I didn't say it, but I agree with it.

Below is an article that Randy Foster forwarded to me, I'm guessing because I preach a 50 minute messages most Sunday's. Nevertheless, I'm in MacArthur's corner on this one!

Preaching and the Clock
September 15th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
Today’s post adapted from the Q&A section of Rediscovering Expository Preaching (Nelson, 1997).
How long should a sermon be?
As long as it takes to cover the passage adequately! I do not think the length of the sermon is as important as its content. At times I have preached fifty minutes and it has been ten minutes too long. Other times, I have preached an hour and twenty-five minutes and it has been just right. The important thing is to cover the main point so that people are convinced of its truth and comprehend its requirements. If you have nothing worthwhile to say, even twenty minutes will seem like an eternity to your people. If you are interesting, they will stay with you. Do not mistake persuasion for long-windedness, however. If you preach longer than you should, you will sacrifice persuasiveness.
I am convinced that biblical exposition requires at least forty minutes. Less than this just is not sufficient to probe the text deeply. If it takes fifteen to twenty minutes to give the setting, ten to fifteen minutes to draw out the principles, five to ten minutes to cross-reference them, and five to ten minutes for a conclusion, you already have about fifty minutes. Rarely does a man preaching twenty-five to thirty minutes do doctrinal exposition.
That is why developing the logical flow of a sermon is crucial. If your message is clearly outlined and you lead your people through the process of discovery, you will hold their attention. Your sermon must be going somewhere. You cannot merely give a number of assorted truths unrelated to each other. If your sermon lacks interest because it is disjointed, your people will lose interest.
If you are going to be a Bible expositor, forget the twenty- and thirty-minute sermons. You are looking at forty or fifty minutes. In any less than that, you can’t exposit the Scripture. The purpose of a sermon is not to get it over, but rather to explain the Word of God. My goal is not accomplished because I am brief. My goal is accomplished when I am clear and I have exposited the Word of God.
Won’t people get bored if you preach too long in the same book?
I think people will be bored if you are boring. It is not related to how much time you spend in a book. As long as you are saying things that capture their interest and challenge their lives, they will not care what book you are in or for how long.
I think, however, that a balance is desirable. If you are preaching through a heavily doctrinal book like Romans or Hebrews, it is good to give your people a break from that periodically. If you are preaching through one of the Gospels, such may not be necessary. When I preached through Matthew over an eight-year period, I rarely felt the need to take a break. Matthew contains such a mixture of doctrinal passages, parables, and narrative passages that it changes pace frequently on its own.
At times, too, you will need to deal with a specific topic. You may find that people in your church are being influenced by an unbiblical teaching that you must combat. Or they may be confused over a Bible passage or a theological issue. Also, you may occasionally see a need to preach about the biblical view of a significant world event. In general, though, preaching through a book will not bore people if you are an interesting preacher. This is the purest form of expository preaching.

Beautiful Feet Take It To The Streets

What is “it”? “It” is the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! The only message with the power to resurrect! The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. (Romans 1:6) It is based in the fact that Jesus Christ suffered for our sin on the cross, died, was buried and rose again the third day according to the scripture. The reality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the only hope for humanity to overcome the grave! God is not willing that anyone anywhere spend eternity separated from Him (2 Peter 3:9). However the burden of going does rest upon us!

Romans 10:13-15
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

What a blessing it was to take the gospel to the streets of Cass County the past Labor Day weekend. I want to thank God and the saints of HBF for engaging our community in a very real and tangible way. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate a fabulous fifth Labor Day weekend than to put our feet into action for our Lord.

Regardless of whether you went out or you stayed behind to pray, it is beautiful when the church body makes Christ’s priorities our priorities. May HBF have beautiful feet to display our faith! I trust that this event was not the climax of HBF’s collective outreach to our Jerusalem but the beginning of a sustained awareness of the need to reach our Jerusalem as well as Judea and the uttermost Parts of the Earth!

It was awesome to watch the congregation as a whole overcome fear and place their faith in the Word of God as they went forward into the communities of Cass County. As our Lord opened doors of utterance He provided the boldness necessary preach the gospel as we ought. We enjoyed a great time of celebration Sunday evening as we heard testimony after testimony of seeds planted, watered and one soul harvested. We praise God for giving the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). As a whole the experience matched the response of those the apostle Paul ministered to in Athens; some mocked, some will hear the gospel again and others clave to the gospel (Acts 17:34). As we concluded our time Sunday I reminded the congregation that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy to be preached even if no one receives it! Fortunately, we praise the Lord that we found many open doors in the Cass County community.

For the disciple of Jesus Christ, the opportunity to share your faith is as available as our willingness to do it. If we are willing God will open doors with people who not only need to hear the gospel but want to hear the gospel. If you are interested in stretching your faith beyond your comfort zone, I encourage you to ask the person discipiling you to take you to the streets! It will change your life and the lives of those who hear you. If you would like training or more opportunity to share the simple plan of salvation with someone you love please contact your disciple, one of our pastors or Rick King and we will certainly help you take the first steps in accomplishing the mission of God in the power of God.