John Wesley once suggested that, if he didn’t get himself
kicked out of town after he spoke, then he wondered if he had even really
preached the gospel at all.
Somewhat of a stark contrast to what passes for preaching
today, wouldn’t you say?
Somewhere along the way preaching seems to have evolved into
a strange form of “feel-good-ism”
that I’m relatively sure wouldn’t even be recognized as preaching the gospel by
many of the giant preachers of yesteryear (ouch).
I will go one step further and suggest to you that perhaps a
large percentage, if not an overwhelming one, of people today (including
Christians) would not tolerate the style and theme of preaching of those giants
of yesteryear. Oh, I’m sure that they had their objectors and ridiculers back
then too, but the more I read and observe society around me, the more I am
starting to notice the differences.
For better or for
worse, has something changed?
Jonathan Edwards, who some would argue was one of the
greatest of all North American thinkers and philosophers, preached a sermon on
July 8th, 1741 that he called, “Sinners
in the Hands of an Angry God.” Here’s a small portion of it:
The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.
Wow! The image of God holding the unconverted up by the
scuff of the neck while the poor slob dangles over the fire of hell is quite
the picture, isn’t it? I wonder how many folks would remain seated in their
pews today if such a sermon were preached at them?
Today it seems if “hell” has become the dirty little
four-lettered word of the church. Fewer and fewer of us seem to tolerate it
anymore; fewer and fewer of us even seem to believe that such a place exists,
much less that a loving God could possibly send anyone there. The faith of many
today edges closer and closer to a full-blown universalism, in which ultimately
everyone will be saved, regardless of their belief system this side of the
grave. But, if they’re still not saved, is there a third option besides heaven
or hell? Personally, I haven’t found one in my Bible.
For better or for
worse, has something changed?
I’ve shared this illustration before, but it bears
repeating. I remember visiting a church once that was pastored by a friend of
mine. On that particular Sunday there was a visiting missionary who had taken the
pulpit. I do not recall much of his “preaching” except that it had nothing to
do with the gospel at all. If memory serves me correctly, there wasn’t even one
scripture verse shared. Instead, all that was shared with his captured audience
was trivial stuff to do with his “post-doctoral
studies,” a term he went back to time and again. I felt like throwing up.
However, what surprised and saddened me the most was that the congregation
seemed not to notice or care that there was nothing even remotely biblical in
his “preaching.” As a matter of fact, they seemed to enjoy it.
The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? (Jeremiah 5:31; NIV)
For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasant and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. (2 Timothy 4: 3-4; Amplified)
For better or for
worse, has something changed?
Preaching in many places of worship today is not at all like
it once was. Then again, if the previous verses from Jeremiah and Timothy teach
us anything, they teach us that there’s really nothing new under the sun; this
has all happened before.
Perhaps if preachers today were to preach the kind of
messages that Wesley preached, they too would find themselves kicked out of
town. Perhaps the reason there is so much turn over in many pulpits is because
its previous preacher was in fact kicked out of town (or at least out of that
particular church). Perhaps too, that helps to explain how it is that “1,600 ministers in all denominations across
the U.S. are fired or forced to resign each month” (Viola, Frank and George
Barna, Pagan Christianity? Carol
Stream: Tyndale, 2008).
As for the hell question, I guess in the end everyone will
have to wrestle that one for themselves. Certainly there are more than enough
Bible verses to support it, but many have also found ways explain away those
verses. In the end, God will make the final judgment on the matter. In the mean
time, hopefully we’ve made the right decision too, or we’ll potentially have
all eternity to regret it ... or do we?
For better or for
worse, maybe nothing has changed.
Hmm. Thoughts?
Hmm. Thoughts?
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