If it is a sin to preach to long I want to know how long is to long so that I will not be violating God's word. If 30 minutes is a violation of God's word then how about 25, 20, or 15? Where does God tell us what is an acceptable length of time for a sermon? Would God had not been specific in what he wants as far as length in a sermon if it is such a grievous sin that one would be punished with death because a preacher they were listening to violated Proverbs 10:19? Remember the one who was punished here (according to Shelli) is not even the one that is in violation. We also must remember that this one was not punished with death because Paul then went down and raised him from the dead.
Maybe Shelli would be interrested in my 5 minutes of Bible study each morning on the radio. Is that what I should be doing each Sunday from the pulpit?
Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago on this very idea.
Quote:
I Didn’t Come To Hear A Sermonette
Tim Hester
As a young preacher, approximately twenty years ago, I would often preach in ten to fifteen minutes what I can not finish in thirty minutes today. After one such abbreviated sermon one Sunday a lady of the congregation made the statement to me that she “did not come to church hear a sermonette.” She, like many even today, judged her worship unto God by quantity and not by quality. Too often we are too concerned about our time falling just right in the worship “hour” that we often miss the true meaning of our worship unto God.
Many today miss the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) as it is being boldly proclaimed unto them because they are to concerned that the preacher’s sermon is either too long or too short. They totally miss having their faith strengthened by the soul saving gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:17; Rom. 1:16) while they count the minutes and seconds the preacher is speaking.
Others, yet, fail to call to remembrance the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:19; I Cor. 11:24, 25) because they are to concerned with the mechanics of the passing of the trays. They are to busy with the outward appearance before man that they fail to realize the importance of the unleavened bread which represents the body of Christ (Luke 22:19; I Cor. 11:24) and the fruit of the vine which represents the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20; I Cor. 11:25).
Still, we have others who are deaf to the teaching and admonition (Col. 3:16) of the songs which we sing because they are to concerned about the proper tune, tone, and pitch of the music. They concern themselves so much with how the melody sounds to the ears that they fail to make the proper melody in their heart unto God (Eph. 5:19).
Others fail to pray to God with the spirit and with the understanding (I Cor. 14:15) because they fail to pray along with those who are leading the congregation in prayer to God. They have their minds so set on the things of man at the time of prayer that they fail remember that the prayer is an address unto God (II Cor. 13:7).
There are also still many who fail to give unto God properly because they do so grudgingly and out of necessity (II Cor. 9:7). How much they have to give unto God occupies their mind more that what God has prospered and given unto them (I Cor. 16:2).
When we worship God we must do so by worshiping him in truth (John 4:23, 24) by following God’s word and worshiping just as Christ has commanded us to do. This truth though has to be accompanied with worshiping him in the right spirit (John 4:23, 24) or attitude. Our minds must be on our worship so that all that we do may be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17).
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