Title: Smyrna-The Struggling Church
Author: Jerry Watts
Text: Revelation 2:8-11
We attend worship Sunday after Sunday, meeting after meeting, hearing sermon (message) after message, and what do we do with what we hear?
A few weeks ago, I told our congregation about an experience I had in a place where I used to live. I'm an early riser and normally find someplace to eat breakfast very early. At this place there was a group of 3 to 5 older men who gathered for coffer and gossip. Over the course of time, they found out I was a preacher which evolved or devolved the talk somewhat. They are started telling me about THIS PREACHER who could really preach. They said that he'd read his text and then preach the stars down. The big deal was 'he didn't use notes, walked up and down the aisle, and it seemed he never even took a breath.' They ended with, "Boy he's a real preacher." Now, I've heard those men and I do know those guys love the Lord and can bring it, but their description piqued my curiosity, so I responded, "Boy that sounds great, but tell me 'what did he say'?"
Well, they couldn't remember anything he said, but just the style in which he said it.
This caused me to ask myself the question, "Why is it that people are more interested in style over substance? Why do preachers spend hours preparing and no one hears?"
The best I can come up with is this: PERSPECTIVE. For anyone to hear and respond to truth, their perspective must be that they NEED THAT TRUTH.
I have a deep conviction that the church in America is struggling - and don't know it. Well, we know the churches out THERE are in trouble (I.E. compromise, false theology, morality, not holding to our tradition, etc). Whether a church thinks it walks in trouble or truth depends on her perspective and whose truth she sees.
Church history demonstrates that the church is weakest in times of ease and strongest in times of persecution. For in times of persecution and struggle, there is a sen ...
Author: Jerry Watts
Text: Revelation 2:8-11
We attend worship Sunday after Sunday, meeting after meeting, hearing sermon (message) after message, and what do we do with what we hear?
A few weeks ago, I told our congregation about an experience I had in a place where I used to live. I'm an early riser and normally find someplace to eat breakfast very early. At this place there was a group of 3 to 5 older men who gathered for coffer and gossip. Over the course of time, they found out I was a preacher which evolved or devolved the talk somewhat. They are started telling me about THIS PREACHER who could really preach. They said that he'd read his text and then preach the stars down. The big deal was 'he didn't use notes, walked up and down the aisle, and it seemed he never even took a breath.' They ended with, "Boy he's a real preacher." Now, I've heard those men and I do know those guys love the Lord and can bring it, but their description piqued my curiosity, so I responded, "Boy that sounds great, but tell me 'what did he say'?"
Well, they couldn't remember anything he said, but just the style in which he said it.
This caused me to ask myself the question, "Why is it that people are more interested in style over substance? Why do preachers spend hours preparing and no one hears?"
The best I can come up with is this: PERSPECTIVE. For anyone to hear and respond to truth, their perspective must be that they NEED THAT TRUTH.
I have a deep conviction that the church in America is struggling - and don't know it. Well, we know the churches out THERE are in trouble (I.E. compromise, false theology, morality, not holding to our tradition, etc). Whether a church thinks it walks in trouble or truth depends on her perspective and whose truth she sees.
Church history demonstrates that the church is weakest in times of ease and strongest in times of persecution. For in times of persecution and struggle, there is a sen ...
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