn’t make us holy, neither does preaching a Biblical sermon make it powerful.

But Paul speaks of POWER being the differentiator between the real and fake gospels. (He doesn’t go into detail about what he means, I think because he assumes we all know what he means already, because the POWER is supposed to abound!)

Yet in our culture we don’t have much power in our words. I assume this is because we have watered it down through the enlightenment age followed by “holy tolerance.” Thou shalt not offend has become the primary law of political correctness, and most sermons cater to that (I myself would have a hard time not catering to it were I a preacher, because I have trained myself to be quite anti-confrontational.)

But I think that the POWER Paul refers to is the POWER OF THE SPIRIT to Heal the Sick, Cast out Demons, Raise the Dead, and Forgive Sins. And how will their sins be forgiven if they are not told to them? And how will it be told to them if no one speaks?

I’m not saying that we should go around calling everyone sinners and pointing out their issues. That’s highly pharisaical and an easy temptation to fall into (the opposite extreme from “thou shalt not offend”). But neither can we just say “it’s OK, God Understands” and then expect healings, salvations, and changed lives. There’s a FULL GOSPEL message, the GOOD NEWS only makes sense in the context of the BAD NEWS. And the HOLY SPIRIT comes in power as the word of God is spoken boldly and shamelessly (and correctly).

I also agree that we shouldn’t merely live our faith by example. The notion of “I preach the gospel by my lifestyle” is necessary, but by itself incomplete. Without speaking, people can and will misinterpret our example. The example must be there, but it must be accompanied by words & testimony in order for the glory to be given to God and for anyone to see the relationship between my lifestyle and the Gospel.

In Christ,
Bob Smiley

The difference between theory and reality is that, in theory, there is no difference.