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A Consumer's Guide to Preaching
Book by Adams, Jay Edward
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
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25 people want to read
About the author
Jay E. Adams
231 books150 followersJay Edward Adams is a Reformed Christian author. He has written over 100 books and these have been published in sixteen languages.
He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Johns Hopkins University,a Masters in Sacred Theology from Temple University, and a PhD in Speech from the University of Missouri.
Adams' book Competent to Counsel launched the nouthetic counseling movement, a movement whose aim was to use strictly biblical counseling methods. He is the founder of the Intitute for Nothetic Studies.
He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Johns Hopkins University,a Masters in Sacred Theology from Temple University, and a PhD in Speech from the University of Missouri.
Adams' book Competent to Counsel launched the nouthetic counseling movement, a movement whose aim was to use strictly biblical counseling methods. He is the founder of the Intitute for Nothetic Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2018
This is a really helpful book about the role that all Christians play (most of us play this part exclusively): a consumer of preaching.
It follows a nice, logical progression (starting with a presentation of the Gospel and the acknowledgement that truth is spiritually discerned so trying to benefit from preaching without first being reconciled to God will be futile).
The author goes into detail about how our attitudes affect how we receive preaching, how distractions (from within and without) get in the way, how our presuppositions, expectations and our personal relationship with the pastor can interfere and how to deal with things delivery and content. It's a very comprehensive look at how to get the most out of preaching, but with the exhortation that it is not an end in any of itself or one to approach selfishly. We ought to absorb truth and apply it so that we know and serve God better and love and serve others better.
The author agrees with common complains that there are many who poorly preach the Word of God but he firmly argues that we are without excuse if we do not take something from the most "insignificant" sermon (even if it's learning the truth by contrast to what was preached). We are to be like the Bereans who were both eager to learn and daily practiced discerning of truth from error. We are called to be both "believers" and "thinkers." We must be ready to "mix truth and faith" every time we sit under preaching. The author encourages the reader by saying, "You will soon learn the joy of participating rather than merely playing the part of a spectator."
I think this would be an incredibly useful book to go through with fellow church members because it's so applicable and contains so much good material for encouraging each other and holding one another accountable. It's convicting but also very freeing - you are not held spiritually captive by the human weaknesses of any particular pastor. As a "herald" of God, they speak to us as Christ and through God's message through them and our personal, supplemental study and practice of practical disciplines (like being well-rested and well-prepared) we can benefit spiritually and practically in any context for the glory of God.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you should continue passively in a church that preaches something unbiblical. You should do something about it (and only in the worst cases does this mean leaving, and never without working toward resolution first!). The author outlines several ways of responding and pursuing biblical accountability when facing various levels of disagreement with a pastor (from minor to major). You are responsible to yourself, your pastor and your fellow congregants to move toward higher and higher quality preaching by equipping yourself and interacting with those people at church in a biblical manner.
Some of my other favorite points from the book are below:
"Scriptures themselves say more about the listener's responsibility to hear, understand, and implement the message than about the preacher's obligation to faithfully preach it." Both the Old and New Testament are full of the command to listen and hear and obey (as a result of hearing).
"It is the character of the soil, not the sower, that makes all the difference. Adams discusses Matthew 13:19-22 and, though he acknowledges that this is referring to unbelievers, he writes that because of our sinful nature we still struggle with the same things that plagued unbelievers in their ability to hear God's message. He points out that even in the Garden, sin-free people had a problem listening (and it had nothing to do with the preaching because it was God himself that was giving instructions!). The issue from that point on "has always been whether people will listen to God or someone else." We are often blind to the true reasons why we fail to "get anything" out of a sermon because "it has been easier for sinners to blame preachers than to admit their own reluctance to listen."
All people are biased. Christians are biased toward God and away from anything that is contrary to what he has said.
We often ask, “What can I get out of the sermon?” but we fail to ask, “What do I bring to the sermon?” Like dipping a dirty bucket into a well, “when you come to church with a mind prejudiced against the preacher, his views, or his preaching as such, no matter what he says or how he says it, you will be sure to find fault. He won’t have a chance. You will pour your attitude into the sermon experience, contaminating it from the outset…you must come positively-biased toward his message. How could you do otherwise if you have a biblically-biased attitude toward his office as a herald of God?” Assume responsibility for getting someone out of every sermon, even poorly preached ones.
