Perhaps you find the title of this series a bit odd, but as mentioned in my initial post, I have discovered that there are great temptations in pastoral ministry when it comes to preaching.  Last week, we explored the first temptation, to be original.  This week we will explore the second temptation, to be masterful.

As with originality, it must be noted up front that mastery in ones vocation can be couched in a very positive and in fact admirable sense.  I have no doubt that there is great virtue in truly honing one’s skills and learning to be as effective and accurate as possible when preaching.  That being said, with each virtue I suppose there may be a potential vice.  So, I would like to explore the ways in which mastery can be a dangerous temptation leading the preacher away from dependence upon God.  In essence, to be masterful in our preaching is born out of an unhealthy desire to be in control.  We will investigate this temptation by exploring how it plays out in three areas of preaching. 

First, we see the temptation to be masterful when it comes to the preachers desire to hone his craft.  There are workshops, courses, conferences, books, etc. all covering different ways in which a preacher can communicate more effectively, inspire an audience, time his delivery and incorporate jokes.  Once again, these things are not bad in and of themselves, and there is legitimacy in wanting to do, whatever we do, well.  That being said, at times this appears to move in an unhealthy direction as a result of unhealthy beliefs and desires on the part of the pastor.  In essence, this move toward mastery of ones craft, appears to be antithetical to the way in which Paul approached the subject when faced with critique of his skill as a teacher.  Paul saw value in his flaws, weaknesses, etc., because there could be no mistaking Who should receive the glory for the “success” of his ministry.  The question is, at what point is the mastery of the craft an attempt to control what happens when we preach? Perhaps it is a desire to control how we are received and what people experience?  I would also suggest that the desire to be masterful over our craft is at times born out of deep insecurity, rather than out of deep faith.  In essence, we are on stage in order to be validated, and our identity is no longer grounded in being a child of God, but rather in being a charismatic, powerful, effective…preacher.

Second, we discover the temptation to be masterful when it comes to the content of our preaching.  I suppose when I talk about this facet of the temptation I am primarily thinking of preaching on a particular passage or theological concept.  As someone who has spent much of his life in theological education, I certainly see a great value in “knowing” what we are preaching and in doing thorough exegetical and doctrinal work as we prepare to preach.  However, a temptation I have seen in myself is to have unhealthy mastery over the content of my sermon.  This is often born out of the deep belief that I must be “right”.  It is a belief that my identity (value, worth, etc.) is based on whether I have the proper interpretation or theological position.  In this temptation, the preacher solely sees the Bible as that which is to be interpreted, rather than himself as that which is to be interpreted.  Rather than allowing God to search ones heart, the preacher avoids entering into the truth of their own heart, by keeping the content of ones studies simply as that-content, ideas, concepts, etc.  In this temptation, the goal of sermon preparation is not transformation, but rather a sense of control and accomplishment in “getting it right.”  The preacher wrongly believes that by careful study and hard work he can discover who God is and what He is about, rather than believing that in all of these things he is utterly dependent upon God’s revelation.   

Lastly, we find the temptation to be masterful when it comes to our critics.  If you have ever preached then you have come to know that you have critics.  This may simply be a person in the congregation, or it could be a fellow pastor.  Perhaps for those who are well known in the evangelical world, your preaching finds criticism on blogs, in books or in discussion groups at conferences.  Clearly, there is room to respond to ones critics, especially when such criticism is opposed to the truth of the gospel. In this discussion, I am not envisioning an incident in which the truth of the gospel has been challenged in a significant way and the preacher must respond, but rather a much more innocuous scenario.  Perhaps it is simply the possibility that this person or these persons might be critical that drives us in this facet of the temptation, because they seem to clash with our personality or don’t appear to adore us the way that others do.  In a subtle way, the preacher’s study becomes ammunition for his defense and the delivery of his sermon becomes a means of establishing mastery over this individual.  The preacher is no longer discerning what God is calling him to share with the congregation, and has turned this opportunity to proclaim the gospel into a venue for defense and self-gratification.  Perhaps the preacher even fantasizes about this person being proven wrong.  Here the preacher is moving out of a deep desire for power and control.  This is all born out of the belief that I must always be right, or always be validated and adored by others, lest I be a failure.  Once again, the preacher has grounded his identity more in his vocation than his relationship to God.  He is searching for love, acceptance and belonging from others, rather than God.