Truth Magazine

By Irven Lee

It is generally recognized that the great commission, assignment, or mission the Lord has for His faithful followers is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. People who accept the gospel are saved and counted children of God (Acts 2:41,47; 1 Jn. 3:1-3). All those who gladly receive the word are added to the church. Those who do not obey the gospel are to receive the fiery vengeance of God (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

When the whole counsel is preached, the babes in Christ are edified and led to observe all things Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). Take a moment to consider what faithful proclamation of the word does. It leads aliens to believe and obey the basic first principles, and it then leads to the training of these same people to become elders, preachers, teachers, and other useful members of the church. The church is the house or family of God (Eph. 3:15; 1 Tim. 3:15). The preaching of the whole counsel of God is directly related to the growth in spiritual strength. The brethren at Ephesus were told that the church, which is an indication of the many sided wisdom of God, is here according to His eternal purpose. The world was to understand that Gentiles, as well as Jews, were members of the same body (church), and thus they were fellow heirs and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. Paul wrote about the church and the promise in Christ to saints who are builded together in this temple which is for a habitation of God (Eph. 2:14-3:12).

The body of Christ, the church Christ purchased with His own blood, the household of faith, the kingdom of heaven, which is mentioned so often in Matthew’s account, are all the same church of the firstborn which make up the heavenly Jerusalem which is the city of the living God. If this great body of redeemed ones is not important, then Christ died in vain and we are yet in our sins. We should preach the same great message about which the holy apostles and prophets preached and wrote so much. If we speak as the oracles of God, we will preach about this pearl of great price. The preaching which pleases God leads men to become stones in this holy temple, citizens of this kingdom, children in this family, and heirs of His exceeding great and precious promises. These people are the church.

If we believe in Christ as the Son of the living God, we will want to be under Him as our King. He is the head of the church. He paid the price to purchase it, and He is the Captain of this army of the Lord. If the church is not very important, the position of Christ as head of it is not very important. If a man should write a book about Ronald Reagan, the story of that life would not be complete without telling of his becoming President. We cannot preach Christ and Him crucified without telling of the church which He purchased with His blood. Some talk of preaching the man and not the plan. This is impossible because the man (Christ) is inseparably related to the plan (church). Men should be so well taught that they can discern between the Lord’s church and some counterfeit. There are scriptural terms we can use to identify it, so why use human names unless to signify that there have been significant changes from the original pattern? The worship, the government under elders, the high moral standards taught by Christ, and the mission of the church should not be changed. Proper and constant preaching should stamp this truth on every heart. It is His church under His authority and not ours to change at will.

The church is minimized by those who say that “the church is not going to save you.” It is true that the church is not going to save any one, but Christ is going to save the church (Eph. 5:23-27). The preaching and teaching done in any generation should make it plain to all that we are baptized into the body of Christ and that it is in Him that we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 1:3,7). There should be such bold emphasis on the significance of the church that people will understand that it is not just a social club or a civic club to play Santa Claus at Christmas and distribute alms in the community. It is an essential and very significant part of God’s plan.

If all preachers and teachers knew of God’s eternal purpose, and of Christ’s love for His body, there would be no need to insist that they teach the whole truth about the church. If weak preaching allows the denominational concepts to come in among us, digression and apostasy will come in, and there will be a new denomination meeting in the buildings where the churches once met. Consider the example of the Disciples or Christian church and our former brethren who are planning unity meetings together saying, “Peace! Peace!” Preach it straight or fall into the depths of ruin. Apostasy is always the changing of one or more things about His church. How can we prevent this except by faithful preaching of such things as the apostle taught?

We preach on the sin of alcoholism, the frightening danger from atheism, divorce, fornication, materialism, filthy communication, and other common sins lest the church of the Lord be defiled. The preaching is from a higher and more sacred motive than the motivation of “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers,” even though they have high motives or good reason for their battle. The sins of the world tend to enter the lives of God’s children so servants of the Lord must teach, warn, reprove, and encourage, lest they reach the point at which they will no longer endure sound doctrine. We preach the facts, commands, worthy examples, and principles of righteousness found in the holy writings. The effort is to teach men how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 265-266
May 2, 1985

By Johnie Edwards

God’s laws have always been of “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not.” As God laid down His first set of rules for man to abide by, He said what to do and what not to do. Notice as instructions were given to the first man:

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good, and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen. 2:15-17).

