Well said?
Today I had a conversation with a fellow co-worker. We ended up talking a little about church, more specifically about messages at the church. She had talked about how she had gotten frustrated lately and partly was that she was not connecting with the messages. She also stated how that she knows she needs to do right and not wrong (these are more my words now) but just wasn't feeling satisfied.
Is the goal of preaching to try to get people to do right and not do wrong?
It seems like some of the major emphases of preaching would be:
- to make known God's will to us as displayed within scripture
- to teach, rebuke/reproof, correct and train in righteousness
- to show off the Word - that is Jesus Christ
A response to this could be, but isn't Jesus perfect? And if we live to be like Jesus, aren't we practicing doing right and not doing wrong?
Practically it would seem the answer is yes.
But I know that we can NEVER live up to God's standard of perfection with the law, or even live up to the life that Jesus demonstrated. Any humanly attempt at gaining favor with God will be useless ... both before and after life in Christ. With Jesus we have the grace given us that no longer puts the hammer down on our lives when we do sin. However with Jesus, we have the ability to say "no" to sin and ourselves.
It would be stressful to always go to a church that states the "to do's and not to do's". Don't get me wrong, there is a responsibility to confront sin in it's various and twisted forms. I think even more stressful would be the idea that Jesus came to save us in order that we do right and wrong!
I think preaching should always point to Jesus in some way and some manner. And I mean ALL of scripture preaching. Think about it ... one of the things that Jesus did after he died was spend time with a couple of gentlemen on the road to Emmaus and explaining beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:27 ). Some believers nowadays see no reason to have Old Testament preaching done at all because it is no longer relevant to us, yet Jesus decided to exclusively use it - mainly because there was no New Testament :)
If preaching is pointing us to Jesus, what is a proper response? I believe to try and connect with him ... an actual, cerebral and/or emotional connection. I also believe as we develop this relation with him, that we will understand our new nature ... certainly that we were a broken people and that with Jesus we are restored. We have new hope within us! Hope that tells us that we don't have to live like we are filled with sin, that we are accepted by God, not because of things we have done, but things he has done.
To preach and know Jesus is enough.
Is the goal of preaching to try to get people to do right and not do wrong?
It seems like some of the major emphases of preaching would be:
- to make known God's will to us as displayed within scripture
- to teach, rebuke/reproof, correct and train in righteousness
- to show off the Word - that is Jesus Christ
A response to this could be, but isn't Jesus perfect? And if we live to be like Jesus, aren't we practicing doing right and not doing wrong?
Practically it would seem the answer is yes.
But I know that we can NEVER live up to God's standard of perfection with the law, or even live up to the life that Jesus demonstrated. Any humanly attempt at gaining favor with God will be useless ... both before and after life in Christ. With Jesus we have the grace given us that no longer puts the hammer down on our lives when we do sin. However with Jesus, we have the ability to say "no" to sin and ourselves.
It would be stressful to always go to a church that states the "to do's and not to do's". Don't get me wrong, there is a responsibility to confront sin in it's various and twisted forms. I think even more stressful would be the idea that Jesus came to save us in order that we do right and wrong!
I think preaching should always point to Jesus in some way and some manner. And I mean ALL of scripture preaching. Think about it ... one of the things that Jesus did after he died was spend time with a couple of gentlemen on the road to Emmaus and explaining beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:27 ). Some believers nowadays see no reason to have Old Testament preaching done at all because it is no longer relevant to us, yet Jesus decided to exclusively use it - mainly because there was no New Testament :)
If preaching is pointing us to Jesus, what is a proper response? I believe to try and connect with him ... an actual, cerebral and/or emotional connection. I also believe as we develop this relation with him, that we will understand our new nature ... certainly that we were a broken people and that with Jesus we are restored. We have new hope within us! Hope that tells us that we don't have to live like we are filled with sin, that we are accepted by God, not because of things we have done, but things he has done.
To preach and know Jesus is enough.