Sunday Sermons...Why?

By listening to the expressed frustration of many well-intentioned Christians, I have discovered that there are a few who wonder about the purpose of preaching in worship meetings.

Among the complaints, is the thought that preaching is wasted on those who attend worship when it could be used so much more productively in the streets or other venues where there are no Christians. Wasting words on altar calls comes up in these conversations as well.

Perhaps the assumption is that the Holy Spirit gifts people to preach as a means of evangelism only.

It's true that we are called to go and make disciples and preach the Word of God. This is a command to teach God's people and to invite non-Christians to enter the Kingdom.

There is no directive in Scripture for altar calls, but only an invitation to know God's Word and obey Christ through faithful service to Him and others. This is how people enter the Kingdom of God (Community of God).When people accept the “yoke” of the Kingdom, they have entered the Kingdom and are expected to learn from the teacher/preacher how to interpret and apply Christ's teaching.

Altar calls may not be necessary in some worship experiences, in fact they may serve as little more than an annoying, traditional formality, though effective teaching is always the goal when sharing the Word of God with others.

“Others” is not only the lost, but those who walk beside the leader, faithfully seeking knowledge and direction. It seems to me that the call to preach has been misinterpreted as only a call to evangelize.

Evangelism alone is not the intention for teaching or preaching. The model of teaching and preaching is given to us by Jesus and His disciples. They taught as a means of instruction and evangelism. That should be our intention as well, even when the altars aren't filled with the knees of repentance.

Forever learning,
Johnny