In some (thankfully not all) Baptist churches, including among the "Primitive" Baptists, I hear good singing and good preaching but I hear no shouts of "amen" from the congregation. What are the reasons for this? Why are some of the best sermons and hymn lyrics so unenthusiastically heard? Is it quenching the Spirit? Is the fault in the members or in the preachers?
I have become over the years a keen observer of preaching styles and of the various ways and means that preachers use to teach and to preach. There are seminary classes on preaching and homiletics. Preaching is both an art and a science. As an art it begins with a gift from God. Teaching is something that all believers are to regularly do yet the ordained ministry has the greater calling and gifting.
Teaching and preaching that is too didactic is not best. In this case the sermon becomes a "lesson," a lecture. When that is all it is, then it can be dry, cold, formal, and uninspiring. Oftentimes there is little feeling in this type of didactic ministry. Good preachers and teachers, in my judgment, are they who are able to avoid this, and there are many ways that good preachers, teachers, and evangelists do this. They know where to put the emphasis, where to speak with pathos. They also know how to wake the lazy listeners. They know how to provoke them to utterances of praise. In a warm spirited church, one could say "Jesus is Lord" and get shouts of amen and hallelujah all over the place. Other churches would remain silent as the grave with no amen at all.
A good preacher can help by encouraging his hearers to say amen if they feel like it and not be shy. He can stop periodically and say "can I get an amen?" One preacher friend I know will often say "can I get a witness?" (That was a famous line in a song from years ago) He can ask "is that not so, brothers and sisters"? Also, why can the preacher not stop periodically and himself say "thank you Lord"? Or say "praise God!" These types of questions provoke the listener to become part of the message, to enter into its spirit as well as its letter.
Many times, as father used to say (who pastored for over fifty years), churches will often take on the persona of their pastor (especially if he has been there for a length of time). I have observed this to be the case. Some preachers are "lively," while others would not be generally described that way. Where there is lively preaching there will be lively praise and reception of the word. After all, not only is some preaching not lively but so is some singing, some praise and worship. Our forefathers often spoke of the evils of "high churchism" in worship.
Liveliness can infect others. It often begins with lively preaching and singing, with a preacher, but it can also begin with a deacon or any individual believer in the congregation who begins to say "amen" and "thank you Lord" at times during singing, preaching, testifying, etc.
The amen that we utter should be sincere and need not be a whisper. People are more accustomed to say amen at the beginning or end of prayers lead in service, but many of them are whispers. Brethren, can we be a little more fervent when we say "amen"? Fervency, that is another word to think about in the context of lively preaching and praise. Would our preaching and worship be described as "fervent in spirit"? We should be feverish in our preaching and teaching, in our praise and worship. After all, we are not dead, are we?
I have listened to thousands of sermons and read as many too. I have also done a good bit of preaching myself. So, I am not unable to address such things.
"The lion has roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD has spoken, who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3: 8)
God has spoken, who can keep from saying "amen"?
2 comments:
The problem with any church, is that people have a tendency to "follow the crowd" and there's always a segment who are like the Pharisees and wish to be seen as "holy" or "spiritual". There needs to be freedom to worship as individuals. For example, in liturgical churches, they tend to kneel during prayer, while in non liturgical churches they tend to stand or sit during prayer. In many Baptist churches, they stand for the reading of God's Word at the beginning of the sermon, but in others they do not. We must have some cohesive practices in order for everyone to feel they are one body, but there also needs to be freedom and individuality. Even in the secular world there is variance. For example, when the President of the USA enters a room, people stand in honor of his authority and office. In the UK, you bow when the king or queen enters. Standing can mean respect, while kneeling can mean humility. I myself am not one to raise my hands in worship but I have no problem with those who do. When the Spirit speaks to me, I tend to "freeze" and be in awe, while others move around and shout and raise their hands when the Spirit speaks. Sometimes I am so overcome by the presence of God that I simply cannot stand, so I sit there and weep. But others may run and shout at the presence of God. No one should feel pressured to "go along" with the crowd and display a false spirituality, while at the same time no one should be frowned upon for their exuberance if it is authentic. Two people can feel the very same presence of God and react in totally different ways. The important thing is that churches should not make a "tradition" out of any particular mode or praising God, as long as it is decent and in order. An "amen" when the preacher speaks truth, is always appropriate for anyone!
A fervent "amen"!
Post a Comment