I must admit. There is an exhilaration you feel when you attend a church with a pastor who’s preaching style is fiery and bold. You truly can’t wait to tell people that Pastor Fire and Brimstone is your shepherd because “he keeps it real!” He starts with an introduction, presents his witty sermon title, and the rest of the service is history.

The boldness, the clarity, it all can have you applauding throughout. But the moment you step out those double doors, and get about 3 miles away from the sanctuary, whatever had you bound is back to full life.

Did Pastor Fire and Brimstone do a horrible job? Did he butcher the word so badly that you could not extract anything from the message? Some pastors do, but in this case, not even close. What usually happens is, we can get so caught up in applauding that we overlook the real work—applying.

I’m not writing to examine preaching and teaching styles of pastors and what churchgoers respond to. I make this disclaimer because some may say, “People can’t apply the word because the pastor is too loud or too monotone or too longwinded.” Matthew 11 reminds us that no matter how you come, people will have something to say. But wisdom will prevail in the lives of those to respond to Christ. Sometimes we get caught up in styles of true men of God that we miss the message. The truth can be clear as day, yet we leave the church with blurry vision.

So why am I writing? Because we need a reminder that our applauding sermons shouldn’t be stronger than our obedience to God. And to take it a step further, our reacting to sermons concerning other people’s sins shouldn’t be stronger than our reacting to sermons concerning our own sins. We so badly want others to be exposed by the same word we’re hearing as if we’re going to stand with them on Judgment Day. We all have to give our own account for the truth we’ve heard yet ignored—and yes, that includes you.

Imagine this: you attend church one day and the message is about pride. As soon as the preacher starts listing characteristics of pride, that person you know comes to mind. But here’s the thing. Anyone can be prideful because pride has many faces. In fact, a simple definition of pride is an attitude a person has where they exalt themselves over God and other people. So much so that they run independently, ultimately destroying their end. That person you know may have come to your mind because you’re envisioning their arrogance and haughtiness from that conversation you both had. But you’re not too far behind because your everyday choices reveal that you aren’t truly dependent on God, and that, my friend, is also pride. You see how we can applaud the sermons about others, yet miss the fact that the same sermon is exposing us too?

Jesus makes it very clear who we should be concerned about first. “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” (Matt. 7:5). It’s wrong for us to applaud the pastor for calling out others when we’re guilty of doing the same thing. I present these points because James tell us to “not merely listen to the word, and so deceive ourselves” (James 1:22). We must also do what it says. Don’t applaud the part of the sermon that’s finding out your neighbor yet ignoring the same part that could free you.

On a lighter note, and really this whole article is light, think of those churches where the pastor is preaching so lively, the message has sister so-and-so riled up. Now, check in with sister so-and-so about thirty minutes later. Though she was the loudest in the church that day, and may have even done a victory lap around the sanctuary, she cannot tell you what she learned nor how she can apply it to her life. We’d laugh at her. But I think what’s more diabolical than that is for us who can applaud, and even recite what the preacher said, yet we cannot apply it. Who will God hold more accountable?

I don’t want you to finish reading this and think you can never clap in church again. That’s far from my point. But something has to give if all we do is clap and don’t  live. In fact, fruit does not come from clapping. It comes from getting your hands dirty in your own life and putting off what holds you back from truly living in Christ. That type of cleansing can never come from merely applauding. And we never want to have a walk with God yet limit His power because we refuse to take heed to His word.

So the next time Pastor Fire and Brimstone hits on covetousness, don’t be so quick to think about the person you know with that issue. Like David, we should say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23). We should never let our ability to hear the word and acknowledge it make us think we are good. The world will know we are truly His not by our round of applause, but by our ridding ourselves of every evil to become more like Christ. So, let’s leave our next church service with a different response.