Tuesday is for Preaching
Recent survey done by Lifeway Research shows a gross lack of gospel understanding in American Churches. According to the survey results an overwhelming majority of pastors are not setting forth a clear, complete, logical and sequential presentation of the Bad News/Good News.
One pastor is doing something about it. Dr. David Nicholas has written a new book I want to recommend. The book is titled Whatever Happened to the Gospel? Dr. Nicholas has also started a great concept; he calls them Gospel Bootcamps. I think the pattern of what he is doing is reproducible all around the country by interested practitioners who want to see the gospel delivered with power to a new generation. It certainly caught my eye (a former preaching professor at a seminary in California) as a workable program.
Pray for me as I pray and consider how I might duplicate what Dr. Nicholas has started in Florida, here in Illinois. Meanwhile, get the book and pray for a revival of gospel and sound doctrinal preaching in our churches.
ChosenRebel's Blog 
This is an important topic, as the influence of preachers who have moved away from the gospel has brought a new definition to preaching. Preachers who focus mostly on personal development rather than the message of the cross have given expectations to a generation of lost sheep who think Christ, God and Christianity are all about self-help, increasing self-worth, feeling good and prosperity. God is great, He is loving, and He cares very much about the welfare of His children. But when the cross takes a back seat to entertainment, self-help lectures and the like, then we’re no longer building Christians in their faith, but blind little lambs who are perfectly content marching toward the cliff at the heels of their similarly blind guide.
In his book, “He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Post-Modern Age,” Albert Mohler quotes A.W. Tozer: “It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend meeting where the only attraction is God” (p.25). Tozer goes on to call church events that draw people with films, games, refreshments (and, I would add, theater-quality musical and drama performances) as a “stick of striped candy.”
I’ll be praying for you to localize the gospel bootcamp idea here.
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Well said Bill. It is a privilege to have you in the REBEL one mentor group. Thanks for your prayers.
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