“When you go to hear a sermon, you must be concerned about one thing: what does God have to say to me? Focus on God. See preaching as a transaction not merely between yourself and the preacher, but between yourself and God. The preacher is a means to that end. God expecting to hear a Word from God that, when obeyed, will change your life. Lesser expectations will not do…if you are an alert listener who is anxious to receive a message from God, you will rarely go away disappointed.”
We mentally process quicker than someone speaks. Instead of drifting to other thoughts, use that ability to process things related to the sermon like how you can apply specific points to your life. If the subject matter doesn’t seem immediately interesting to you, “work at the passage until it becomes vital to you…don’t give up until you have made it so.”
A good listener “takes the time to thoroughly digests and understand what God requires of him, counts the cost before putting it into practice, and perseveres in habituating his life until in conforms to God’s truth.”
Understanding consists of “hearing truth precisely, processing truth properly and storing truth for later use.” We should “learn to get the most out of a sermon so that we can give the most possible to God and others…people who attend church merely for what they can get out of it for themselves, will always be disappointed. Self-centeredness always leads to a letdown…learning out of love for God and love for others is the only way to go about getting the most out of preaching.”
Work at a right and appropriate relationship between you and your pastor. Disconnect your “buttons” before going into the message so you don’t overact to the topics that you are most sensitive to. If you have critiques of his message, don’t present them right after he has given them. Pray for your pastor. “You have a crucial part to play in the preaching ministry of your church. Don’t fail your preacher, the rest of the congregation, yourself, or, most of all – the Lord!”
While every listener is obligated to listen as faithfully as possible, how the Holy Spirit uses His Word communicated and received by our feeble efforts is His business. He is not limited by our weaknesses! Be grateful that He is always better to us than we are to one another!”
The book ends with 30 “sermon slices” pulled from a variety of sources (not disclosed) that give examples of interesting and dull preaching, new and old, truth and error. The author encourages the reader to use each one to practice the skills that have been taught in the book. A thoughtful feature!
I highly recommend this book to every believer! It’s short, easy to read and very practical. It gives great help for understanding the role of preaching our lives and our responsibility to make the most of that precious resource for the love of others and the glory of God!
It follows a nice, logical progression (starting with a presentation of the Gospel and the acknowledgement that truth is spiritually discerned so trying to benefit from preaching without first being reconciled to God will be futile).
The author goes into detail about how our attitudes affect how we receive preaching, how distractions (from within and without) get in the way, how our presuppositions, expectations and our personal relationship with the pastor can interfere and how to deal with things delivery and content. It's a very comprehensive look at how to get the most out of preaching, but with the exhortation that it is not an end in any of itself or one to approach selfishly. We ought to absorb truth and apply it so that we know and serve God better and love and serve others better.
The author agrees with common complains that there are many who poorly preach the Word of God but he firmly argues that we are without excuse if we do not take something from the most "insignificant" sermon (even if it's learning the truth by contrast to what was preached). We are to be like the Bereans who were both eager to learn and daily practiced discerning of truth from error. We are called to be both "believers" and "thinkers." We must be ready to "mix truth and faith" every time we sit under preaching. The author encourages the reader by saying, "You will soon learn the joy of participating rather than merely playing the part of a spectator."
I think this would be an incredibly useful book to go through with fellow church members because it's so applicable and contains so much good material for encouraging each other and holding one another accountable. It's convicting but also very freeing - you are not held spiritually captive by the human weaknesses of any particular pastor. As a "herald" of God, they speak to us as Christ and through God's message through them and our personal, supplemental study and practice of practical disciplines (like being well-rested and well-prepared) we can benefit spiritually and practically in any context for the glory of God.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you should continue passively in a church that preaches something unbiblical. You should do something about it (and only in the worst cases does this mean leaving, and never without working toward resolution first!). The author outlines several ways of responding and pursuing biblical accountability when facing various levels of disagreement with a pastor (from minor to major). You are responsible to yourself, your pastor and your fellow congregants to move toward higher and higher quality preaching by equipping yourself and interacting with those people at church in a biblical manner.
