Skip to content

Soul Preaching

Menu
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Popular Updates
    • Preaching Methods
    • Homiletic Theory
    • Sermon Construction
    • Exegesis
    • Feature Articles
  • SUBSCRIBE
Menu

Practical Preaching Or Kingdom Preaching?

Posted on January 16, 2014

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Photo : Bresson Thomas

Many call for practical sermons. I have made the same call on occasion. However, the term “practical sermons” means different things to different people. For example, some preachers use the term to mean sermons that give people life skills to help them live in this world. These sermons would address such important things as becoming a better employee or entrepreneur. Other sermons might be how to overcome racism and sexism to break through the glass ceiling that “the enemy” wants to use to block you from your God given destiny of prosperity, health, and wealth (certainly you have read enough of my work to know I have great problems with such a presentation…but I digress…).

Practical Sermon Drawbacks
A few months ago, I remember a sermon that illustrates this mindset clearly. The preacher took the life or Joseph and distilled 4 or 5 principles that would help the hearer to become a better employee and thus get the next promotion. I forget the title, but the point was to follow the steps of Joseph to become a better employee.

Certainly, if you apply the principles of this very practical sermon you will no doubt be better equipped to move ahead in your job. Certainly, there is a time to learn how to be a good worker or know when it is time to move to another job. But, I seriously question whether the morning sermon during the worship service is the right time or location. On another note, I wonder if the preacher is the right one to give that kind of training in many instances.

Are Spiritual Sermons The Answer?
There are some who would question that kind of sermon by saying that we need to preach “spiritual” things and not “worldly” things. Some would argue that, we need to point people to the heavenly realm. I like the emphasis on the spiritual that those who argue along these lines gives, but I think it has a tendency to limit God’s incoming kingdom to a particular realm, namely “spiritual” topics and venues. Often these “spiritual” things can be separate from our daily lives.

This kind of preaching places a disconnect between the way we live during the week and the way we are called to live as Christians. This kind of preaching makes it too easy to be comfortable in political parties when both should offend our prophetic tendencies from time to time. This kind of preaching makes it too easy for us to preach about “turning the other cheek” on Sunday morning but bash in cheeks every other day of the week. It makes it too easy to give grace and forgiveness to the perpetrators of wars based on lies while condemning the two-bit criminal robbing the 7-11. Or vice-versa depending on our political tendencies.

Moving Beyond the Spiritual – Practical Dichotomy
No we are not looking for a practicality that does not confront the status-quo but merely teaches us how to strive to live in it. Neither are we seeking to teach a spirituality that only has relevance to “gettin’ to heaven.”

Yes the practical preaching proponent is right in the desire to allow God’s principles to invade every area of our lives, but the Spiritual preaching proponent is right that the spiritual aspects of the coming kingdom must take center stage in our lives.

So what do we do? We preach God’s kingdom. We preach what it means to live in that Kingdom. We preach the ethical demands on those of us who are citizens in that kingdom. We preach how to become citizens of that kingdom. We preach how to live as ambassadors of that coming kingdom in this world.

Certainly living as a member of God’s Kingdom has relevance to life down here. Being a good citizen of God’s kingdom in many cases means that we will be a good worker at work. It means we will be a good steward of God’s blessings. It does mean that we will do our duty down here. So the practical side will be taken care of. But also the spiritual side will be addressed as this is the fuel that empowers our living.

Great preaching is about living in that coming Kingdom. Let us be true to it and true to our God. Leave the surface self-help messages to the personal development gurus and television preachers. On the other hand, don’t preach a “gettin to heaven” sermon that has no relevance for living in this world. Go head on and preach God’s Coming Kingdom and watch as the gates of hell begin to fall in its face.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.

Related posts:

The Role Of Humanity In Preaching Nommo – Creative Power of the Word Default ThumbnailKerygma and Didache Default ThumbnailProphetic Preaching

3 thoughts on “Practical Preaching Or Kingdom Preaching?”

  1. Lorraine Jones says:
    March 15, 2011 at 6:47 am

    Thank you for this thought provoking article, Dr. Cox. I believe that the practical sermon can have greater impact when it is done in tandem with or as a result an extended series of teachings led by the Pastor or other skilled personnel. A few years ago in the church where I participate, the Servant-leader conducted a 6 week sermon series that coincided with our EEI (Educational Enrichment Institute) series on Spiritual Gifts that was taught by 2 very gifted and dynamic staff persons.

    What it did for me personally, and I believe the congregation as a whole was to enable us to “see” the importance of the spiritual gifts in the 21st century; gain an understanding of their context and use; determining where we were on the spectrum. We actually took a “Spiritual Assesment” Survey and had it evaluated an put in our church member files; and then assessing what we needed to do to nurture, support, and supplement those gifts.

    For some, it became one of the tools that persons used to lovingly (and in some cases “finally”)transition out of “roles” and into real ministry. For others, it was an affirmation of the person’s relevancy and how their lives had changed. For others in our ministry as a whole, it sparked conversations and unveiled the gifts that we believed were “in our midst” but had been lying dormant/under-utilized.

