Preaching with Passion
April 4th, 2008
(Review by Nathan Williams)
We should always strive to maintain balance in every area of life. The area of preaching is no different. Most men fall into one of two extremes when it comes to preaching the Word of God. Many men communicate clearly and powerfully, but they fail when it comes to the hard study of the Word. They are able speakers, but often have little from the mind of God to give to the mind of man. This group has been challenged by numerous writers to study hard and be sure that they are preaching the Word and not their own opinions or stories.
The other extreme has been dealt with far less frequently. These men understand what expositional preaching entails and seek to study hard to understand the text. They are able students of theology and the original languages. They are able to mine the depths of the Word and grasp the authorial intent of any passage, no matter how difficult it may seem at first glance. The problem for these men comes when they must step behind a pulpit and communicate the message they have received through the intense study of the Scriptures. It is for this second group of men that Preaching with Passion was written. The author, Alex Montoya, describes the problem in these terms; “The problem is with neither the content of the sermon nor our methodology; rather, the problem lies with our delivery of the sermon. The problem is not what we say; it is how we say it. Our sermons lack passion” (p. 10).
Montoya believes that anyone who has been called to preach by God can learn to preach passionately. His desire is that through this book men will learn what it means to preach passionately and be motivated to proclaim the glories of Christ in a compelling manner to the people of God.
Preaching with Passion consists of eight chapters. Each chapter explains one aspect of what is needed to preach passionately: (1) spiritual power, (2) conviction, (3) compassion, (4) authority, (5) urgency, (6) brokenness, (7) preaching with the whole body, and (8) imagination. At the beginning of each chapter Montoya provides a definition of the targeted aspect of preaching with passion. Then he goes on to explain how one can attain the given characteristic. For example, in the chapter on spiritual power, he explains that there are several things that are needed before one can preach with spiritual power. These include but are not limited to; contrition of the soul, confession of sin, and communion with the Savior. Montoya’s explanation’s are filled with Scripture passages and are immensely practical. This book clearly was written over a lifetime of ministry and is the fruit of years of preaching with passion.
If we could boil the book down to one principle that stands out above the rest, I believe it would be this; The Word of God must do its work in your own heart before it can do its work through you in the hearts of your people. Throughout many of the chapters, Montoya stressed the importance of meditation and personal application of the Word. Passion in preaching will remain elusive to the pastor who does not allow the word to penetrate his own heart and life. No matter what your personality, you can learn to preach with passion that will be contagious. This book provides a wonderful tool to guide us to the proper balance of passionate exposition in the pulpit.
A few quotes from this tremendous little book will be helpful:
“Such preachers [passionless preachers] usually do not even realize the damage they do to the cause of truth. They man truly love the Word of God and have a high regard for sound doctrine, but what their dispassionate delivery actually communicates is apathy and indifference.” (p. 7)
“The conservative, biblical preacher has to be most aware of the balance between solid exposition and the passionate delivery of that exposition.” (p. 11)
“Truly intellectual preaching makes truth simple.” (p. 16)
“Everyone is passionate, only some of us have restrained that passion for various reasons.” (p. 17)
“The secret to passionate preaching is spiritual power.” (p. 21)
“If we would shake the hearts of men, we must be channels through which God can address the hearts of men.” (p. 22)
“Spiritual power comes when we realize our utter unworthiness to preach and our total dependence on God for everything.” (p. 24)
“Passionate preaching almost always comes from a man who holds the truth he proclaims with deep personal convictions.” (p. 41)
“Conviction about some biblical truth begins with our exegesis, with the tedious spadework of seeking to understand what the Bible means by what it says.” (p. 50)
“A text that has not benefited us in some way will not be communicated with any sense of excitement or urgency.” (p. 50)
“The mistake made by many young preachers is that they attempt to mimic the style of great, older preachers, but they fail to mimic their lives as well.” (p. 81)
“If a preacher knows his subject well, if he has mastered it, if he has become an authority on it, then we will speak confidently about it, even passionately.” (p. 83)
“I am passionate because God’s Word makes me so and because man’s condition demands it. Ultimately, the nature of preaching deserves it.” (p. 151)
* Preaching with Passion can be purchased through Grace Books International by clicking here.