Some of my other favorite points from the book are below:
"Scriptures themselves say more about the listener's responsibility to hear, understand, and implement the message than about the preacher's obligation to faithfully preach it." Both the Old and New Testament are full of the command to listen and hear and obey (as a result of hearing).
"It is the character of the soil, not the sower, that makes all the difference. Adams discusses Matthew 13:19-22 and, though he acknowledges that this is referring to unbelievers, he writes that because of our sinful nature we still struggle with the same things that plagued unbelievers in their ability to hear God's message. He points out that even in the Garden, sin-free people had a problem listening (and it had nothing to do with the preaching because it was God himself that was giving instructions!). The issue from that point on "has always been whether people will listen to God or someone else." We are often blind to the true reasons why we fail to "get anything" out of a sermon because "it has been easier for sinners to blame preachers than to admit their own reluctance to listen."
All people are biased. Christians are biased toward God and away from anything that is contrary to what he has said.
We often ask, “What can I get out of the sermon?” but we fail to ask, “What do I bring to the sermon?” Like dipping a dirty bucket into a well, “when you come to church with a mind prejudiced against the preacher, his views, or his preaching as such, no matter what he says or how he says it, you will be sure to find fault. He won’t have a chance. You will pour your attitude into the sermon experience, contaminating it from the outset…you must come positively-biased toward his message. How could you do otherwise if you have a biblically-biased attitude toward his office as a herald of God?” Assume responsibility for getting someone out of every sermon, even poorly preached ones.
“When you go to hear a sermon, you must be concerned about one thing: what does God have to say to me? Focus on God. See preaching as a transaction not merely between yourself and the preacher, but between yourself and God. The preacher is a means to that end. God expecting to hear a Word from God that, when obeyed, will change your life. Lesser expectations will not do…if you are an alert listener who is anxious to receive a message from God, you will rarely go away disappointed.”
We mentally process quicker than someone speaks. Instead of drifting to other thoughts, use that ability to process things related to the sermon like how you can apply specific points to your life. If the subject matter doesn’t seem immediately interesting to you, “work at the passage until it becomes vital to you…don’t give up until you have made it so.”
A good listener “takes the time to thoroughly digests and understand what God requires of him, counts the cost before putting it into practice, and perseveres in habituating his life until in conforms to God’s truth.”
Understanding consists of “hearing truth precisely, processing truth properly and storing truth for later use.” We should “learn to get the most out of a sermon so that we can give the most possible to God and others…people who attend church merely for what they can get out of it for themselves, will always be disappointed. Self-centeredness always leads to a letdown…learning out of love for God and love for others is the only way to go about getting the most out of preaching.”
Work at a right and appropriate relationship between you and your pastor. Disconnect your “buttons” before going into the message so you don’t overact to the topics that you are most sensitive to. If you have critiques of his message, don’t present them right after he has given them. Pray for your pastor. “You have a crucial part to play in the preaching ministry of your church. Don’t fail your preacher, the rest of the congregation, yourself, or, most of all – the Lord!”
While every listener is obligated to listen as faithfully as possible, how the Holy Spirit uses His Word communicated and received by our feeble efforts is His business. He is not limited by our weaknesses! Be grateful that He is always better to us than we are to one another!”
The book ends with 30 “sermon slices” pulled from a variety of sources (not disclosed) that give examples of interesting and dull preaching, new and old, truth and error. The author encourages the reader to use each one to practice the skills that have been taught in the book. A thoughtful feature!
I highly recommend this book to every believer! It’s short, easy to read and very practical. It gives great help for understanding the role of preaching our lives and our responsibility to make the most of that precious resource for the love of others and the glory of God!
April 25, 2022
Practical to believers to make listening to sermon (no matter how poor the pastor preaches) beneficial. Very good in pointing out the problem of listeners, though some Scriptures are misquoted, as indicated by the context. Nevertheless, it is a good book for layperson to reflect on how they follow Christ in learning His Word.
October 31, 2025
Whattabook. This is Jay Adams from the top ropes at Wrestlemania IV. Adams at his finest.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews