JOwen
Puritan Board Junior
I'll admit, I visit Sermon Audio every day. Who can resist listening to some of the greatest preachers our generation at the click of a button? Never before, in the history of the Church has there ever been such an abundance of good preachers at the fingertips of so many souls. Surly we are a blessed generation. We do not need to travel to the Isle of Lewis to hear David P Murray, or to Grand Rapids to hear Joel Beeke, or to Holland to hear Paul den Butter, or to Greece to hear Terry Atkinson. "œShut in's" can readily be fed by the preaching of the Word where they might have little feeding otherwise. Those who are isolated in remote parts of the globe can hear the heralded Word, day by day, and week by week without travel or high cost. How often I have personally been blessed in my early morning walks, by the preaching of others through my MP3 player! What a wonder that the Internet, much like the Gutenberg press of the Reformation, would be a tool in the hand of the Lord in feeding His Church.
And yet as I have pondered the blessings of the "œon line sermon"I have also become aware of a few detractions. I was disappointed a while back as I perused the information bulletin board of a Church I was visiting when I saw a list of the top sermon downloads of particular pastors. Surely the Lord did not intend for His sacred blessing of preaching to be used as a popularity contest akin to a top 10 Ten billboard? Even if this was not the intent (and I don't think it was), what impression does it leave?
The Minister has, as his first calling, the immediate needs of his own flock. Act 20:28 says, "œTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Lloyd-Jones was dead set against the publishing of a sermon for reading for two practical reasons. First, he believed that each message belonged not to the whole universal Church, but to the immediate flock before the Preacher. The message was designed for their edification and up-building, and conversion, not for others. The sermon came as a prayerful answer to the needs of a particular flock. It is a letter of love to them (as it were), from the Holy Spirit, by the agency of a personal pastor. Secondly, Lloyd-Jones did not like the printed sermon because it inclined the preacher to develop his sermons for publication and not for preaching. To him this killed the sermon as a unique specimen od divine agency. Ans this poses a real danger to the minister, who has one eye on his flock, and one eye on publication. Invariably he becomes tempted to preach beyond his flock, and preach for readership.
Likewise, with the "œon line sermon" I think there is a temptation for the preacher to forget who the Lord has set them among. Further, it opens up the real danger of thinking too much of one's own ability, and succumb to the notion that our pulpit ministry deserves a wider audience. There are many preachers on Sermon Audio (for example) that ought not to be there. Their sermons are nothing more than a demonstration of a weakness in the pulpit, rather than a strength. Yet because the technology is accessible, they feel it ought to be used so others can hear them. This comes, I believe, from an overinflated sense of self, and one's own ability. The truth is, the Christian Church has been furnished over the centuries with "œblue collar" pastors (I use such a term respectfully). I include myself in this category. We are not an overly gifted sort, but we have been entrusted with the care of 50, or 100, or 200 souls with the tools we have been given. This makes us useful in hand of the Lord in a specific way. What makes us think that others need to hear our words? I wonder if ambition, pride, and the ready availability of publication creates in many an unhealthy desire to go beyond what rightfully belongs to a very select group of hearers? I refer back to Act 20:28 "œTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers."
From this vast "œpublication of mediocrity" stems another problem in my mind; the dissatisfaction that arises from the discovery of the truly gifted preachers. How many times have I visited with a member of some congregation, and heard them laud the preaching of some great Pastor that they have heard "œon line" and the subsequent dissatisfaction with their own pastor. Imagine listening to Sinclair Ferguson or Ligon Duncan all week and then sitting under the ministry of a rather mediocre preacher on the Lord's Day? The "œon line sermon" has the potential of creating an apatite in the Church that leaves them feeling less than blessed on the Sabbath. "Why can't our pastor preach with more fire and passion? Why can't he plumb the depths of a passage like Rev. _______?" At this point we find a depreciation of the ordained gospel ministry in our midst, and unwittingly Christ's own work among us. Further, it has the potential to encourage the hearer to find a better preacher, or even consider staying home. Why listen to a average preacher if you can hear the best? Am I suggesting we stop listening to the great preachers of our day? God forbid! But we need to be able to identify the pitfalls of this technology as well as the blessing. Each congregation that has a minister, has him in Providence. As such, he is a gift from the Lord weather he has 1,2, or 5 talents.
