What Causes Biblical Ignorance-Part 2

Last week, we looked at the first cause of Biblical ignorance which we have defined as Christians being unaware of what is contained in the Bible and think that anyone or anything that comes in the name of God is Biblical. Today, we are going to look at the second cause of Biblical ignorance which is lack of Biblical preaching.

Now some of you are probably already thinking that you heard preaching this week in corporate worship where the pastor was passionate about what he was preaching and God moved in our midst. Others might say we had a great service because an athlete, who is a Christian, talked with our pastor and gave his testimony. Others may say, we sang songs to God all morning long. You may have been in a worship service this Sunday, but you may not have heard Biblical preaching. Your pastor may have read from the Bible but his sermon had nothing to do with the text. So many pastors are guilty of letting the text serve the sermon rather than the sermon serving the text. The point of Biblical preaching to proclaim what God has written in His Word and apply it to our daily life.

Some preachers will preach only to keep their numbers up. In some churches they will pick and choose what to preach from and skip over the rest of the Bible because they do not want to confuse their people. Problem is some people in the church do not even pick up a Bible to see what God has written through 40 different authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Some do not talk about sin because they do not want to offend people. That is where people in the church can fall into sin and they are not even aware of it because they do not read the Bible nor their pastor preach from the Bible.

Your pastor may be a gentle man who loves people, but may not be faithful in preaching the Bible. Paul wrote to Timothy that all of Scripture is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is meant to be taught by faithful men so we can be equipped for works of ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-12). Christian, did you feel (not to base your salvation or Christian walk on feelings) equipped to do the work of ministry in the world around you? Have you ever felt convicted of sin from hearing the Word preached? Did you get to know more about God or know God better through the preaching of the Word?

In closing, remember the charge Paul gave Timothy after declaring that Scripture is God-breathed:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (2 Timothy 4:1-4).