PREACHING AND THE LISTENERS?

• Remember that happy listeners may mean sermon failure. Our goal is not to make listeners happy with us. Our goal is to faithfully present, explain and apply the Bible text to their lives. What if the text convicts, or prods, or pokes, or makes downright uncomfortable? What if it shines a light in a dark place in their life and they don’t like what they see? What if their dissatisfaction toward you and your preaching is a very positive sign of the word getting through? Be careful not to misapply this, but sometimes knowing that listeners were offended by your preaching may be the best feedback that you are doing your job well. Preaching is not about presenting yourself for a popularity contest (even if some churches make it feel like that!)