{"id":3399,"date":"2015-03-05T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thomrainer.wpengine.com?p=3399"},"modified":"2015-03-05T06:00:31","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T12:00:31","slug":"10-reasons-preaching-scary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/10-reasons-preaching-scary\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Preaching Is Scary"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chuck Lawless<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Anybody who knows me probably knows I love to preach. I so clearly knew God\u2019s calling many years ago that only disobedience would allow me to ignore preaching today.<\/p>\n

To be candid, though, preaching scares me. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I will answer to God for what I say<\/strong>. As a 13 year old, I strongly sensed God\u2019s guiding me, \u201cI want you to preach My Word.\u201d I know God will hold me accountable for every word I say, and He will not ignore any carelessness from my lips (Matt. 12:36-37). Recklessness in preaching is an invitation to judgment.<\/li>\n
  2. What I do affects eternity<\/strong>. Here, I am not suggesting that my preaching somehow trumps the sovereignty of God. On the contrary, I am simply aware that God uses the proclamation of His Word to save souls (Rom. 10:9-15). That truth means that preaching really does have an eternal impact.<\/li>\n
  3. I may have only one opportunity to speak truth to a hearer<\/strong>. A non-believer (or a believer, for that matter) may sit under my preaching only one time. In the midst of a busy life, he\/she may offer listening ears for only a few minutes. I will miss that one-time open door if my preaching wanders from the Word.<\/li>\n
  4. It\u2019s easier to talk about \u201cstuff\u201d than it is to teach the Word<\/strong>. Preaching is hard work. From personal exegesis of the text to public proclamation of the message, preachers must dig into the Word, soak in it, be cleansed by it, and then deliver it. It\u2019s just easier to use a few Bible verses as a launching pad to preach about \u201cstuff\u201d than to do the hard work of Bible exposition \u2013 and that reality scares me.<\/li>\n
  5. At least for a few minutes, everybody is focused on me<\/strong>. Maybe I\u2019m uniquely fallen, but I like the affirmations that come with preaching. For a short while, I am the \u201cman of God\u201d to whom others look for truth. Yes, I want my preaching to direct them to Jesus, but I must be honest with myself: preaching frightens me because it can instead become a means to build my ego.<\/li>\n
  6. I can preach in my own strength<\/strong>. I\u2019ve been preaching for 38 years, 33 of those in full-time ministry. I have two graduate degrees from a seminary, and I\u2019ve taught preaching courses. What frightens me is that I can rely on my training, my knowledge, and my experience when I preach \u2013 and completely lack the power and blessing of God.<\/li>\n
  7. Preaching puts my life under the microscope<\/strong>. Those who listen to my sermons presume my life will validate my words. I preach the Word publicly on Sunday, but they have a right to see obedience and faithfulness in my life every day of the week. In fact, the very Word I preach gives them the lens through which to view my life. That\u2019s humbling . . . and a bit disconcerting.<\/li>\n
  8. The devil attacks preachers<\/strong>. The gospel is \u201cGod\u2019s power for salvation\u201d (Rom. 1:16, HCSB). Thus, it is not surprising that the enemy aims his arrows at preachers to hinder us from preaching and living out the Word. Our very calling to proclaim the gospel puts the enemy\u2019s bullseye on our back.<\/li>\n
  9. Somebody probably won\u2019t like something about the message<\/strong>. It\u2019s too long. Or too short. Not enough Bible. Too much Bible. Too much application, or not enough application. You\u2019re too loud. Or too soft. You don\u2019t preach like my favorite preachers on the Internet. For those of us who can wrongly be perfectionistic and people-pleasing at times, preaching is a risky endeavor.<\/li>\n
  10. Somebody will<\/em> listen<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>Somebody who hears will<\/em> take the message to heart and follow it. I\u2019ve been in places around the world where hearers take the message and proclaim it almost word-for-word that day to their villages. If somebody is<\/em> going to listen, I need to approach the Word with seriousness and humility.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For all these reasons, preaching scares me a bit. But here\u2019s what scares me the most: that I will someday approach preaching without the earnestness it demands. I\u2019m well aware that a healthy respect for the task today can become only routine tomorrow.<\/p>\n

    Please pray that God will give me grace to keep that slide from happening. If you are a preacher, share this post\u2014and invite others to pray for you as well.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary.<\/em>\u00a0You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"PhD_ThomRainer\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For all these reasons, preaching scares me a bit. 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