Articles
Don't Preach That Here!
I find it highly ironic that, in a country who values ‘freedom of speech’ so highly, the perceived value of that freedom diminishes greatly when someone tries to insert God’s word in the public conversation. Those who quite often have a knee-jerk reaction to even the suggestion of self-censorship in public speech [to limit profanity and vulgar speech] will then turn around and demand silence or restrictions on those who desire to tell others about Jesus Christ, forgiveness, and the potential salvation of their souls. Ironic, yes; but it is pure hypocrisy at its worst.
But I also realize we live in a special time and situation in this country; freedom of speech and freedom of religion are anomalies in the history of mankind. Though some seem to have forgotten this, our country was founded upon these basic rights because people were fleeing countries where they had no such rights or freedoms. Some of the earliest European settlers to the North American continent fled their home countries because they were being persecuted by their governments or by the church that held power in their home country. We cannot now imagine being told we must assemble at a particular church each week or face fines or imprisonment — or worse.
Since the basic foundation of Christianity is that the adherent freely chooses to follow Jesus, and that disciples are made because believers teach the gospel to lost souls, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that [Jesus] commanded” (Matt. 28:19, 20), it requires us to actually go out into the world and talk to them about sin, their souls, and eternity. Of course, not everyone wants to hear this and, as of late, some are quite ‘offended’ that anyone would say they aren’t going straight to heaven when they die, though they know nothing of Jesus. While our experiences may be quite different and a lot more hostile than what happened in the past, such hostility towards God’s word and those who teach and preach it is not new, and it isn’t going away.
Since things are unlikely to improve in this area, we would do well to prepare ourselves for what will come to us when we face opposition. We need to know what will come and we need to know how to respond. With this in mind, let us consider a few times within the Bible record when some did not want to hear the truth of God’s word, what their true desire was, and how the speakers responded.
Preach/Teach Only What is Encouraging. While some might think this is a relatively new problem within churches, this is an attitude that has long existed, and not just among the religiously-minded. Today, sadly, many church-goers demand ‘uplifting’ and ‘positive’ sermons from the pulpit, and frown on preachers who talk about the realities of sin and hell. Preachers known for their ‘fire-and-brimstone’ deliveries are almost exclusively shunned and excluded from churches that instead seek ‘positive’ preaching and speakers that tend more towards motivational speaking than gospel preaching and soul-saving.
Long ago, such an attitude was seen in King Ahab [a man not known to be favorable to God’s word, anyway]. When Jehoshaphat [King of Judah] allied himself with King Ahab [King of the northern kingdom of Israel], they sought to go up against Ramoth Gilead, but wanted to know if it was the right thing to do (2 Chron. 18:1-4). After seeking the counsel of Ahab’s prophets (2 Chron. 18:5), Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” (2 Chron. 18:6). Ahab replied, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla” (2 Chron. 18:7). When a messenger came to Micaiah, he told him, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement” (2 Chron. 18:12). In other words, “Don’t say anything negative!”
To his credit, Micaiah replied, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak” (2 Chron. 18:13), and he did just that. For this, King Ahab commanded Micaiah be imprisoned for simply speaking the truth.
Today, we are not yet to the point we may be imprisoned for speaking the truth of God’s word, but some have been — and in other countries we would not think would be so hostile towards religion or Christianity, in particular. When that day comes, will we respond as did Micaiah?
Preach What I Want to Hear, and You’ll be Rewarded. (Num. 22, 23) When Israel was approaching Moab as they headed toward Canaan, Balak, the king of the Moabites, sent for Balaam to curse the Israelites for him (Num. 22:1-6). Balaam initially refused, because of the Lord’s word, but the princes of Moab persisted. They came back to Balaam and said, “Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me” (Num. 22:16, 17).
It is notable that when first asked to go, Balaam sought the Lord’s counsel and abided by that (Num. 22:12, 13); when he was offered honor and whatever he wanted if he came, he told them, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more” (Num. 22:18); when he spoke blessings instead of a curse, and Balak complained, Balaam replied, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?” (Num. 23:12); and when he spoke a second time, blessing Israel instead of cursing, Balak complained again and Balaam asked again, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?” (Num. 23:26).
Sadly, there are already many preachers in pulpits today who face the same challenges as did Balaam, being told or just willingly adjusting to the reality that if they preach what is desired, they will be rewarded. It is not hard to see such, when those preachers fly around the world in multi-million-dollar jets and live in gargantuan mansions.
Though Balaam did not do or say everything right, here, he was correct in saying, “All that the Lord speaks, that I must do.”
Preach Fables and Anything Not ‘Sound Doctrine.’ (2 Tim. 4:1-4) The apostle Paul, in likely what was his last letter, warned Timothy of the times that would come when the people would “not endure sound doctrine,” but “be turned aside to fables.” To be clear, a fable is ‘a story not founded on fact; an untruth; falsehood’ or, in this case, a story not based on the evidence within God’s word.
Paul’s answer to such attitudes? “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Though it will not win the speaker any favors or glory from the world and worldly-minded, preaching and teaching the word is the only way to save souls. Anything less gives only a false hope.
So, when we no longer find favor with the simple and plain preaching and teaching of God’s word, don’t be surprised, but also don’t bend to the desires of the world that you speak only what is encouraging, only what they want to hear, and most certainly not untruths. The gospel is still “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). Preach it! — Steven Harper