The teachings found in the Law of Moses were both positive and negative in nature (Exod. 20). God told Israel that “if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth” (Deut. 28:1). But look at the negative side. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee” (Deut. 28:15). God simply said, “If you do what I say, I will bless you, but if you fail to do what I say, I will curse you.”

The Truth

There is nothing as important as truth. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32). The truth has been identified as “thy word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). If men are to be made free from their sins, they must know the truth so they can believe and obey it. Truth must be preached in such a way that those who hear will not have any difficulty in understanding what is required of them in order to please God. There is a great demand for the Lord’s people to take a stand for the truth on every subject. It must be as the apostle Paul wrote the Ephesians, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that he may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:13-14). There are just entirely too many in the church of Christ who don’t have the courage to take a stand for what they really believe to be right-and this is a shame.

What It Means To Stand For The Truth

There is more involved in standing for the truth than many realize. Standing for the truth not only involves preaching the truth on every subject but standing for the truth also demands that there be preaching against things which are sinful in the sight of God! It is one thing not to partake of things which are evil and another thing to reprove them. Paul told the Ephesians, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). So standing for the truth means to stand for what the Bible teaches and stand against sinful things. One reason a lot of churches are weak today is that they never hear anything condemned.

The Charge To Reprove And Rebuke

The need for negative preaching can be seen in Paul’s charge to gospel preachers as he wrote Timothy. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Preaching the word involves some reproving and rebuking. The tendency today, among many, is to preach only the things that folks like to hear. If we are not careful, we will be preaching like some people in the Old Testament wanted. They said, “speak unto us smooth things” (Isa. 30:10). One purpose for which God gave us the Scriptures is to reprove us. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

For And Against

Standing for the truth not only involves preaching what we must stand for but likewise what we must stand against. There are things which are sinful and must be, preached against.

(1) We must stand against the wiles of the devil. Satan is out to get us and has been since time began. It is written, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). It must be preached that giving in to the temptations of sin will cause one to be lost eternally. John wrote:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of the God abideth for ever (1 Jn. 2:15-17).

Worldliness is a threat to the purity of the church and must be preached against so that every generation fully understands what worldliness is all about. Every Christian must realize that if he is worldly, he will not be allowed to go to heaven!

(2) The works of the flesh will keep one out of heaven. How long has it been since you heard a sermon on the works of the flesh and what will happen to one who does such things? Paul gave a long list of sins which will keep one from inheriting the kingdom of God. Please take your Bible and read and study these in detail.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).

Since these sins will cause one not to inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you see that they must be condemned! As a parent, have you taken the time to talk to your young men and young ladies about such things?

(3) The church must be kept pure. The New Testament presents the church as the body of Christ and is perfect in work, worship, and organization. But man, not being content with God’s scheme of things, has added to the work, worship, and organization of the church. Fun and frolic have been added to the work of the church; instrumental music to the worship, and sponsoring church arrangements to the organization. It is not enough to just preach what the work, worship, and organization must be, but folks need to know that additions or subtractions to God’s will in these areas are sinful! To go beyond the word of God is sin, and Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death. . .” (Rom. 6:23).

(4) The unbeliever is condemned. It must be preached that “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” but please take note of the negative side of this passage. “But he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16).

