The message the church needs to hear today is not the message of hope and joy. Nor is it the message if miracles and the glory of heaven. Those subjects are biblical, important, and definitely can help us as we walk through this life. They definitely need to be preached at times but that is not the message many are in need of today.
What the church today really needs to hear is the message that exposes sin and the peril that all who live a sinful lifestyle will face. Christians need to hear a message that will cause them to end up on their knees in prayer! Because that is the message that saves and keeps people saved.
Other subjects may inspire and build up hope but they will never cause someone to turn away from sin. These messages will never save a signal soul from Hell. Preaching them alone will only give the hearers a false sense of hope and salvation.
In Lamentations chapter two we are told of false prophets who did not rightly bring the people’s sin to their attention. Instead, they gave them false hope and told them everything would be alright. Even though God tried to warn them time and time again to turn back to him. The false prophets continued to assure the people everything was fine until everything suddenly crashed around them.
Lamentations 2:14 (ESV)
14 Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles
that are false and misleading.
Lamentations 2:14 (NLT)
14 Your prophets have said
so many foolish things, false to the core.
They did not save you from exile
by pointing out your sins.
Instead, they painted false pictures,
filling you with false hope.
The same will come to play today if the church no longer preaches a message that exposes sins and leads people to repentance. We can inspire hope and tell of the greatness of God but never change lives and never see souls receive salvation.
The true issue lies in the fact that we need the right balance in the church. We need messages that inspire hope and joy. That teach on miracles and the greatness and love of our God. But those messages can never out weight our need for messages that teach on sin and hell.
The opposite is true as well though. God’s people need to be taught about sin and the results of a sinful lifestyle. But teaching on these subjects must never become the main staple of our services excluding the other truths we are presented in scripture.
More then anything our churches are in need of a balanced message. That does not rely on just one principle pulled from scripture. But does all it can to teach the fullness of scripture week after week.
That being said at this moment the church as a whole is in extreme need of messages about the fear of the lord, sin, and hell. So that we do not find ourselves in the same place as those in the Old Testament. Lulled into compliancy believing everything’s fine and possibly not even knowing of the sin that is keep us from God in our own lives.
It’s not the message we always want to hear because it hurts. But it is the message that will save us from blindly stumbling into the perils of hell. And it was the message that the Apostles like Paul were not ashamed or afraid to preach. Because it saves lives.
1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Don’t stub your nose at teaching that calls out sinful behavior. Or inspires some level of fear because it teaches the biblical truth of hell. God has given tough scripture because it is needed to overcome life’s toughest situations. Even if this is not the message the church wants to hear it is the only message that will save it.
If you find yourself in a church that does not reach beyond the happy and comfortable passages of scripture speak to the pastor. If the messages remain the same and the answer you receive is not biblical its time to move on. You need to find a church that will give you the message you need to hear. I know it’s hard but you must do all you can to ensure the salvation of yourself and your family. Which means attending a church where the preaching covers all scripture.
If you are a preacher or a leader in the church be sure that the message going forth is the one the church really needs to hear. You are responsible for the people of your local church and will be held accountable if you do not present the Gospel in its fullness. So be sure that you do and pray that God will grant you the boldness to preach this needed message without fear. Just as the Apostles did.
Ezekiel 33:7 (ESV)
7 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
Acts 5:29–31 (ESV)
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
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