This Is Why Preaching Offends Even Believers

Acts 5:28
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Preachers make many mistakes for which they should be condemned and punished. However, it is also true that preachers have been persecuted for the messages they preach. It is true that some preachers have suffered immensely for doing an honest job.

A true preacher has no control over what to say and when to say it. If God sends a preacher with an offensive message, he or she may agonize with how to present it but whatever happens, it will be presented. If God puts it in our hearts to say it, we must remain faithful to that conviction.

People can suggest what we will preach about but the final decision is with God and the preacher. If God is using the one suggesting, it will resonate with the preacher’s preparation. The preacher at the pulpit serves God and God alone!

Preachers will preach messages that clarify God’s will on current issues, that is what makes the message, the Present Truth. A message relevant to the unhealthy appetite for political competition. A message relevant to growing divorce cases. Whatever is current will be touched by the sermon. The sermon steps into the current issues and points us to the saving God!

A failed sermon fails to scratch where the congregation is itching. A sermon does not take sides in an ongoing argument, it only spells out the will of God in the matter at hand. Even where there are no pronounced issues, the sermon, unknown to the preacher will speak clearly and directly to someone listening.

The biggest challenge is the preacher may actually take sides and push his or her agenda. The other major challenge is that the preacher will be persecuted for clarifying God’s will in a matter at hand.

When the Apostles preached, the Jewish religious leaders took it as a personal attack. The sermons made them feel guilty. Instead of heeding God’s message, they decided to silence the preachers.

Preaching offends everyone because through it God speaks to everyone then guilt follows. The guilty are supposed to repent but instead, they seek to punish and silence the preacher.

1 Corinthians 1:23-24
(23) but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, (24) but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Preaching will always offend the unconverted and they will blame the preacher. Preaching was a stumbling block to Jews, very offensive and they didn’t like it. Preaching was foolishness to gentiles they didn’t want to associate with it. Preaching is only good for the converted, for when they feel guilty they repent.

Jewish leaders accused the Apostles of making them feel guilty. Guilt is the reason why even believers get offended by preaching. Yet guilt should lead to repentance and not an attack on preachers!

May God protect preachers from guilty people who seek to stop them. May God help preachers to be honest in their work and serve God only. May God help us to move from guilt to repentance, in Jesus’s name, Amen!

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