On Preaching

Dave Eby in an article (and book) on preaching puts forward eleven principles that he identified when studying the book of Acts:

1. Preach the Person and Work of Christ.
2. Proclaim salvation by Grace.
3. Appeal to the conscience about sin and guilt.
4. Focus on eternity and accountability to God.
5. Declare an exclusive Salvation in Christ Alone.
6. Call for the the specific response of repentance and faith.
7. Employ gracious invitations.
8. Admonish with sober warnings.
9. Announce basic truths about God to people with no biblical background.
10. Preach perseverance to believers.
11. Instruct believers in the whole counsel of God.

Pastor Eby writes,

But what's a preacher to do? You are being bombarded with,"People don't want doctrine."...First, you realize it's nothing new. Paul spoke to Timothy about the same problem in the first century church....Secondlyyou resist and fight. Your call is to please the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord of lords. Your summons is to faithful stewardship. Your vacation is to declare and teach the powerful content of the whole counsel of God... But don't ever buy the lie that your resistance will be an easy one-time purchase with a lifetime guarantee against breakdown or defect.

(TJBC, vol 15.3)

The truth is that God preserves the church. And the job of the church is follow after Him. Pastors and leaders are to remain true to the gospel. It's by grace that we are saved. By God's grace and leading of his Spirit we live redeemed lives for Him.