Reading, Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious, reminded me that I have to do a better job preaching to various kinds of Believers. It’s not enough to think in terms of saved and unsaved. Within the category of the “saved” are professing Christians experiencing less-than-desired reactions to the Word of God.
The author writes:
“it has always been obvious to religious leaders that there are many ‘fuzzy’ faithful sitting in their pews; people who are neither completely clear, completely in agreement, nor completely faithful to the tents of their religion” (p. 11).
Maybe it’s always been obvious, but that doesn’t mean pastors preach with these kinds of people in mind.
To the slightly confused I could say: “Let me try to make that clearer. In other words…”
To the slightly disagreeable I could say: “Let me try to prove this because you might not be buying it yet…”
To the slightly unfaithful (is that like saying someone is slightly pregnant?!) I could say: “Some of you know God has not been able to rely on you lately in this area…”
Most, if not all, of these kinds of listeners would claim to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Effective preachers like Jonathan Edwards or D. M. Lloyd-Jones made it a habit to challenge that claim. They pointedly spoke to various categories of listeners. They acknowledged the presence of those overhearing worship; they spoke directly to various categories within the camp called Christian.
God help us do the same for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world (Ephesians 3:21).
Randal
Kind of like the different kinds of soil in the parable of the sower–pathways, stony soil, weedy soil and the good soil.
I think about these things a lot when preparing, but I guess my final thoughts have always been that it’s impossible to convince the unconvincable. I have a couple of these in my congregation, and I tend to ask myself if it is worth my time trying to bring them on board, or if I should rather focus on those who want to hear and grow.
Your points remind me that I don’t have to focus all my thoughts on these people, but to keep them in mind as I’m speaking. I like your point on challenging their claim of a saving relationship. 🙂 Thanks again.
Thank you for replying with depth. Yes, the parable is very appropriate. And I agree that it is impossible to convince the unconvinced. I do not believe it’s worth sermon time to try to convince them. However, I believe that some attempts to prove certain truths are extremely valuable for the already convinced. For instance, when Paul says, “All things work together for good…,” it helps everyone to hear how that can be true in light of terrible tragedies. It’s something most everyone is thinking about, even those who believe it. Hope you enjoyed your corporate worship today. Preach well…
Good points. Thanks!