“If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue and told lies from morning to night — ‘I’ll preach sermons that will tell you how you can get anything you want from God: More money, the best wines . . . you name it’ — you’d hire him on the spot as your preacher!” (Micah 2:11, The Message)
At first glance, one might read this verse and see it as a warning against “prosperity” preaching. You’ve heard it or heard of it—“God wants you rich and healthy. Here’s the secret to getting what you want from God. Name it and claim it.” We’ve been talking about it for years and it is currently a favored “whipping boy” among “serious” evangelicals.
But, this morning, I am looking at that verse from Micah in a different light. I think it is just as much a warning against what I call “on demand” preaching.
We live in an increasingly “on demand” world. Don’t like what is on TV? Video on demand let’s you watch what you want to watch when you want it. Internet shopping has, for many people, removed the need to drive to the store, look through all the choices, see what is in stock, and make your purchase. I am using print on demand publishers for my books. There is no need for shelf space. I just order as many as I need and they are printed.
This is not a bad thing. It can, in fact, be helpful in saving time and resources. But it can also take an ugly turn when it results in a self-centered impatience and general sense of dissatisfaction.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a person who told me that he and his wife could not find a church home in their community because they couldn’t find a church that would “take a stand” on a couple of issues he thought were most important. They have lived in the community for 8 years! I am familiar with that community and know several churches that are quite involved in the issues he identified. But he wanted them to address it with a particular methodology. He wanted it “on demand.”
An “on demand” mentality leads to church hopping or giving up on church entirely. (It is also currently fashionable to bash the “institutional” church while failing to realize that a more “organic” community can be just as self-absorbed.)
I could go on (and may do so in a different context), but here’s the bottom line. We love to be told what we want to hear and we love preachers that will do it. But what we really need is preachers who are sensitive first to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and secondarily to the circumstances and needs of the community.
Pray for your pastor. And if you are a pastor, pray for discernment, grace, and endurance (and for other pastors).
Question: How will you pray specifically today for preachers?
Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your perspective. (And I would appreciate your prayers)
