God's words vs. My Words

I'm not a big fan of topical preaching.  I do feel like there are times when topical preaching is appropriate.  Sometimes a guest preacher doesn't have the time to expound on an entire passage of scripture and needs to pick a topic and speak on it.  Other times a preacher needs to address a specific event or happening and a topical message is the best way to approach it.  So while I do think there are times where topical preaching is more than appropriate, I think topical preaching can also be dangerous and ineffective.

The most obvious danger is a preacher being married to the topic as opposed to the scriptures.  Contrary to what many believe, not every word spoken by a clergy member is gospel and not every message presented from a pulpit is of God.  Many current day scriptural misinterpretations are rooted in topical preaching, strengthened through tradition, and justified with bible verses taken out of context.  This often happens because a preacher, tied to a topic, bends the Word of God to conform to his topic as opposed to transforming his thinking to fall in line with the scriptures.

I say that topical preaching can also be ineffective because it can hinder the work of The Spirit.  The Word of God is eternal (Psalms 119:89) but our lives are fleeting (1 Peter 1:24-25).  So when we try to support our temporary ideas and ideals with God's everlasting truth we disadvantageously constrict God's truth's to our experience.  What I mean by that is that the word of God has the ability to separate us from our most carnal misconceptions (Hebrews 4:12).  When preached, read, or studied, a passage of scripture can affect a congregation of believers in a multitude of ways.  Topical preaching dilutes the Spirit's work providing understanding as a means to application.

I discussed this once with a church elder who agreed with me, but said that topical preaching was necessary because most people in church have a disconnect between a preached message and applying that message to their lives.  I understood the point he was attempting to make, but I still disagreed that it justified topical preaching.  I still believe that to be the work of The Spirit, even if it doesn't happen on the preacher's time table.  Moreover, the scriptures are written in such a way that the words can be interpreted differently based on life experience.  Any of us who have studied have been marveled at God showing us something new in a passage of scripture we've already read.

With that said, I will begin using this blog to study complete passages of scripture in their context.  I will begin with the book of Acts.  It is my prayer that readers will feel confident to leave observations, questions, and answers in the comments field.  It is my prayer that no one feel intimidated and that we will all see this as a venture to learn.  Hopefully, this will allow us to sharpen our iron with the iron of others.

As I said, we will be starting in the book of Acts.  May God bless our journey.