Expert: Scott Talbot - 9/22/2006

Question
Please refer you to Amos 8:11&12.
I feel strongly that the WORD should be taught chapter by chapter ans verse by verse, the WHOLE BIBLE completed , and start over.......
Looking at the WORD as the WHOLE BIBLE, there is currently a famine for hearing the WORD. Most preachers teach topics only. At the church I attend the preacher will for instance teach 6 or 7 verses. I estimate it will take him 160 years to complete the bible.
I am one of those mentioned in Amos 8:12, searching for someone teaching the WORD as I believe it should be taught.I have checked hundreds of church web sites and visited many churches. I have located a total of 5 in the USA total.(There are undoubtedly more, but they are hard to find)
Enough venting.
Amos 8:11 says GOD is sending this famine. Does this mean the WORD is no longer to be taught?
Are the preachers just lazy?
Are the preachers taught at divinity school that the way to preach is by topics?
I would appreciate any thoughts   Thanks   Elliot  

Answer
Hello, Elliot. Nice to hear from you.

I understand your concerns. I grew up in a church where the pastor would preach through a book at a time, verse by verse, and passage by passage. This is what some call "expository preaching," and it allows God's Word to speak for itself. It's also beneficial in that no portion of Scripture is overlooked.

A lot of sermons are topical--that is, built around a theme, using various passages for support. There is nothing wrong with topical preaching. It's just a different way of communicating God's truths.

That said, I believe that there should be more of an emphasis on expository preaching.

Why don't you see more of this? Well, there could be a number of reasons. For one, it's more difficult to develop an expository sermon than it is a topical sermon. A good expository sermon is built on translating from the original language, analysis of the grammar and syntax, outlining, contextual study, background studies, and searching for the intended meaning. To allow God to speak for Himself requires great care in getting it right.

A topical message can involve little more than consulting a concordance for related passages and hoping you're doing justice to God's Word as you apply various passages to your topic.

The seminary I attended placed a huge amount of emphasis on expository preaching. Perhaps some seminaries do not. And many preachers may not have a seminary (or even Bible college) education. Still, God can use one who takes care to learn the Bible and treat it responsibly.

You suggest that a pastor should preach through the entire Bible verse by verse, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. That's a great idea. But, as you said, that could take a very long time.

I spent an entire semester in seminary dissecting one ten-word verse and writing a 30-page paper on it. And I don't think I came close to exhausting all the truth found in that one small verse. Weeks, months, even years could be spent on one verse alone. The Bible is infinite in its wisdom.

So different styles can and should be used to communicate God's Word. Sometimes you park on short passages, or spend time working through a book. At other times, you cover more ground in a bit less detail. And, at other times, you deal with topics and bring in various related passages to focus on one idea. As long as one is being faithful to God's Word, I personally think that different styles of preaching are fine.

As for the passage in Amos 8:11-12, I do not believe that this passage is directed at our generation. I believe that God gave Amos this message to warn the Israelites of future hardening and spiritual blindness, a time during which God will cease speaking through His prophets. This was a warning of judgment on the nation of Israel.

However, we can see parallels in that others will face a similar judgment due to their rejection of God.

These are just a few of my thoughts. I hope it helps.

Scott