The power of God unto salvation is the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). Sadly, the gospel can be preached in such a way as to not allow its converting power to take effect. Just how can a preacher preach in such a way that will most likely not convert anyone? Let’s look at a few suggestions.

Preaching that is striving to please man

True preaching is an attempt to express God’s will to others. It is to teach others how God wants them to live and behave in everyday life. Scriptural preaching was never an attempt to make man happy. When Paul preached to people, he was not trying to be popular by tickling the ears of his hearers. His objective was always to save people from God’s wrath by revealing to them God’s Word on how to be saved and how to maintain that salvation. When Paul had the opportunity to teach Felix and his wife, he taught them of righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come (Acts 24:25). That probably is not what Felix wanted to hear, but it was certainly what he needed to hear. People need to know what sin is. If they are living in sin, whether it be morally or doctrinally, they need to be told honesty and plainly. Preachers who preach to please man will leave their audience in sin just so they can be popular.

Preaching that is striving to reval something new

The desire to preach something fresh and new, instead of being content with preaching God’s Word, has gotten many preachers in trouble. Some preachers will not preach on baptism, repentance, assembling with the saints or other fundamental subjects, because, in their minds, those things have been preached on too much anyway. To some preachers, there is nothing exciting about a good sermon on God’s plan of salvation or Bible authority. It might help someone to obey the gospel or turn a person away from an unscriptural practice, but it will not get rave reviews and accolades for its style and eloquent deliverance. Do you want to preach in such a way that will not convert people? Just preach lovely sermons that contain innovative ideas, but lack doctrinally substance. That will do the trick.

Preaching that is not distinctive

Truth and error may look alike from a distance, but up close, under the light of God’s Word, they do
not resemble each other at all. False doctrine can always be exposed by faithful preaching. The
problem is some preachers will not preach the whole counsel of God. They will preach on the family,
on the importance of love, or perhaps things like the moral decline of our society, but nothing that will distinguish the truth from that which one can hear in any denomination. There is a time to preach on home and family. We need that in our society. But we also need sermons on the true church, the music God has commanded, the work of the church, etc. Distinctive preaching is essential, and the preacher who really wants to convert people, rather than just make a good impression, will engage in that kind of preaching.