This is what I recently heard a Hardshell preacher say when he entered the pulpit! I have heard it many times before!
After saying this, the preacher begins to simply speak off the top of his head, saying whatever comes into his mind. If what is said blesses someone, then it is judged as being a message God is giving in a kind of preaching inspiration. If the preacher stumbles and has no "liberty" to preach, then who do you think gets the blame? God? The preacher? The church?
Thankfully not all of today's Hardshells have this idea about blessed preaching. But, none will deny that this has been fairly typical of their ministers since their beginning. Did not this idea infect the thinking of men like Elder Daniel Parker?
My father used to condemn this type of thinking. So did men like Elder Lasserre Bradley, Jr. He used to advise me as a young preacher to always be ready to deliver a message, to always take a text when beginning to teach or preach. Good advice!
No preacher should ever enter the pulpit to preach and say "I have nothing on my mind" or "I don't know if I will be blessed to be able to preach or not."
Peter said "be ready always" in regard to preaching and teaching others. (I Peter 3:15)
As an additional note, both the elders I mentioned as advising taking a text and being prepared (father and Bradley) were first old school missionary Baptists! I am sure their views on preaching came from their old association and not from the Hardshells.
ReplyDeleteStephen Garrett