What Happened to Expository Preaching?

[Guest shiloh357]

One really good expository preacher sitll on the radio is a great Presbyterian pastor now passed away, named J. Vernon McGee. His type are definitely a dying breed. It is refeshing to hear a preacher simply preach from the text of Scripture.

[gypc]

Alistair Begg is man of God who speaks the wisdom of God.

Here is the link to his website CLICK

Go to daily broadcast and click on to his radio program.........

[Christ's Free Servant]

I REMEMBER CHRIST QUOTING SCPRITURE....BUT I DO NOT RECALL HIM PREACHING EXPOSITORYLY,....I BELIEVE THAT HE USED PARABLES...SIMPLE ILLUSTRATIONS WHICH WERE TRUE.....

Just a thought here, but Jesus IS the Word made flesh among us. His words ARE scripture. So, anytime he preached, he was speaking the Word of the Lord. Right?

The pastor I grew up under was an expository preacher, but he also used stories and he often preached topics rather than book by book, chapter by chapter. But, he had us in scripture after scripture after scripture. We had to know where the books of the Bible were located just to keep up with him. And, he picked those scriptures apart, word by word, phrase by phrase until we understood what they meant.

It bothers me when a preacher barely opens the Word of God, for it is the Word that speaks to men's hearts. But scripture only, with no practical application is what? It is just knowledge. I think the Lord gives stories to help illustrate Biblical truths to help the readers to identify with what is being said so that they can apply it to their lives. Too much story telling without much of the Word is dangerous as is too much study (knowledge) without application of the Word in our lives.

[CallMeBernard]

My church practices expository preaching- and I thank God for it.

Example, we recently did a series (over 3 weeks) on Haggai, going through the entire book. The preacher (our assistant pastor) used this book to explore the principles of re-building Christ's Church, so we (the congregation) got to see the whole book in context and learn basic principles from it.

[Christ's Free Servant]

My church practices expository preaching- and I thank God for it.

Example, we recently did a series (over 3 weeks) on Haggai, going through the entire book. The preacher (our assistant pastor) used this book to explore the principles of re-building Christ's Church, so we (the congregation) got to see the whole book in context and learn basic principles from it.

That's cool! The pastor I have now goes through entire books of the Bible, too, and I think that is great, because we learn what the scriptures say in the context of how they were written. I also think it is great when pastors are not afraid to teach from books like Haggai. Habakkuk is one of my favorite books, but I only really discovered it a couple of years ago (to my shame) because my grandmother kept quoting from it in her journals, which I had just acquired. I also made a commitment two years ago to read through the entire Bible. I had read through the NT hundreds of times and many of the OT books, but there were some OT books that I had barely scratched the surface on, so this was good discipline for me to learn much of what I had previously overlooked.

[CallMeBernard]

I'm with you on Habbakkuk. The first time I read it properly (as opposed to skimming through) and saw it in comparison to other prophetic books, I was staggered. Most other prophets come to warn the Jews that God's judgement is coming and to repent of their sins; Habbakkuk actually goes to God and asks for it! And the last chapter is a hymn, to be sung along to, not just read out aloud. Oh, I could go on and on..........

[systemstrike_7]

This is somewhat on subject but saw it and thought it was disturbing.

I was watching BET on Sunday night one week and this man (forgot his name) was selling "miracle water packets". Basically he said that God gave him this miracle water and if we want to have financial success in life, then we should drink it, but he said that we have to follow his directions very carefully to get our gain. I thought this was horribly disturbing. People (no doubt actors) would give their testimony on how they become rich and successful after they drank the "miracle water".

And I'm sorry if this offends anyone who might have bought a packet and got "financial blessings" from God, but I do not think we are to use God for financial blessings. If I remember correctly Jesus himself asked his disciples, "How hard is it for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? It is easier for a camel to fit in the head of a needle" (I paraphrased).

Just thought I would throw that in there.

In Christ,

system

[gypc]

This is somewhat on subject but saw it and thought it was disturbing.

I was watching BET on Sunday night one week and this man (forgot his name) was selling "miracle water packets". Basically he said that God gave him this miracle water and if we want to have financial success in life, then we should drink it, but he said that we have to follow his directions very carefully to get our gain. I thought this was horribly disturbing. People (no doubt actors) would give their testimony on how they become rich and successful after they drank the "miracle water".

And I'm sorry if this offends anyone who might have bought a packet and got "financial blessings" from God, but I do not think we are to use God for financial blessings. If I remember correctly Jesus himself asked his disciples, "How hard is it for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? It is easier for a camel to fit in the head of a needle" (I paraphrased).

Just thought I would throw that in there.

In Christ,

system

It shouldn't offend any of us because it's a system of faith outside of Christ crucified. These are false teachers who are making merchandise of God's people through covetousness.

2nd Peter 2:1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

[Marnie]

This is somewhat on subject but saw it and thought it was disturbing.

I was watching BET on Sunday night one week and this man (forgot his name) was selling "miracle water packets". Basically he said that God gave him this miracle water and if we want to have financial success in life, then we should drink it, but he said that we have to follow his directions very carefully to get our gain. I thought this was horribly disturbing. People (no doubt actors) would give their testimony on how they become rich and successful after they drank the "miracle water".

And I'm sorry if this offends anyone who might have bought a packet and got "financial blessings" from God, but I do not think we are to use God for financial blessings. If I remember correctly Jesus himself asked his disciples, "How hard is it for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? It is easier for a camel to fit in the head of a needle" (I paraphrased).

Just thought I would throw that in there.

In Christ,

system

Miracle water packets, water in viles from the Dead Sea, prayer clothes...there's a sucker born ever minute!

[child_of_iam]

I would like to say that not all pastors preach the truth, they preach a truth watered down. There are still many who speak the truth from the pulpit but there are multitudes of people who don't want the truth. The problem is not with the multitudes but with the pastors who give-in to there whims. When a pastor stands on the word and doesn't give-in one of two things will happen. One, the people will hear the truth and the people will divide into two groups, those who want the truth and those who don't. I have seen many board meetings break out into arguments over what the preacher is preaching and the leadership gives in to the people. The problem with leadership in the church today is that they don't want to make anyone angry or uncomfortable or take the chance of someone leaving. The problem with most leadership today is that they are voted in by people or chosen by fellow leadership without ever consulting the Lord in a rightful manner.

The second thing that could happen to a pastor who stands on the word and doesn't give-in is he gets fired. Preachers today are a dime a dozen but preachers called and seperated by the hand of G-d are hard to find. In times of old there was only one church per community and today we either have a church on every corner or a liquor store. There has been a great loss in todays socity of the churches impact on our communities because of the lack of a G-dly leadership choesen by G-d, instead we have chosen our leadership and suffer. Doesn't this sound alot like when the Hebrew people chose Saul to be there king and didn't want G-d's imput. They wanted what they wanted so they got what they got!

Child_of_IAM