Notes taken by Gary Canan at the Preachers' Retreat
 

Howard Norton    8-9-2005   Camp Rock Creek     Session 2

What Constitutes Faithful Preaching?

This is a good question. There are different view points about this. He grew up in a day of preaching from charts that were hung up for viewing. Preachers quoted many scriptures from memory.

Others did a lot of preaching without a lot of quotes; they were saturated with good Biblical points. They were a more conversational style.

Then went through a period when expository preaching was the "only way" to preach.

Acts 20:24-27 Paul talking to the Eph elders. "The task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. I am innocent of the blood of all men. I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God."

1. Faithful Preaching - Found in the Preacher and who he is.

2. Faithful Preaching - Found in the preachers who proclaims the whole will of God.

This Short Answer could be found in other passages.

For the Long Answer today, he will use 1 Thess 2. May be the first book of N.T. to be written. Not an essay. It is a mission effort. Written in the heat of the battle.    (Look at Acts 17 for background on Church at Thessalonica.)

1. Faithful preaching requires Courage.

Faithful preaching is more than preaching the truth. Faithfulness of the preacher + Faithfulness preaching the truth.

It takes "guts" to be a preacher. Sometimes opposition comes from brothers, sometimes from the world. "High Noon" – walking into the jaws of death. Courage is doing the right thing.

"The Passion" showed us very graphically the marks on the back. Paul experienced that too…. But continued to preach!

2. Faithful preaching requires Character. TV Evangelists sometimes look like showmen. 2:3 Motives are pure, not trying to trick you… no mask to cover up greed. 2:10 you witnessed how blameless we were.

We need to have men of character. Too many concerned about self-centered things…

3. Faithful preaching requires Compassion. 2:6 we shared our lives with you. You remember how we didn’t want to be a burden to you. We need to feel the same as a mother feels toward her child. We ought to feel that way toward visitors of services who want to study the Bible.

Examples: Glenn Owens’ Prayer Warriors. He involved children in his mission efforts by having them participate in a prayer breakfast before he left.
An elder gave graduating seniors a quarter to keep in case they were ever in need of a friend during time of trouble, they could call him. That’s touching, caring.

2:10 we care for you like a father. We have fallen short in mentoring younger preachers to do more than just prepare sermons. 2:13 We gave you the word of God, not the word of some man or men. Faithful preaching requires the word of God. Older men use to pray for preachers to "hide behind the cross." The focus is on the word of God, not on the preacher. Worship can be joyful with a good laugh now and then. But the focus is not on us.

What We Need Today. What are the big themes of theology. (God and Jesus, The Church, What Man needs for Salvation) We preach on the little themes. The people need to leave feeling like they know more about God and living for Him.
1 Cor 3:15 Teach morality. Resurrection and judgment…. Heaven and Hell. There is a difference between a speech and a sermon. Get away from "Lion’s Club speeches" that can be given anywhere.

Conclusion: Faithful preaching happens when a good, righteous, holy man presents the word of God.