I want everyone to think about something for a few minutes.
When you go to church and hear the preacher give his sermon, what are you listening for?
(1) Words of Encouragment
(2) Nice words that neither hurt nor help, they just take up the hour service.
(3) Admonishments that make you feel about 2 feet tall
(4) Encouragements for how to live your life in a godly fashion and corrections for things that we humans find ourselves doing that we shouldn't.
I hope you answered number 4.
Let's look at the other 3 first.
(1) Words of Encouragment
I used to attend a church where the preacher once said that he would never deliver a "hell, fire and damnation" sermon because people didn't want to hear that anymore. Well, people might not want to hear it. The Pharisees and Saducees didn't want to hear what Jesus had to say to them. But he did it anyway. Sure, a pastor should lift up his congregation and assure them that can live a godly life. But when all you do is constantly preach "prosperity" all the time, sooner or later people are going to be hungry for more. That is what happened to me and my wife, and that is why we left our former church.
(2) Nice words that neither hurt nor help, they just take up the hour service.
These are the services where everyone sits, half nod off and when the choir sings the invitation hymn, everyone gathers their things and prepares to sprint for the door.
Watch the number of churches in decline today and in almost every one of them you'll find this scenario. People used to attend church "because that is what you were supposed to do, especially here in the south." No one does this anymore, except maybe a few senior adults who aren't dead or in the nursing homes. People want to attend something where they feel that they are making good use of their time, i. e. learning something!
(3) Admonishments that make you feel about 2 feet tall
You don't have to brow beat a person to get your message through. Yes, point out the errors in their ways and show them what they need to do to correct it, but don't beat someone down to the point that they feel that they will never measure up. If this is all anyone ever hears, they won't keep coming for long!
And now for the rest of the story!
(4) Encouragements for how to live your life in a godly fashion and corrections for things that we humans find ourselves doing that we shouldn't.
We all want someone to tell us that we are doing a great job. We want a "pat on the back" at some point in our lives. That is our human nature. But we also need to know how not to get on the wrong path in life, and if we find ourselves there, we need to know how to get back to God.
Sermons need to be well rounded so that the congregation can grow in their spiritual and daily walk right now. Pastors need to listen to what is going on around them and address the issues that the congregation and the world around them is facing.
This is why an "in person" preacher is so much better than a TV preacher. They don't know what is going on locally and inside your church. You need someone who you can go to on a personal basis for counseling and prayer (not sending 5 bucks for a prayer cloth to some greedy person).
Then you can learn and grow in your knowledge of the bible and in what God would have you do with your life.
That is what makes a church prosper!
When you go to church and hear the preacher give his sermon, what are you listening for?
(1) Words of Encouragment
(2) Nice words that neither hurt nor help, they just take up the hour service.
(3) Admonishments that make you feel about 2 feet tall
(4) Encouragements for how to live your life in a godly fashion and corrections for things that we humans find ourselves doing that we shouldn't.
I hope you answered number 4.
Let's look at the other 3 first.
(1) Words of Encouragment
I used to attend a church where the preacher once said that he would never deliver a "hell, fire and damnation" sermon because people didn't want to hear that anymore. Well, people might not want to hear it. The Pharisees and Saducees didn't want to hear what Jesus had to say to them. But he did it anyway. Sure, a pastor should lift up his congregation and assure them that can live a godly life. But when all you do is constantly preach "prosperity" all the time, sooner or later people are going to be hungry for more. That is what happened to me and my wife, and that is why we left our former church.
(2) Nice words that neither hurt nor help, they just take up the hour service.
These are the services where everyone sits, half nod off and when the choir sings the invitation hymn, everyone gathers their things and prepares to sprint for the door.
Watch the number of churches in decline today and in almost every one of them you'll find this scenario. People used to attend church "because that is what you were supposed to do, especially here in the south." No one does this anymore, except maybe a few senior adults who aren't dead or in the nursing homes. People want to attend something where they feel that they are making good use of their time, i. e. learning something!
(3) Admonishments that make you feel about 2 feet tall
You don't have to brow beat a person to get your message through. Yes, point out the errors in their ways and show them what they need to do to correct it, but don't beat someone down to the point that they feel that they will never measure up. If this is all anyone ever hears, they won't keep coming for long!
And now for the rest of the story!
(4) Encouragements for how to live your life in a godly fashion and corrections for things that we humans find ourselves doing that we shouldn't.
We all want someone to tell us that we are doing a great job. We want a "pat on the back" at some point in our lives. That is our human nature. But we also need to know how not to get on the wrong path in life, and if we find ourselves there, we need to know how to get back to God.
Sermons need to be well rounded so that the congregation can grow in their spiritual and daily walk right now. Pastors need to listen to what is going on around them and address the issues that the congregation and the world around them is facing.
This is why an "in person" preacher is so much better than a TV preacher. They don't know what is going on locally and inside your church. You need someone who you can go to on a personal basis for counseling and prayer (not sending 5 bucks for a prayer cloth to some greedy person).
Then you can learn and grow in your knowledge of the bible and in what God would have you do with your life.
That is what makes a church prosper!
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