I grew up in a church where the pastor preached topically. I was saved while growing up in that church at a Christian camp at age 10. I will always have a place in my heart for the ministry there. After I began attending Bible college, I discovered something that changed my life even more – expository preaching. From listening to people such as Chuck Swindoll & John MacArthur to the training from classes at college, the Lord developed in me a strong conviction. It is more than a style or preference. Dr. Al Mohler said, “According to the Bible, exposition is preaching, and preaching is exposition.” (He is Not Silent, page 50). Some call it verse-by-verse teaching, but expository preaching is listening to God speak through His Word, and then explaining it so that people can understand it. Nehemiah 8:8 says, “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, & they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
The power of life change is not in the hands of the one teaching. Failing to do expository preaching assumes that the one preaching can change people by his ability. There are so many reasons to commit to expository preaching. Here are just a few:
It keeps the Pastor in the Word; growing & helping others grow.
The Pastor teaches the whole counsel of God, not just favorite passages.
It equips & encourages believers to dig deeper into Scripture on their own.
It places the authority upon the very words of God, not on opinion.
It is important that we do not look to men but seek to hear from God. Jesus said it best in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”
Pastor Phil Newby
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