Surely, you can easily see that positive preaching is good and we must do lots of that, while at the same time, a failure to point out what’s wrong will keep a lot of people out of heaven.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 261, 277
May 2, 1985

By Bobby Witherington

When I received the request to write an article on “Semonettes,” my first mental response was, “Why me?” I confess to regularly having difficulty completing a sermon within the recommended “time limit” though no one seems to know why the time should be so limited. Then I thought of the saying, “sermonettes are preached by preacherettes and they produce Christianettes.” But lest I become too critical of those “preacherettes” who continually preach “sermonettes,” a friend of mine reminded me that I have preached a lot of “sermonettes!” Mention was then made of our daily three-minute Dial-a-Bible Message program which we began in November 1978. Mention was also made of our daily radio program, which is 15 minutes in length, but which only allows for about 13 minutes of actual preaching. This gives me the dubious honor or being critical of “sermonettes,” even though I preach them on a daily basis! At least, this proves that I can preach a short sermon though honesty compels me to admit that these telephone messages and radio “sermons” are more like pieces of sermons which are usually linked together in serial fashion.

On this subject, it is difficult to be completely objective and totally unbiased. This is a fact, regardless of whether it is being considered by the man standing in the pulpit or the one sitting in the pew. So, to avoid creating prejudice on the part of either, I deem it wise to approach the subject from the standpoint of the sermon itself and that of which the sermon should consist.

The Sermon

Perhaps to the surprise of some, the word “sermon” is found in the dictionary but not in the Bible. The American College Dictionary gives this definition: “a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, esp. one based on a text of Scripture and delivered from a pulpit.” I was a bit amused to observe from the same source a secondary definition for this word: “a long tedious speech.”

Hence, a “sermon” is “a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation A “sermon”is what people hear when a man obeys the injunction to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). A “sermon” is what the Jews on the day of Pentecost heard when the apostles began to carry out the Lord’s command to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark. 16:15; Acts 2:14-40). Properly understood, a sermon consists of at least five important ingredients: explanation, argument, illustration, application, and exhortation.

1. Explanation. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were miraculously enabled to speak with other tongues (or languages) as “the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-6). This caused the multitude to express amazement, and others to mockingly say, “These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:7-13). It was at this point that Peter addressed the crowd and began explaining the events of that day in the light of Old Testament prophecy and its fulfillment (Acts 2:14-21). Perhaps it would not be too far amiss to say that Peter then announced his sermon topic as being “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God . . .” (Acts 2:22). Suffice it to say, Peter, like Paul, preached “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

2. Argument. Peter appealed to the “miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by” Christ in the midst of the people, and of which the people in his audience were fully aware (Acts 2:22; cf. John 3:2; 7:3 1; 9:16). Peter then mentioned the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and appealed to the prophets of old as proof of the facts that the resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Christ were in fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 2:23-35; cf. Psa. 16:8-11; 132:11; 2 Sam. 7:12,13).

3. Illustration. One prime purpose in preaching is to make people “see” or understand the truth about Christ and the salvation He offers (Eph. 3:8,9). A good illustration can figuratively “turn the light on” and indelibly impress a previously stated truth upon the mind, causing the eyes of the understanding to be “enlightened” (cf. Eph. 1:18). This was the effect of the numerous parables uttered by our Lord (Matt 13). This was the effect of the allegory of Hagar and Sarah (Gal. 4:21-31). Illustrations are given to create interest, clarify the truths being presented, and cause the audience to remember the truth which the illustrations are designed to illuminate.

4. Application. What is a sermon without application? Usually it is an exercise in futility! Hence, David finally got the point when Nathan said, “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7). The Jews on Pentecost got the point when Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Also, through appropriate application specific suggestions are made in which the audience may be shown how to do what truth requires, For example, the Christian is to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2). But how does one proceed in such a noble endeavor? By means of application, a number of effective teaching methods could be mentioned.

5. Exhortation. When the “pricked in the heart” Jews cried out saying, “What shall we do,” Peter immediately responded with the correct information-“repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins . . .” (Acts 2:38). But his message still continued! Peter mentioned the “promise” unto them, their children, those “afar off,” and then “with many other words,” he testified and exhorted, saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:39,40). Who can possibly believe that either Peter or his audience had their eyes glued on the time clock, as if some awful crime would be committed if he went “a few minutes overtime”?

How Long Should A Sermon Be?

