Convicting. One of the things I have done, as a church planter, is visit other churches of all denominations. One of the things I have noticed is the exact issue Piper speaks of in this video, the sharing of ones own thoughts versus staying within the context and text of the Word. Many time when I am leaving a church I am thinking, “Why do the people continue to come?” I also am thinking, “what do I say when I am preaching?”

I guess one of the questions all of us have to answer is, “Do we really really believe the Word of God is alive (Hebrews 4:12) or do we have to add something to it to make it palatable for today’s people?”

That last closing remark is the real zinger. We don’t make the Word central in our preaching because it’s not central in our lives.