Preacher, Please, Sit Down

PREACHER, PLEASE, SIT DOWN by Marvin McKenzie What if the greatest evidence of God's presence is not what happens—but what stops happening? Christians speak often of the glory of God. We sing about it, pray for it, and long to see it in our churches. Yet in our eagerness, we often mistake activity for presence, success for approval, and gifted men for divine power. Crowds gather, sermons impress, programs flourish—and we are quick to say, "God showed up." But Scripture tells a different story. In Preacher, Please, Sit Down, veteran pastor and Bible teacher Marvin McKenzie takes readers to one of the most anticipated worship services in biblical history: the dedication of Solomon's Temple in 1 Kings 8. Everything that could impress the human eye was present—national leaders, faithful priests, sacred instruments, overwhelming sacrifice, and even the Ark of the Covenant itself. Yet the Bible is careful to show us that none of these things were the glory of God. One by one, this book examines what the glory of God is not: not the assembly, not attendance, not leadership, not worship methods, not sacrifice, not tradition, not even sacred symbols. Then Scripture reveals what it truly was. When the cloud of God's presence filled the house, the priests could not stand to minister. That single moment confronts much of modern Christianity. In an age of preacher-centered worship, program-driven churches, and carefully managed services, this book calls believers back to reverence, humility, and dependence on God Himself. It challenges pastors, church members, and ministry leaders to ask an uncomfortable but necessary question: If God truly filled the house, would we know what to do—or would we finally need to sit down? Written with pastoral warmth, biblical clarity, and decades of ministry experience, Preacher, Please, Sit Down is not an attack on churches, preachers, or worship. It is a reminder that all of these exist to point beyond themselves. When God is truly present, no man competes for attention, no system sustains the moment, and no personality takes center stage. This book is for pastors who want God more than results. For churches that desire presence more than popularity. For believers who long to see through ministers to Christ Himself. When God has been here, even preachers sit down.