It should be long enough to get the job done! And if a sermon does indeed consist of such things as explanation, argument, illustration, application, and exhortation, then the actual “job” can seldom be done in the length of time brethren generally want to devote to the hearing of the gospel of Christ. This is not to say that all sermons should be of the same length, nor that any sermon should be deliberately drawn out in order to consume a certain amount of time. A five minute sermon (?) is too long if the speaker has nothing to say! There is a vast difference between the preacher who has something to say and the preacher (?) who just has to say something. When brethren are expected to listen to a windbag whose message consists of all thunder and no lightning, they have every right to complain when the speaker can not turn off the sounding off.

Of course, it must be admitted that some speakers, for various reasons, are easier to listen to than others. To illustrate, I relate (at my expense) the following incident: A number of years ago, while laboring in another city, one of the young men, a member of the church, was scheduled to be married on a particular Sunday afternoon. On the morning of the wedding, a very dear and very elderly sister in Christ approached me, and she politely said, “Brother Witherington, it is hard for some of us elderly members to get through lunch and rush back in time for the wedding this afternoon, so I wish you would make the sermon a little shorter this morning.” I was not too pleased with that request. It seemed to me that she was putting the emphasis in the wrong place. And I tried to tactfully express my reasoning to this lady. Then I waxed eloquent. Or so I thought. I related the incident in which “Raccoon” John Smith rode a horse to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, to hear Alexander Campbell preach. At the conclusion of the sermon John Smith was indignant and said, “I have come all this distance to hear this man and he only preached 30 minutes.” Then someone said, Brother Smith, look at your watch; you have been here two hours and a half I” Then I made application, saying, “We ought to be like Raccoon John Smith; he was so wrapped up in hearing the gospel preached that he was oblivious to the time.” At that point this dear sister looked at me, smiled very sweetly, and said, “I’ve heard preachers who could do that to me, tool ” What more could I say? I knew she was telling the truth. Some preachers are easier to listen to than others. And any preacher who expects people to listen to him, however long it takes to get the message across, has an obligation to do all within his power to make the message as profitable as possible.

And those who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Matt. 5:6) will not begrudge the time it takes. But this is the problem! Too many brethren are so wrapped up in the things of this world that they have precious little appetite for real “soul food.” Many have never experienced the kind of desire for the “sincere milk” (or the meat) of the word as is commanded in 1 Peter 2:1,2.

Well, do I remember attending a gospel meeting several years ago, in which the preaching was being done by one who is widely recognized as one of the ablest preachers of our time. The meeting had gone beyond the half-way mark, and the crowds were getting smaller. A brother remarked to the visiting preacher that “people are staying away because the sermons are too long.” To that statement the preacher grunted in righteous disgust and said, “Some people don’t have time to go to heaven!” How sad! Yet, how true! But some of the same people find time to sit on hard bleachers in the rain for hours to watch a football game. And when it goes into overtime, they are ecstatic! And they can stay up on Saturday night to watch the late, late show on the idiot box.

Please do not misunderstand! I do not believe a preacher should see how long he can stretch out a sermon. I believe there is merit in these words by Henry Ward Beecher, “A good fireman will send the water through as short and straight a hose as he can.” It is possible for a preacher to make his “hose” too long and too crooked. In short, some sermons are too long.

When Is A Sermon Too Long?

1. A sermon is too long when it contains false doctrine. Elders must learn that the mouths of gainsayers “must be stopped,” and that God put them in the mouth-stopping business (Tit. 1:9-11).

2. A sermon is too long when it is filled with flattery. Of course, there is a difference between “giving honor to whom honor is due” for the sake of encouragement, and the dispensing of flattery for the purpose of using people. Both the flatterer and the false teacher manage to “make merchandise” (2 Pet. 2:3; 1 Thess. 2:5) of the very people who they pretend to help.

3. A sermon is too long when precious time is spent bragging on self. To the saints at Corinth Paul said of him and Apollos that they were simply “ministers by whom ye believed” (1 Cor. 3:5). When a preacher gets himself between Christ and the audience, he is in the wrong place. Proud, puffed-up, arrogant, egotistical preachers who act and talk as if they are the “saviors” of the church have too much in common with first century Pharisees-the very ones whom Jesus most severely denounced!

