There’s a whole world out there, professing Christian and not, that do all they can to avoid getting the 
preaching they should be receiving. God deems this method of hearing what He has to say through a local pastor, so important that He has called many to minister to a local “flock” of local believers.
When the gathering of people listens to the preacher they should get something out of the preaching. Here are some of the benefits that those that do not attend miss when they do not hear regular preaching:
- Not every preacher that goes to the pulpit is in communication with God; however, they should be. If the congregation is getting what God wants the local church to hear for that day through preaching, then when folks do not hear God’s message, they are missing what they are supposed to hear!
- Teaching from the Word of God is usually included in the sermons. When it is missed, people miss important lessons from God’s Word that they would not have gotten, even if they were faithfully reading the Word of God for themselves.
- Most people, unfortunately, do not read the Bible for themselves. So, without preaching, they are getting no spiritual input in their lives at all. It should not be wondered at all, without any spiritual input and mostly worldly input, why so many live God-dishonoring lives!
- Preaching promotes spiritual growth in the believer. When we are saved, there is a lot of spiritual house cleaning in our lives that we must do. God knows our limits, and that we cannot change all at once. Being there for every sermon is an opportunity to grow in the things of the Lord, at the rate God desires for us.
- If they do not hear the preaching of the Word of God, they will miss out on much of what God’s will and direction are for their lives.
- Much of preaching puts the spotlight on the listener’s sins and weaknesses. The intent of preaching is to warn the hearer of his errors and sins, so he can make changes in his life. Those that do not hear preaching continue in their sin and error and wonder why their lives are such a mess!
- When people miss preaching they are missing the opportunity to be obedient to at least one of God’s commands.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 - When a believer misses preaching, many unsaved see he is missing. Those that miss church are being bad examples to the unsaved!
- Preaching can also be an encouragement. In a world that does not encourage godly behavior, the only place where Christians can be encouraged if they are living the way God desires, is through preaching. Not only can preaching be a checklist of what we are doing wrong, it can be a list of what we are doing right in God’s eyes.
- Being amongst Christians is about the only place one will be encouraged to live for the Lord.
- When a church-member is faithfully attending preaching, he is encouraging others that are also attending. Little attendance to preaching discourages those that do go. It does go through some minds at least once, “Why should I attend? So-and-so never comes. Why should I?”
- If a person is unsaved, preaching may be the main way they will hear the saving Gospel in a language that they can understand. Preaching has saved and changed the lives of billions!
This world can be very hard, and God knows it. That is why He has provided a way for man to hear from Him daily through prayer, Bible reading and preaching!
“Be in your local church every time its doors are open!”
One more thing people miss when they don’t attend church: the opportunity to encourage their pastor by supporting him with their presence. I for one am encouraged when most of the flock is in the services, but have learned over the years that my “job” is to preach to the ones who are there. Those who miss services do exactly that, they miss out on the blessings of assembling together. Another good devotional Bro. Bill!
Preaching should produce a result at an altar for obedient listeners. Worship, repentance, confirmation of truth, and surrender to name a few.
For much of my life, I resisted preaching. Ultimately I was bored by it and uninterested. I had a heart problem and I was in a state of rebellion. I did not want to feel conviction, although I did not know what to call it. I just knew it was uncomfortable.
When my heart changed, so did my response to the preaching of the word. I have been the recipient of help more times than I can remember as a result of the Holy Ghost “reading my mail” and using a preacher to deliver a message just for me. I was able to get the help I needed because the preacher obeyed the Lord.
If you have never had that happen, I humbly suggest something is amiss. God uses preachers and the preaching of the word to minister to his sheep…..and Jesus was the greatest Preacher that ever lived. The sermon on the mount in it’s entirety is a call to Christian life, it is both teaching and exhortation. He regularly upbraided and preached to those who valued religion over relationship.
I appreciate the preachers in my life.
I dont know why it was changed to preaching as Jesus taught .. Preaching is speaking at people , teaching is teaching people what is right and wrong just like a parent teaches a child . The parent doesn’t preach at them the parent teaches them shows them examples of how to do things so did Jesus .
The Bible refers to it as preaching, and we of the NT are to preach. Here are just a few of 40 verses calling it preaching:
Ne 6:7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, [There is] a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
Jon 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mt 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the housetops.
Mt 11:1 ¶ And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
Mr 1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Mr 3:14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
Mr 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Lu 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Ro 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.