Wishy Washy Preaching

Some time ago I posted one of my sermons that I had preached at a church where they need a pastor. To tell you a bit of background, I have known this church for 18 yrs, and have known the pastor as long as that. I've known the people for the same amount of time, and some were members of my Spanish speaking congregation before we folded it up and some of us joined the English speaking congregation where I am now. So I more or less know of the church's make up, history and beliefs. Some of the members have always complained about the lack of teaching in the church. I've been preaching about apologetics, and doctrine. They have endured me, well, the young ones, but one of the older ones (my age!!) said that my last sermon was "wishy washy".

I listen to Albert Mohler's interview with Michael Lawrence, in which they discussed his new book,"Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry " and taught that it would be a good idea to expose the congregation to a little of biblical theology. I didn't expect the response from one of the 'senior' members (not in age, but respected for having being a baptist from birth, well, so am I!!), that he found the sermon "dull" and "wishy", "washy". This confronted me with two options, either I am a very bad preacher, which by other persons' comments, I am not, or this person has not been exposed to biblical theology, EVER.

I've always heard that if someone is raised thinking something is to be done a certain manner, if they see it done differently, they easily condemned it. This brother in Christ, has never heard a sermon that is willing to deal with the unfolding revelation in Scripture, so sees any sermon doing that as suspect.

This can only be labeled as biblical illiteratism (did I coin a new word?). Wonder how this person would deal with the theme of the Messiah in Scripture, from Genesis, through to the Historical, Poetic and Prophetic books, culminating in the Gospels and distilled in the New Testament letters.

But I am afraid that this person is not alone in his error or rejecting biblical theology, but is in company of many who are labeled liberals, yet, this man is a conservative christian!!

Just shows that you don't have to be a liberal to disdain conservative stands, but then again, it may be a sin of ignorance.

But they haven't call for me to go back to preach there for some time. I guess that they have listened to this, mature and wise man as to the wishy washy way of preaching a solid biblical theology.

To refer to two comments after my sermon in this specific church, one said "I never knew I could relate Old Testament passages to the New Testament so easily", and the other, "Finally I saw how throughout Scripture God wants us to be missionaries". And the sermon that I preached, I also preached at my local church, where the pastor has a Masters degree in preaching, and he said that it was a very good sermon, lifting the essential passages, and another member who did his Master of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver Canada, commented that the sermon really helped him see the who picture of biblical theology regarding mission.

I am not trying to justify my sermon, I am just trying to get things into perspective. I guess that I am just concern that if such people are in places of leadership, the people of God will never receive the knowledge needed for their growth.

I see Scripture being fulfilled:

Hosea 4:⁶ my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

"Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.

Let's pray not all church leaders are so keen to reject biblical knowledge, because they lack it.

Luis A. Jovel.