Just some thoughts to ponder.
[Edited on 7-31-2006 by JOwen]
And yet as I have pondered the blessings of the "œon line sermon"I have also become aware of a few detractions. I was disappointed a while back as I perused the information bulletin board of a Church I was visiting when I saw a list of the top sermon downloads of particular pastors. Surely the Lord did not intend for His sacred blessing of preaching to be used as a popularity contest akin to a top 10 Ten billboard? Even if this was not the intent (and I don't think it was), what impression does it leave?
The Minister has, as his first calling, the immediate needs of his own flock. Act 20:28 says, "œTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Lloyd-Jones was dead set against the publishing of a sermon for reading for two practical reasons. First, he believed that each message belonged not to the whole universal Church, but to the immediate flock before the Preacher. The message was designed for their edification and up-building, and conversion, not for others. The sermon came as a prayerful answer to the needs of a particular flock. It is a letter of love to them (as it were), from the Holy Spirit, by the agency of a personal pastor. Secondly, Lloyd-Jones did not like the printed sermon because it inclined the preacher to develop his sermons for publication and not for preaching. To him this killed the sermon as a unique specimen od divine agency. Ans this poses a real danger to the minister, who has one eye on his flock, and one eye on publication. Invariably he becomes tempted to preach beyond his flock, and preach for readership.
Likewise, with the "œon line sermon" I think there is a temptation for the preacher to forget who the Lord has set them among. Further, it opens up the real danger of thinking too much of one's own ability, and succumb to the notion that our pulpit ministry deserves a wider audience. There are many preachers on Sermon Audio (for example) that ought not to be there. Their sermons are nothing more than a demonstration of a weakness in the pulpit, rather than a strength. Yet because the technology is accessible, they feel it ought to be used so others can hear them. This comes, I believe, from an overinflated sense of self, and one's own ability. The truth is, the Christian Church has been furnished over the centuries with "œblue collar" pastors (I use such a term respectfully). I include myself in this category. We are not an overly gifted sort, but we have been entrusted with the care of 50, or 100, or 200 souls with the tools we have been given. This makes us useful in hand of the Lord in a specific way. What makes us think that others need to hear our words? I wonder if ambition, pride, and the ready availability of publication creates in many an unhealthy desire to go beyond what rightfully belongs to a very select group of hearers? I refer back to Act 20:28 "œTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers."
From this vast "œpublication of mediocrity" stems another problem in my mind; the dissatisfaction that arises from the discovery of the truly gifted preachers. How many times have I visited with a member of some congregation, and heard them laud the preaching of some great Pastor that they have heard "œon line" and the subsequent dissatisfaction with their own pastor. Imagine listening to Sinclair Ferguson or Ligon Duncan all week and then sitting under the ministry of a rather mediocre preacher on the Lord's Day? The "œon line sermon" has the potential of creating an apatite in the Church that leaves them feeling less than blessed on the Sabbath. "Why can't our pastor preach with more fire and passion? Why can't he plumb the depths of a passage like Rev. _______?" At this point we find a depreciation of the ordained gospel ministry in our midst, and unwittingly Christ's own work among us. Further, it has the potential to encourage the hearer to find a better preacher, or even consider staying home. Why listen to a average preacher if you can hear the best? Am I suggesting we stop listening to the great preachers of our day? God forbid! But we need to be able to identify the pitfalls of this technology as well as the blessing. Each congregation that has a minister, has him in Providence. As such, he is a gift from the Lord weather he has 1,2, or 5 talents.
Just some thoughts to ponder.
[Edited on 7-31-2006 by JOwen]