As One Who Has Authority

I keep encountering preachers who continuously ask the congregation for feedback during the sermon. It’s more than just prompting the audience to respond with an Amen, Hallelujah, or Praise the Lord. Pastors are coming across as though they are leading a Bible study rather than preaching a sermon. They ask members their opinions about passages of Scripture, “I think this is what is says. Don’t you agree that’s what it says? Do you know God loves you? Are you free? Can you be yourself?” These are not simply rhetorical questions, but the pastors actually wait for a congregational response. I suppose there could be some sort of edification or comfort zone in an interactive worship service. However, I’m trying to imagine Jesus, Paul or Peter stopping their message in mid-thought and asking for a collective Hallelujah. “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matt 7:28-29 NIV).