Expositional Preaching Traditional?

In conversation a few days ago with another individual about church, I was describing the type of preaching my wife and I were looking for while visiting churches last year. During conversation the question was asked, "So you guys were looking for something with a little more orthodoxy?"

ME: "Well, we were looking for a preacher who believed in expositional preaching, not someone who preached their opinions and random bible verses to fit the topic. We wanted a preacher who would use the Bible as the main focus and teach us how to interpret and apply it to our spiritual walk."

OTHER: "O, ok, so you were wanting something more traditional?"

ME: "Sure..."

This conversation made me wonder: Has expositional preaching become something of a "tradition?" The proof is there that many churches today do not practice this style of preaching, but I wonder if it would truly be considered "traditional.?" Many of us would agree most people are not looking for "traditional" style churches these days, which is somewhat alarming. Therefore, if expositional preaching is considered "traditional," and "tradition" is something the current generation is not to fond of, then this is a frightening thing. Our generation is no different than past and even future generations with regards to a need for hearing the word of God taught and preached properly.

The goal of expositional preaching is to "expose" the meaning of the Bible verse by verse. It is the opposite of what most churches do today which is topical preaching. With topical preaching a preacher will choose a topic, let's say laziness, and find verses that support points of that topic. With expositional preaching the preparation goes as such; we will study a specific passage, examing the historical context, grammar, and original intent in order to comprehend it and apply it to our walk with Christ.

Can you see the difference? If not, find a church who believes in expositional preaching and spend a few Sundays listening to the teaching. I will warn you, expositional preaching is not always the most entertaining, but if approached with an attitude of worship you will experience tremendous growth. A true expositor does not want to hear how good the sermon was, they want to know that you now understand what the text truly means. I guarantee once you hear solid expositional preaching you will not want anything else. If it means being "traditional" then be "traditional!" You will not be alone!