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I have taken a liking to studying God’s word recently. As I have been introduced over the past two weeks to the expository and exegetical study of the Bible, my knowledge of who God is and what His plan looks like is unfolding with every breath of scripture.
This, however, raises some concern. The teaching and preaching of the Bible over the past few years has been narrowly watered down and spoon fed to congregations with a strong lack of conviction from the Spirit and worse yet there is a lack of expository preaching from the pulpit (whether that is a true pulpit or a stage or soapbox). I see two groups affected by this dilemma. 1) There is the postmodern gang who feels that all things are relative; truth, morality and naturally, scripture. The Bible to them has become just another piece of literature that is mediocre at best which is at looked only to criticize and denounce as unimportant. I have even heard the statement that the words of Christ hold the only importance in the Bible, everything else is too questionable. I feel that once their mind is made up, the idea of expository preaching no longer (if it ever) appeals to them. They would rather look to the writings of Thomas Merton or Augustine for any sort of truth but dare not acknowledge that these authors searched for Biblical truth, not relative truth. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good solid reading of ancient writing, but this ought never take the place of the old and new testament canons. 2) I think that perhaps this class may be more dangerous than the previous. I have been seeing a growing popularity for topical sermons that speak to the 35-60 age range. Now, I do know that there are plenty of resources and places of worship around that put a great emphasis on the exegesis of scripture. Yet, there are still churches that demand that their congregation is in need of topical sermons only. The problem with this is that when the topic decided the direction of any sermon, scripture is ruled out and the personal opinions regarding tithing/divorce/homosexuality/abortion etc. rise to the surface and suppress any evidence of the Spirit. The outcome is a mediocre discipleship that is bent on making a political statement rather than living a life that is, as Paul says in Philippians, worthy of the Gospel.
Does this resonate with anyone else? Let’s hear some comments.
