Welcome to the World of a Pastor

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Pastoral Theology Course Notes
Lesson Twenty-five

Lesson One
Lesson Two
Lesson Three
Lesson Four
Lesson Five
Lesson Six
Lesson Seven
Lesson Eight
Lesson Nine
Lesson Ten
Lesson Eleven
Lesson Twelve
Lesson Thirteen
Lesson Fourteen
Lesson Fifteen
Lesson Sixteen
Lesson Seventeen
Lesson Eighteen
Lesson Nineteen
Lesson Twenty
Lesson Twenty-one
Lesson Twenty-two
Lesson Twenty-three
Lesson Twenty-four
Lesson Twenty-five
Lesson Twenty-six
Lesson Twenty-seven

Whatever happened to Fiery Preaching?

Recently a man joined our church that had been a member of a Southern Baptist Church. He commented to me that he thought the biggest difference between an Independent Baptist Church and a Southern Baptist Church was the Fiery Preaching. I pondered on that for quite a while. What is the difference between a Fundamental Independent Baptist Church and the mainline Southern Baptist Church? I told the gentlemen who had just joined the church that sadly, the average Independent Baptist Church was heading down the same path of aspiring to be indirect, purposing to be non-offensive, straining to be non-abrasive, and even striving to avoid areas where the congregation is drifting. I told the new member that I wouldn't condemn another group when my group is unfortunately heading in the same direction.

C.H. Spurgeon wrote, "I have heard of a ship that was fired at by the cannon in a fort, but no impression was made upon it until the general in command gave the order for the balls to be made red-hot, and then the vessel was sent to the bottom of the sea in three minutes. That is what you must do with your sermons, make them red-hot; never mind if men do say you are too enthusiastic, or even too fanatical, give them red-hot shot, there is nothing else half as good for the purpose you have in view. We do not go out snow-balling on Sundays, we go fire-balling; we ought to hurl grenades into the enemy's ranks." Isaiah 58:1 says, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression." That would seem to be a mandate for fiery preaching.

Let me say, I don't think fiery preaching is "caustic preaching", although fiery preaching can be caustic. I don't think fiery preaching is "hateful preaching", although a hatred for sin and sinful things would certainly be a part of fiery preaching. Fiery preaching is preaching that demands a decision! It's preaching that gets to the point! Fiery preaching is a man set on fire of God, delivering the message God gave with passion and urgency and without compromise!

In Psalms 104:4, God wrote that He would make "His ministers a flaming fire". Since that is true it seems that Fiery Preaching should be the norm for all God Called preachers. As we begin 1999, let's examine the preaching part of our ministry. Would it be described as "Fiery"? I'm afraid the fear of man has put out too many fires in too many pulpits. Let's get back to what made us different; let's get back to the good old-fashioned fiery preaching that our Independent Fundamental Baptist forefathers were so noted for. Fiery preaching ought to separate us from others. Does it?