The following was written by John MacArthur ... and well worth reading ...

"As I travel and minister in word and song in various churches around the world, I have come to see some distinctives common to men who have forgotten their duty to preach the Word and give themselves to lesser things. Here are some of those observations:

When a man steps into the pulpit more interested in telling stories than rightly dividing the Word of truth - he is not preaching the Word.

When a man seeks first to be funny behind the sacred desk rather than faithful with the text - he is not preaching the Word.

When a man claims to speak for God by claiming “a word of divine revelation from the Lord” apart from the already divine revelation of Scripture - he is deceived, and is not preaching the Word.

When a man designs his sermons to attract a target audience, appeal to the culture, and has as its primary goal a thirst to be relevent - he is not preaching the Word.

When a man forgets that he ministers for an Audience of One; and that the highest form of worship is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God alone in the power of the Holy Spirit - he is not preaching the Word.

When a man uses his pulpit to try and change the world through politics, representing America as the new Israel, seeking to bring a societal morality through legislation, and honors the flag equally with the cross - he is not preaching the Word.

When a man fails to tremble at God’s Word privately before ever preaching it publicly - he is not preaching the Word.

And when a man treats the pages of holy writ with a casual, cavalier seeker-friendly, watered down, emergent, ecumenical irrevernce - he is not preaching the Word.

Better for that man to become a game show host, than represent himself as a “servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries God.” (1 Cor. 4:1)"

-Pastor John MacArthur-