When A Pastor Does Not Preach The Word

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2)

Pastors are called to preach the word of God, but unfortunately, some do not preach God's word, they preach their word. They preach their own ideas of Scripture and just use the Bible to support their sermon.

There have been times I have sat through sermons where the pastor would read one verse and go on from there without referring back to the verse. It is a great offense to the church when pastors do not preach the word because it can lead to problems within their local church. What problems can there be?

First, it opens to door for the church to be naive. Some pastors will get up saying they have a "word from God" followed by verses that fit, but the "truth" they are preaching may not be Biblical truth. The church believes what the pastor is saying because he is a man of God and follow his advice.

Second, it sends a false message to lost people. Lost people will attend a service, whether they were invited or they came under their compulsion, here "the word" from the pastor, which can give them advice on how to be a better person and think to themselves, "I can watch this on Dr. Phil. Why do I need church?"

Third, we are telling God and our church, indirectly, that his word is not good enough. God has given us his word to point us to Jesus and how to live in holiness as we embrace his salvation through Jesus. God inspired 40 different human authors to write scripture that has been tested and tried and endures for generations, yet some pastors are telling him it is not good enough. Our church wants to hear from God but they are hearing is morality or good advice.

Fourth, Pastors not preaching the word can lead us to idolatry. One idol it can lead us to is the pastor. We will start treating the pastor as God instead of turning our affections for God. Another idol not preaching the word can lead us to is ourselves. If all we hear is good advice on how to be a better person or how to be a successful Christian, then we turn our attention on ourselves with no room for the Holy Spirit to work in us. Christians worship God by the preaching of the word, so, if a pastor is not preaching the Bible, what god are they worshipping?

Finally, it does not equip the saints for ministry. Ephesians 4:11-12 says that pastors (shepherd's in the ESV) are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry. How believers be equipped if they refuse to preach the word. How can the saints be edified from the word when all they are getting is ideas about God.

Pastors, if you are not preaching the word, repent and start preaching. Do not apologize for being a faithful preacher of the word. For those pastors who are preaching the word faithfully, thank you for not being afraid of preaching the word. Thank you for embracing God's call on your life and having confidence in the Scriptures.