Recorded Sermons?

Someone asked me if I would post a recording of my sermons to them. I declined, and wrote out my reasons in an email to them. I am going to post most of that email to this blog, as I think it contains some interesting thoughts about that kind of ministry.

It is true that I have expressed my thoughts on the things of God in the public domain. I have great confidence in the teaching ministry that the Lord has given me, and am sure that the things I do publish will be a blessing to those that read and hear them. But there is a difference (in my mind at least) in the things I publish and the messages that I preach.

The things I publish I can have total control over - I write what I write, and say what I say, knowing exactly the thoughts that I am trying to express. I can put things in such a way as to present certain doctrines and thoughts using only scriptural references, and so keep my ministry open the widest range of readers possible. In the radio broadcasts that I have recorded, I am reading from a prepared script, for similar reasons.

This is different from the ministry of preaching, in which I believe that in addition to the main message that I have, the Lord drops in many small thoughts and comments that will be addressing particular needs of people who are listening. Because of this, a sermon may be quite wide ranging in the doctrines and situations it addresses. Contained in that kind of ministry are many more things that have the potential of causing controversy and (if I am honest) be wrong, or come across wrong. If you understand, I may say something one week that is taken out of context by a listener, or said wrong by myself, and people can question me after the meeting. Then the next week I can give an appology, correction or clarification to those that were concerned or confused by what I said.

Now, everybody should go to a church and have a pastor. But there are many different branches of Christianity, and a great potential for disagreements in areas that some believe are the most basic of doctrines. I wouldnt want to be the cause of a disagreement coming into a church. I believe that you, the reader, are a wonderful, God fearing person, who serves in your church and family just as the Lord would have you. I do not think that you are looking for a new pastor, or even new or different revelation to what your church has there. If you wanted to hear one of my sermons, I believe you would be looking for additional blessing, and perhaps to get to know me a little better through my ministry. But because of the potential for misunderstanding, I do not record and send out sermons.

Now, I do not believe that I have an inferior ministry to any preacher in the world - I have the ministry that God gave me, and it is unique and vital in the position he wants me. If he ever wants me to visit your church, I know that He will bless you all through me. But my ministry is not a "tape" ministry. There is one great tape ministry, lead of God, for this day - we know this. And because it is a God given tape ministry, listening to those tapes will not have the same potential for problems that listening to my tapes may have. The devil will find it so much easier to slip into the gaps in my ministry than that of those called to outreach by sending out their sermons..

There are also other ministers in this day and age who believe that God has given them a similar kind of tape (or recorded, or streamed, or mp3 download) ministry. And those that have this ministry, the Lord will bless. Those who think they have this kind of outreach ministry but in reality do not will cause the kinds of problems I am trying to avoid. If the Lord ever lays on my heart to record and send out sermons, then I will do so. But until then, I want to avoid the potential for problems. I believe it is much greater than the potential for blessings that such a thing will bring.

I believe that every minister who sends out his sermons, and every person who listens to those sermons, should be aware of this, and should be in prayer that what they are doing will not cause problems. The last century has brought about changes in technology that allow preaching to be heard long after the voice of the preacher has fallen silent. Martin Luther, preaching in Germany all those years ago, would publish the notes of what he preached and lectured on. But it has been noted that the "released notes" varied from what the students recorded he said. Paul the apostle also considered what he wrote to the churches, so that no inadvertent error would come in. In recorded ministry, even the smallest comment is there for all to ponder over and maybe draw the wrong conclusions from. A person may change their mind concerning something they preached strongly years ago. But recordings of their mistakes last for years after they repent! I wouldnt want to be found in this kind of a situation, of to listen to a preacher who has this problem. Do you?