4. A sermon is too long when it is used to build up some human organization, regardless of how worthy it may be. The church is the only institution Jesus purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28), and the church is the only institution in which, to enter, one must be washed from his sins in the blood of Jesus.

5. A sermon is too long when time is used for asking questions which engender doubt. When a preacher goes around sounding an “uncertain sound” (1 Cor. 14:8), he should be marked as “unsound”! There is too much doubt already in the world. Why should a preacher mimic the ways of the devil by increasing that doubt?

6. A sermon is too long when the time is spent grinding axes instead of preaching the gospel. Yes, we have all been mistreated by some. But the pulpit is no place to give vent to every personal grievance and every injustice, whether real or imagined. Some people still assemble with the hope that they might “see Jesus” (John 12:21). And if all they are made to “see” is how the preacher has been mistreated, they might go away feeling sympathy for the preacher. But they will not go away converted!

Conclusion

This is a “touchy subject.” So I have tried to touch it. I hope something has been said to provoke thought. Surely a gospel preacher is one who has been “allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4), and he ought to do all within his power to prove himself worthy of that trust. Proper use of the pulpit demands that the preacher take enough time to say what ought to be said-and to do so whether people like it or not. However, “a sermon does not have to be eternal in order to be immortal.” Perhaps the best way for a preacher to both please God and benefit the audience is for him to “Stand up, speak up, and then shut up!”

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 269-271
May 2, 1985

By Robert F. Turner

The church was rent by problems, and feelings ran high. This preacher had strong convictions of his own as to the right and wrong involved, and entered the auditorium poised for the battle likely to ensue. But as he walked down the aisle he remembered advice received from an older Christian in a like situation years before. The wise brother had said, “Give ‘ern Heaven, preacher!” And that was the proper spirit, regardless of fleshly inclinations to give something else. Call it a “cute” remark; say it does not remove the need for reproof or error, or of dealing specifically with the problem and needed Bible solutions; and you will be right on all counts. But the advice is scriptural. God requires an attitude and motivation on our part which must accompany the teaching of God’s plan of salvation, fighting denominational error, or correcting false doctrine among brethren. The proper use of the pulpit is to “give ’em heaven!”

Paul’s inspired instructions to evangelists Timothy and Titus call for proper content in our teaching, to be sure; but they also tell us the purpose and deportment of the teacher which must prevail. These letters have both positive and negative precepts, often labeled as “charges.” Three times “charge” is from diamarturomai, meaning “solemn and emphatic utterance.” Best known of these is found in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” The same “solemn utterance” accompanies instructions regarding treatment of elders, “doing nothing by partiality” and “lay hands suddenly on no man” (1 Tim. 5:19ff). The word is again used with “study to show thyself approved unto God;” and this is surrounded by “strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers” and “shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Tim. 2:14ff).

Okher “charges” (parangello) from Paul are: “teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith” (1 Tim. 1:3-4). Positive aspects of this charge are in 1 Timothy 2 and 3 – prayer for kings, women’s adornment, their learning in quietness, the qualifications of elders, deacons, etc. See also 1 Timothy 4:11; 5:7; 6:13; and 6:17. Paul sanctions identification of false doctrine, and false teachers – what many call “strong preaching”; but always in a sincere effort to give them heaven. The total message must be practiced if we are to claim to preach as Paul instructed.

There are repeated warnings to “refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness”; or, avoid prideful “doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, etc.” Preachers! writers! are you paying attention to Paul? We are told, “foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do generate strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves Titus was told to “speak the things which become sound doctrine,” yet, “to speak evil of no man, to be no brawler, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men” (Tit. 2:3). The Timothy’s and Titus’s of today must not cast Paul’s charges aside.

