Confidence in the Preached Word

Pastor John MacArthur - A true expositor 

[4:1] 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 [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. [3] 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, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. [5] As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
(2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

With these words , Paul lays down to Timothy the most important task of a preacher, preach the word. For a long time , this was the most important task of the Pastor .It was lost for a time during a dark age of the Chruch , when the Roman Catholic Church became corrupt and the word of God became secondary to all sorts of traditions of men.Then came a Monk called Luther in the 1500's and the reformation put the word preached back to its proper place. Since the reformation , those who hold to Reformed theology , one of the clear distinctives is the emphasis on the word of God . In most Churches who are still strong in the Reformed traditions , the pulpit is front and center , with an open Bible.

One thing you will not find is a seeker sensitive driven worship. There is a seriousness but a joyful reverence that is there . I will be honest , I hate gimmicks . A loose and open atmosphere is not my cup of tea. Having skits during the sermon , showing a video , using props , for me , cheapens worship.It does not take what Paul said to Timothy to heart.

Worship should all move toward the proclamation of the word. From the opening, to the songs , there should be an emphasis we are moving to an encounter with God . Believing doesn't come by dressing up , showing videos that disrupt the flow of the sermon but the proclamation of the word . The preaching of the cross of Christ. Gimmicks to me, show the Pastor or Church , do not have the confidence in the word plainly preached to produce results. That they do not trust the Holy Spirit to do His job of taking the preached word and regenerate hearts of dead sinners.

It is a sombre thing to preach the word. The Pastor who cheapens this task , does not understand his calling or task .