    For our Senior leader, I believe, it “freed him up” to hone in on the spiritual dimension more precisely pointedly because the practical tenets had been dealt with in another context.

    Thank you for provoking us to “think” and then facilitating a forum that enables us to communicate. You are a great gift to the body of Christ!

  2. Wendell D.T. Hicks says:
    March 23, 2011 at 9:56 am

    This is a great topic because it is relevant to all preachers. I believe, as it seems Rev. Cox does, that balance is important. We can be so “overly spritual” that we forget the person that maybe has not arrived at that level of spirituallity or we can become so focused on social justice or self enrichment that we infude little of Christ.

    I, personally, am more comfortable dealing in the spiritual than the social relm but I fully understand the need to have the social as a part of our consciousness. The point that Rev. Cox made of getting our spitual selves in order will force everything else to fall into place. We have to remember that our call is to preach the gospel and allow God to reform. If we love the Lord with all of our hearts and minds, we have kept the whole law. The same is true for our personal lives, if God is love and we abide in God then we have to abide in love. If we love then we will not offend.

  3. Sylvester Warsaw, Jr. says:
    December 22, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    My brother, Elder Cox,

    Another thought provoking topic. For me personally, Kingdom Preaching, has both because we’re not of this world but we live in this world; therefore, God, has called His children to a higher standard in Christ Jesus. The best of Kingdom preaching teaches us how to live in this world as we are guided by the Holy Spirit living within us. When I read the greatest sermon ever preached The Sermon on The Mount the Kingdom of God suppose to impact the world not the world impacting the Kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us how to live in this world without compromising the Kingdom of Heaven.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Stop Sleeping In The Pulpit
  • Thou Shalt Have Good News
  • The Answer Is In The Records
  • Just Keep the Ball In Play
  • The Importance of Good News
  • Preaching Advent With Imagination
  • Why The Thorn

Free Email Training

Sign up for the New Preaching TIPS Email Newsletter. You will recieve 5-7 emails a week.

Click Here

Revised Common Lectionary

    Instagram

    shermancox

    Instagram post 18041906996079829 Instagram post 18041906996079829
    Instagram post 17910296783919000 Instagram post 17910296783919000
    Instagram post 18035493148903548 Instagram post 18035493148903548
    Instagram post 17887097775081541 Instagram post 17887097775081541
    #smule #smuleduet #easylikesundaymorning #smule #smuleduet #easylikesundaymorning
    I feel Good #smule #smuleglobal I feel Good #smule #smuleglobal
    Instagram post 18087447073438590 Instagram post 18087447073438590
    Instagram post 17851233018147535 Instagram post 17851233018147535
    Instagram post 17907649217946063 Instagram post 17907649217946063
    Intro to prayer Intro to prayer
    Instagram post 17982108473571505 Instagram post 17982108473571505
    Instagram post 18030258256647195 Instagram post 18030258256647195
    Instagram post 18128574130309862 Instagram post 18128574130309862
    Instagram post 18388873843007811 Instagram post 18388873843007811
    What’s on the wall when I’m singing? What’s on the wall when I’m singing?
    How bout some blues harp. With a blues guitarist. How bout some blues harp. With a blues guitarist.
    Goodness of God cover. Goodness of God cover.
    Instagram post 18229306630087412 Instagram post 18229306630087412
    Instagram post 17972316937910455 Instagram post 17972316937910455
    Logged into lose it and it said Logged into lose it and it said
    Load More Follow on Instagram

    Recent Posts

    • Stop Sleeping In The Pulpit
    • Thou Shalt Have Good News
    • The Answer Is In The Records
    • Just Keep the Ball In Play
    • The Importance of Good News

    Archives

    • September 2024
    • March 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • March 2019
    • August 2018
    • June 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • January 2015
    • November 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • December 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006

    Categories

    • 11Cartoons
    • 11Fiction
    • 11Instruction
    • Associate Ministry
    • Audio
    • Basic Preaching
    • Bible Study
    • Black Church
    • Black Preaching Style
    • blog
    • Book of the Month
    • Book Reviews
    • Devotional
    • Exegesis
    • Feature Articles
    • feedburner
    • Fixing the Sermon
    • Funeral
    • General
    • Gospel Music
    • Headline
    • History
    • Homiletic Theory
    • Issues
    • MiniBlog
    • Ministry
    • Negro Spirituals
    • Planning
    • Podcast
    • Practice
    • Prayer
    • Preaching
    • Preaching Methods
    • Preaching Style
    • Premium
    • Questions and Answers
    • racism
    • Scripture Selection
    • Sermon Analysis
    • Sermon Construction
    • Sermon Craft
    • Sermon Editing
    • Sermon Outline
    • Sermons
    • Software
    • Theology
    • Titles
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Web Ministry
    • WebSeminar
    • Whooping
    • Without Notes
    ©2025 Soul Preaching | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme