George Whitefield: How To Listen To A Sermon

George Whitefield offers keys for getting the most out of what the preacher says...

1. Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty
2. Give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the Word of God
3. Do not entertain even the least prejudice against the minister
4. Be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think
5. Make particular application to your own hearts of everything that is delivered
6. Pray to the Lord, before, during, and after every sermon

Read more of Whitefield's thoughts on listening to a sermon.

Comments

[Margo, Bible Fun Factory]

George Whitefield sounds like he knows what he's talking about! I particularly enjoyed numbers one and four. I have bookmarked the link that you supplied and look forward to sitting down later and reading through more of what Whitefield has to say. Thank you for sharing this with your readers!

[Steve McCoy]

Thanks for the feedback, Margo! Glad it's helpful.

[Esther Sanchez]

#3 is absolutely ridiculous.

[Brandt Dotson]

Number 3 is alarming and dangerous. This is trash. Pure trash, and it makes a mockery out of the Gospel of Christ. Self-proclaimed preachers are NOT speaking on the authority of God. True pastors do not come from private revelation. When one is guided by the Holy Spirit, that comes with the ability to discern a corrupted preacher from a sincere one. This mentality is exactly why pastoral abuse has been allowed to thrive, especially among Evangelicals.

Not to mention, George Whitefield was an advocate FOR slavery, and he was a Calvinist, so I wouldn't put much stock in what he had to say.

[Steve McCoy]

Esther & Brandt,

1. Did you read #4?

2. Do you realize, at least in modern usage, "prejudice" means "preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience"?

So, you are FOR preconceiving an opinion in an unreasonable way, or without actual experience? And THAT isn't "alarming and dangerous?"

3. Did you click on the link for a fuller explanation of what Whitefield said? He explains it further.

4. I've been pastoring a church in which some of the people (early on) did exactly the opposite of what Whitefield said, and it was harmful to me, to my family, and to the congregation. Being a Berean is important. But being PREJUDICED toward a preacher (which is by definition w/o reason or experience) is "alarming and dangerous."

[John]

I clicked the link, Steve.

"Take heed therefore, and beware of entertaining any dislike against those whom the Holy Ghost has made overseers over you."

That statement is pretty straightforward and implies the existence of only one possible caveat inasmuch as it kinda-sorta allows for the possibility that the Holy Ghost might not have placed someone over you. That said, based on the plain language of that statement, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Esther and Brandt. This standard is at the very least worrisome and at most dangerous. It's one thing to warn against prejudice, but to proceed by way of further explication to say that one should not entertain even the slightest measure of dislike toward someone behind a pulpit is extraordinarily irresponsible.

Of course, Whitefield came from a time when authority was less often questioned, especially spiritual authority. He even went so far as to advocate for instituting slavery in Georgia, since it had been illegal prior to that time, as a means of bestowing God's bounty on the people ("people" meaning white people, of course). It makes perfect sense from the perspective of that privilege that the minister should always receive the benefit of the doubt, but subsequent experience has taught us otherwise. Perhaps it is wise to draw the line at outright prejudice, but one person's prejudice is another person's caution.

[Matt Svoboda]

Steve,

These are great... How anyone finds #3 "worrisome" or "alarming" is a bit baffling.

[anxelin]

#3 IS disturbing
I think we can all agree prejudice is wrong, I don't see how you would believe anyone was arguing that it was ok

-why the special concern with the minister? y'know?

[John]

I don't understand what's baffling to you. Can you elaborate a bit?

[Brandt Dotson]

You pastor a church? If I were to come to hear you preach, here is what I would want to know (call them prejudices, if you must):

By what authority did you become a pastor?

What theological training have you had?

Have you read the Bible in its entirety?

Do you have healthy relationships with surrounding pastors and churches in your community? What affiliations do you have with other church organizations? Are any of them local, or are they only in other regions?

What safeguards exist at your church to hold you, the pastor, accountable?

How does your church treat members who leave the church?

Are your church financial information open and available, or kept closed from your members?

What is your position on tithing?

What is your position on Word of Faith?

What is your position on Holy Communion?

If you answer these questions honestly, then any discerning Christian will know if your church is spiritually healthy or not.

The reason people have issue with #3 is because it reeks of pastoral authority, which is not Biblical. There are many pastors (let me be clear... I do not know you, so I have no opinion or knowledge of you, so I do not include you here) who abuse their positions. They cannot be questioned, they present themselves as infallible, anyone who does raise questions are silenced, controlled, bullied, and abused. The heinous thing about this is these corrupted pastors take people's genuine love, passion, and faith in Jesus Christ and slowly turns it to their own advantage. Those who are free in Christ become in bondage to man. It is spiritually toxic, and it does great harm to not only faith, but also the mental and emotional well-being of Christians - the sheep of God who are supposed to be protected and shepherded, not controlled and manipulated. And it happens more often than one might think. Even sexual abuse and adultery are prone to occur. Pastors should not be in a position to be able to even accomplish this, but they often are.

There comes a point for every pastor when they are tempted, either sexually, financially, or by power. Every single pastor will experience this. Some give in, some prevail. So there should always, and let me stress ALWAYS, be a system in place to prevent it, or remove the pastor if it happens. When it is not in place, a corrupted pastor can continue to run amok, causing severe damage to his own soul, and to the well-being of his flock.

The problem is open dialogue is censored and victims are condemned. It is easier to cast aside those who you view, as you said, a 'problem.' And the source of this is the mentalities of Christian preachers, like George Whitefield, who clearly did not understand what his role was.

And those Christians who have gone through this pain are labeled as 'bitter' (such an over-used buzz word.) They are met with phrases like 'your heart isn't right (only God can see the heart, man cannot, so how would they know?)They are made to feel that there is something wrong with THEM, and there can't possibly be anything wrong with the pastor.

Now you may cast me aside as 'bitter' or 'prejudiced,' but you posted this list, and I feel that it can be dangerous, and I have expressed that. A list like this could be used by someone who is trying to influence control, docility and obedience for personal gain.

I have seen the damage caused by 'pastoral authority' first-hand. As a church leader, I was even enabling a corrupt pastor to continue his abuse. People I know became financially ruined, and people I know were sexually molested as a direct result of a corrupt pastor that was allowed to continue because people like me remained silent. By the time I saw the damage, and what was really going on at that church, it was too late. There is metaphorical blood on my hands, and I have to live with that every day. I have seen the lives and faiths of real people destroyed then cast aside, and I have seen it not just at one church... it happens in many. Preventing this from being open, and silencing them is NOT Christian behavior. So you may take issue with my disagreement to this blog post, but I will stand strong in my conviction.

I will close this long response by saying that I have no intention here to destroy or undermine your works, argue or cause you any problems. As I said, I do not know you. (I saw your post, and left a brief response because I disagree.)

You are a pastor, as you say, and these are all things that you should be aware of and be willing to talk about, and you should be prepared and able to deal with it. Censorship and silence is not the answer. Only through open, honest discussions can Christians be brought to a place of spiritual healthiness.

Respond to this, ignore it, or even remove it. That's your decision. Remember, though, that your actions speak louder than words, and everyone is known by their fruits.

[Jared]

I have no intention here to destroy or undermine your works

Well, that's a relief

[Jared]

#3 reeks of evenhandedness and fairmindedness, and we can't have that. Yes, prejudice is always bad, except when it's against people who I've decided ahead of time to be prejudiced against.