Last Sunday I was preaching in a church and had to ask if the message would be going online. Every now and then you have to be aware of such things. But unless you’re sharing information that is sensitive, does it really matter?
I suppose the myth of online exposure is alluring for all egos. After all, millions could hear the message, right? Online statistics should help to dispel such ideas for most of us. A grand total of 7 hits tends to put a pin in a ballooned ego. The possibility of your preaching, or mine, going viral is minimal. So it would certainly be presumptuous, and it would sound weird to your live listeners, if you started making reference to potential online listeners across the globe (probably no need to offer in-line translation of a key word in Japanese, just in case).
But what if we’re more realistic, should we be thinking about online listeners? Generally I would say not. After all, you almost certainly don’t know who they might be. As a preacher you are preaching to the people in front of you. Preach to them. If others receive some help online, praise the Lord. Certainly the nursery workers may appreciate hearing what they missed on Sunday morning as they served behind the scenes. Generally speaking, online listeners are in the “bonus” category of beneficiaries in this unprecedented technological age in which we live.
However, we should be aware in respect to specific content. If a message is online, it is amazing what damage can be done. Just pull an illustration out of context, edit slightly, and suddenly you can become the villain for any number of potential offendees. Suddenly we have to be very careful in respect to comparison of religions, or description of cross-cultural missions, or accounts of evangelistic success, or humourous stories about old room-mates, or … you name it. Now, good integrity should overcome most potential issues. But as a wise and prepared preacher, it would be better to take a moment and think through the reach of a message before you preach it (and avoid the slightly unfortunate, ‘is this going online?’ question that I asked last Sunday morning!)
Biblical Preaching 
After speaking Sunday Morning Charity said,”You are not going to put that online (Vimeo, or YouTube) are you?” I didn’t know if she didn’t like the message, or the personal comments I made. I tell told her I am not John MacArthur.
Sometimes I make personal references while preaching. That is what Charity (my wife) was taking about. I said, “They will never listen to it on Vimeo.”
I preach from a manuscript, but its the comments that are not on the manuscript that could get you in trouble.
Chuck Swindoll has all this sermons edited before going on air or on tape.