10. When we focus on one people group to the exclusion of other groups.
I have been with preachers who have preached to the ethnic majority of their churches and made every other ethnic person feel uncomfortable! I have even been in services where they spoke against my ethnicity and said something like, “With all due respect to you and your kind,” from the pulpit! There have been folks who have left certain churches because they catered only to the young, the old, the rich, the singles, the poor, etc.
Although God has given each congregation and preacher a different field and people to focus on, we need to minister in a way that represents God’s heart to all people! God is not Anglo-centric, Afro-centric, Sino-centric, Indo-centric or Hispano-centric! God is not only the God of the poor, but also of the wealthy! God is concerned with both the old and the young and so loved the world (John 3:16)!
Preachers have also wrapped the gospel around their particular political party or nation and preach as if only the United States (or their nation) is destined by God to bless the world. The blessing will come from the seed of Abraham—not any one particular nation (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; 17:5-7; Galatians 3:29)!
Those who intentionally preach an ethno-centric gospel to the exclusion of other human beings impart to their congregations their own biases rather than the heart of God for all people!
11. When we are merely echoes and not a voice.
Many preachers are so busy with activity, they have to get their sermons online from other preachers!
In violation of Acts 6:2-40, I have known several pastors who merely copy and paste the words and commentaries of other preachers and never receive a word from the Lord regarding what He is saying to the church!
Furthermore, this technological (information) age is tempting those of us who preach to depend upon Bible software breakthroughs (like Logos and others) rather than the Holy Spirit! The result is that we have great rhetoric without anointing; we have great words without great unction, concepts without conviction and crowds without disciples!
I have known several great communicators who spend little time seeking the face of God. Even though they preach great messages, there is something missing.
They are merely echoes of other preachers instead of speaking as a prophetic voice from the throne of God! In these troubling days, our congregation is going to need more than great oratory, historical information, witty quotes and video presentations. They need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church in order to thrive in this culture saturated by secularism!