Part of me reads this article and wants to say, “preach it brother”. Another part of me thinks about what Paul said in 1 Coronthians 2:1-5. “And when I came to you brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
I think there is a tension in the Scripture passage that we should wrestle with in our preaching. I am not into apathetic preaching but I am concerned that if we begin to focus on our delivery too much, we begin to make ourselves more important than we really should be! (Obviously I totally agree with proper exposition of the Scriptures). I have not read this book, so this tension may be discussed. However, I do realize that I must seriously consider that The Holy Spirit will be the one to demonstrate power through God’s Word. I constantly need to be aware that I am only as useful to God as I accurately teach through His Word.
From what I understand, Jonathan Edwards read His sermons in a monotone voice. If that was the case, it sounds like God used His Word rather mightily.
I would be curious if any other Pastors wrestle with this tension that we want to be zealous in our proclaiming God’s Word but we wonder if we are more concerned with delivery than we should?
Could it not be the case that the reason so many preachers lack passion is they lack the power of the Holy Spirit - the only true means by which we are capable of being deeply passionate about the Word of God?
Seminaries can impart knowledge and teach men how to study and even preach. But it is only by empowering of God’s Spirit, working in and through the life of the preacher, that he can come to claim the truth of God’s Word for himself, and effectively impart that same Truth unto others.
I have not read the book, but it seems to me if you are diligent to study and prepare Gods Word for your message, and your life holds these very deep convictions of God’s truth your message will be passionate. Its not about us, it is the power and truth of God’s Word that convicts a sinners heart. Our passion comes from wanting to study ourselves approved unto God, a worker not ashamed, rightly dividing the truth. Our passion comes from knowing God and knowing truth. Passion does not need to be taught to us, we are passionaate because the Holy Spirit indwells within us, and our lives will reflect that in our teaching and preaching. If you hunger and thrist for righteousness you will be satisfied. You will get excited and passionate about feeding God’s sheep, and the lost sheep. I would venture to say that the book is a call for us to be passionate in feeding God’s sheep, and preaching the truth to the lost sheep. We are passionate about living a life of Christ-like integrity, and that should come across in our preaching and teaching.
Excellent book for the preacher as well as a view from the pew.
Have read it and its excellent. More young preachers would benefit from this book, as well as us who view from the pew gain perspective!~
Genuine passion is rare these days. But it is necessary for the preacher of God’s truth, the Gospel, and His whole Word really.
I am blessed with a pastor, who not only reads, studies, and mediates on the Scriptures, but then teaches and preaches the doctrines of grace with passion, and humility.
Have a great Lord’s Day.
ps Loud preaching can look passionate, but it’s usually not. People like Creflo Dollar, Beeny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and so on are empty clouds; loud and proud, but only in half truths and human wisdom.
I once read a quote by Martyn Lloyd-Jones who said he wished he had preached with more pathos.
I would agree that this is an excellent book by a man who is passionate for the Lord. Alex Montoya is one of the professors at TMS and teaches homiletics there. He is great to listen to when he preaches because he exposits the Scripture with passion.
Passionless preaching is an abomination. That is what Pastor Montoya is after in this book. We must not just get up in front of people and ‘bore them’ with the Word of God. I am not saying that we should be into antics or crazy gimmicks but we must convey the Word with passion. Anything less is not worthy!
By the way, there is some research that says Edwards was not all that ‘passionless’ in his preaching. Tell me you can read ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ without passion for the lost. It is true that the Puritans were not wanting to distract from the Word but what about passionate preachers like Whitefield, Spurgeon, and even modern day preachers like MacArthur, Mahaney, Dever, Piper. We must not overreact to the abuse of preaching by becoming passionless.
I agree with every word that Carl wrote. His post is essential to read and keep in mind when considering this topic. I think that needs to be underscored and didn’t want it to go un-highlighted.
“If the Word does not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us” -John Owen
Amen!
The book sounds very interesting, as well as being very much needed in our generation. My ministry has allowed me to visit alot of churches, and when I am not preaching, I have been able to listen to alot of preaching. There are two basic “problems” I have oberved; 1) Good content, and no passion. 2) Poor content and alot of content…probably trying to make up for a lack of content! In either case, the message is not delivered as it should. As preahers we have the greatest message to be delivered with the greatest urgency. There is not place for passionless preaching. If a man of God cannot preach with passion, he ought to step out of the pulpit and find something he is passionate about. How can a God called man preach without passion? I think it is important to keep in view that preaching with passion is not the same as emotionalism. Christ died to redeem a people ZEALOUS of good works…not emotional about good works!
Preach on with fire in your soul my brothers!
Greg