Preaching…

Ryan has a couple of posts that highlight a certain preaching methodology. (Part 1 | Part 2)

It has brought about some really interesting comments. Whatever the case, it has definitely started me thinking.  So is drive by preaching really a demonstration of love?

Looking for love
Just a quick search of the New King James shows me that a few books in the Bible don’t mention the word love. It’s kind of an interesting list, actually.

• Numbers
• Ruth
• 2 Kings
• 1 Chronicles
• Ezra
• Esther
• Lamentations
• Joel
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Haggai
• Malachi
• Acts

The first mention of Love in the Bible is in Genesis 22:2. The last mention is in Revelation 12:11. In light of the conversation, I find it interesting that the word can’t be found in the writings of so many of the prophets (Jonah, Habakkuk, and Malachi most noticeably), or the book of Acts.

In all of the preaching in the book of Acts, with all of the conversions in Nineveh, we don’t read anywhere of anyone telling sinners that “God loves you and have a wonderful plan for your life.”

In fact, the entirety of Jonah’s message was, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). We read nothing of Jonah building relationships with the sinners in Nineveh. We read nothing of him setting up greed counseling centers. All we see is that one sentence. The result?

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his thronw and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.

Powerful stuff. How did it come about?
We can pretty much understand from scripture that Jonah was not praying for Nineveh’s conversion. In fact, he was giddy about their impending annihilation! We read in Jonah 4:1, “But [Nineveh's conversion] displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.”

So how did Nineveh’s conversion happen?
We understand that nobody comes to Christ by their own will. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). We also understand that nobody comes to Christ apart from their own will. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

There are a combination of factors in play here in the macrocosmic conversion of Nineveh, just as there are a combination of factors in play in the microcosmic conversion of a single soul.

1. Prayer
   I believe the first step to a person’s conversion is genuine heartfelt prayer to God for that person’s soul (cf. John 14:14, James 5:15, 2 Peter 3:9).
2. Preach
3. Hear
4. Believe
   

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart“, (that is, the word of faith which we preach); that is you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says,”Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.“

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How Beautiful are the feet of those who peace the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Romans 10:8-15

The final three steps in the process are all summarized in Romans 10:8-15.

We are all parts of an ongoing chain. We may be the one who prays. We may be the one who preaches — the first time. We may be the person who preaches the gospel and experiences their conversion.

I think that the preacher in the video is being motivated by love. I don’t think that is the way I would approach it, but as Jason is clear to point out in his comments, the gentleman’s stated motivation is clearly loving, and nothing he says is particularly offensive.

It may be one of those situations where the people are complaining so loudly because his words hit close to home. On the other hand, it may also be a situation where they have heard the same thing so many times that their ears are unresponsive. I think this is where the hypocrisy issue comes out clearest. We will never know this side of heaven.

Do You Have To Go To Church?

Keith Green says it well:

Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you hamburger.

That’s all well and good. We know that those people who go to church are not all saved. Salvation is the result of dying to self. It is the result of becoming alive in God through Christ.

So when you’re saved, you have to go to church, right?

NO!!!

The whole concept of “going to church” is not in the Bible. You don’t go to church, you are the church. The Greek word for church is transliterated eklesia and it means those who are called out.

So if we’re called out of the world (Revelation 18:4), then we should be a separated people. But that doesn’t mean we need to “belong to a local church.” On the contrary, it means that we, as saints, should be in ongoing fellowship with one another, serving each other, and encouraging each other.

That doesn’t have to happen in a local church fellowship. It can, though.

I think that when we “go to church,” too often we run the risk of thinking that simply punching the time card is enough. Before the world was formed, God prepared good works for us to do (cf. Ephesians 2:10). “Going to church” just to sit there and passively listen to someone else tell us God’s word is not a Biblical concept.

I want to challenge you to stop sitting on your blessed assurance and start living for the Lord God Almighty. Live your life. Quit being a spectator.

Hope Amidst Hopelessness (9/11/01)

Today was a day full of confusion in our nation. Flurries of news reports filled the airwaves all day long. Uncertainty reigned supreme in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Some of us were so filled with rushing torrents of emotion that we knew not what to do with it. Children cry out with questions while parents grasp for answers. With seemingly no solid informational sources to hold onto, panic and fear fill the lives of many.

Where does that leave us? What kind of a hope can we share with others? As Christians, we are reminded that we are indeed the light of the world! The picture of a lighthouse can be applied here, in that we are to serve as a beacon to those around us. Many men, women, and children are going through a storm of emotional insecurity as a result of the string of terrorist attacks. I pray that we disciples of Jesus Christ are not going through those storms with them!

The God who spoke the world into existence from nothing is the very same One who spoke “peace” to the winds and waves. He is the same God who has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised to send His Holy Spirit to us as a Comforter. The One who walked the hill of Golgotha is the same One who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

By spending time with God, we are given a mere glimpse of His absolute wonderful nature! The more we sit at His feet as did Mary, the more of His awesome majesty we become partakers of.

As we listen to Him and study His Word, we are given what Peter calls “the pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2), by which we may grow and take counsel from the Lord of lords.

When God calms the storms in our lives, He proves Himself mighty. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according the to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

“I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called; I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last” (Isaiah 48:12). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen” (Revelation 1:17-18). Throughout the Word of God, He clearly shows Himself to be everlasting!

With the realization and understanding of God’s glory, wisdom, power, and eternity, we can have the ultimate peace that passes all human comprehension. With this revelation, we can gladly and confidently sing with the angels, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12).

God is ultimately sovereign in all of the affairs of man. Last night, I was studying the letter to the church of Ephesus in Revelation. God specifically brought out to me the idea of the grave importance of not leaving my first love, as they did. It’s so easy to have all of the right external ingredients (Bible study, prayer, church attendance, ministry, etc.) and still become more and more distant from the throne of God. Indeed, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. I don’t know about you, but I found myself listening more to news reports or looking on websites today than searching the Word of God for answers that truly matter.

When those in our lives who have no eternal hope look to us, how do they view us? Are they coming away with a taste of the Prince of Peace, or are they seeing someone who is just as worried about the things that don’t matter as they are? “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” I am again reminded that there is quickly coming a day where every knee will bow and acknowledge God, every tongue will confess Him as God. I pray that my light of hope will so shine before my friends and family that they will bow their knee to Him before that Day!