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Pastors, Don’t Make This Mistake on Sunday

Church is every week—sometimes several times a week.

Church is like home, in that it’s regular, it’s the same people and it’s the same theme. 

Church is real life.

Church is mostly all business, not fun and games.

My wife says church is like sitting through a high school history class—it’s real, it’s important, and can sometimes be difficult or even boring. 

But in no way should we dump guilt on the class because they don’t cheer the professor, applaud right answers or leave the classroom hyped up the way they do for ball games.

This is just one more reason why everyone who takes a leading part in worship services should plan in advance what they intend to say. We should not leave it to chance, not depend on the inspiration of the moment to supply the words, and not burden ourselves and our hearers with our rants on whatever is bothering us at the moment.

The preacher who counts on the inspiration of the moment to supply the content of his extrasermonic pronouncements (what he says other than the main message) may find that instead of inspiration, what he’s feeling is frustration.

And when a frustrated preacher vents before the congregation, nothing good comes of it.

Dumping guilt on a congregation is the easiest thing in the world to do. Since everyone in the room is a flawed sinner, the list of infractions could be endless.

Pastors who flesh out their sermons with condemnations of various sins will never lack for material. And, yes, plenty of members will consider this good preaching.

Whether the Lord does or not is another matter altogether.