Meat and Potatoes Sermons

I found this guy, Jim Thomas, out there who is writing for the small rural church. I think he has a great insight to this culture.

Practical Preaching Required
My best friend is a gourmet chief. He loves fancy restaurants and fine dining, but we live in what he describes as a “feeder” town. There are dining towns and feeder towns. Rural ministries are “feeder” towns when it comes to preaching. They like things plain and simple (think meat and potatoes). They will travel great distances for a good meal – but they measure it in quantity (think buffets), not quality. They need something they can apply today – and spelled out in very specific ways.

I need to know how to prepare meat and potatoes…family style.

Words, if Necessary

I have always liked the idea in the phrase attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel and if necessary use words.” Why? Because I don’t like preaching? Well, maybe, but it is mostly because I have found our actions often speak louder than our sermons.

But I have found that the Scripture says that words always necessary for belief. The Romans 10 passage clearly makes preaching important:

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

15How will they preach unless they are sent?

Preaching is important, but the last statement shows that actions are just as important, and must coincide with words, maybe precede them. I don’t think of “sending” as some country church sending out preacher boys to seminary. Sending is the the moving out of the Christ life.

Preaching must go hand in hand with going. (Matt. 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples…”) Going, sending, living out.

Maybe it’s not that we don’t need less verbal preaching, and maybe we don’t need any more muted social gospels. Perhaps it takes both working together.