“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Monologue preaching is a thing of the past. No one wants to listen to someone talk at them any longer. Furthermore, Bible-thumping lectures are only going to cause division and derision. The fastest way to make your church irrelevant to this culture is to preach lengthy Bible-centered messages. “The Bible says” simply does not matter anymore. At least that’s what many people are saying.
Even many people inside of American Evangelicalism are leaving Bible-explaining and doctrine-rich preaching behind. But is this shift compatible with the Word of God and the church that Word creates?
There is one question that will clear away all our confusion: “Has God spoken?”
If the answer is “no,” then let every man and woman do as they please. But if the answer is “yes,” then how dare we do anything else but expose ourselves to God’s Word?
“Preach the word” is the command of God upon every preacher. And this command has implications for the listener too. God is known in His Word, and every Christian who delights in God will delight in His Word, and he or she will delight in hearing His Word eagerly explained and illuminated.
May God graciously grant that we would delight in Him, in His Word, and delight in the kind of preaching that stirs and challenges us to do so.
Holding the Line 