The pulpit should be instructive, and that means the speaker should know and be able to present the great themes of the Bible. He must do more than rehash “first principles,” differently disguised. One day it takes faith, repentance, confession and baptism to fly a kite; the next day it takes faith, repentance, confession and baptism to win a ball game, or have Eternal Life Insurance, or whatever an inventive mind may devise. Fixed “rag” sermons or transparencies are effective as visual aids and useful as initial lessons for aliens, but they can hinder further study on the preacher’s part, and discourage digging into the meat of the gospel. A steady diet of this produces spiritual malnutrition (Heb. 5:12f).

We must impart information, and should know that we have not taught, until someone has learned. You may say, “I have told them, and I have told them . . .” but have they heard? True, we can not force people to heed, but unless we have communicated God’s message to them, we have not done our job. There is a vast difference in teaching and just verbalizing information. We should reexamine our attitudes, methods, and anything else that affects the teaching process, striving always for greater effectiveness in teaching.

Imparting information is, however, but a means to an end. We reach for their hearts (2 Cor. 10: 5; Heb. 8: 10-11), and to do that we must touch emotions and will, as well as thoughts. We must cause people to believe, to desire to serve God, and be moved to obey. The question one must ask is not “what percentage negative, what percentage positive?” but rather, “does this accomplish the God-assigned purpose of teaching?” If our negativism causes hearers to renounce error, turn to Christ, and fly right, it is wisely chosen. If it makes matters worse, or is used as an ego booster for the preacher, it is not so wise, and may be sinful. If “emphasizing what we are for” causes hearers to ignore error and continue in sin, it fails the divine purpose. If it instructs in godliness and builds a proper basis for righteous judgment, it is a blessing. The obvious truth is, it takes both kinds, wisely chosen; and wise choosing can only be done on the basis of what wins hearts to Christ.

Reproving and rebuking error is not synonymous with uncouth treatment or abusive language. I am reminded of the new convert who said one preacher told him he was going to Hell, and seemed glad of it; but another told him he was going to Hell, and “it seemed to break his heart to have to say it.” Must you be told which preacher brought him to Christ? Differing personalities affect the way we say things, but preachers should learn to control their tongues and pens just as they teach others to quit “cussing.” An erring woman can be rebuked without calling her “that old heifer”; and childish, almost gutter remarks, about how ugly a person is, have no place in Bible teaching. There may be items when to “answer a fool according to his folly” calls for strong language, but this can be factual and direct without resorting to “fleshly weapons.” Being discourteous does not show strength; it is often the sign of weakness.

The general theme of this special issue is “Preaching that will save those who hear,” and that is exactly what we are striving to emphasize. We believe that was Paul’s goal when he wrote “Oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” For he also Wrote, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you…” (4: 16-20). The tenderness and concern of Paul, even in upbraiding, is so apparent (cf. 2 Cor. 2:14). Note also the Hebrew writer’s practice of adding encouragement to his strong warnings. “Impossible . . . to renew again to repentance” followed by “but beloved, we are persuaded better things of you . . . though we thus speak” (6:4-12); and, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” followed by “but call to remembrance the former days . . . cast not away therefore your confidence” (10:26-39). The Lord Himself said, “Ye serpents, generation of vipers,” then, seemed to weep for the people: “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children . . .” (Matt. 23:33-39). There is nothing “soft” in tender concern for sinners.

The “Proper Use of the Pulpit” must begin with “Preaching for the Right Purpose.” I can not judge your motives, but challenge you to do some serious introspection. Is it an “ego” trip? Easy money? Would you preach without support, in an out-of-the-way place? Do you plan your lessons to save souls and strengthen people spiritually, or to entertain with humor and oratorical ability? Are you more concerned with what the hearers think of you than of what they are led to do for Christ? What determines how and what you preach: God’s word and the needs of your hearers, or pressure from your peers?

We hear a lot about “Pioneer preachers” and how many people they converted. At the risk of being deemed a “restoration heretic,” I doubt this was done through their superior knowledge of the Bible. Nor do I believe their crudeness saved souls. It seems that the best explanation for their success is their dedication to the right purpose. They were soul-hungry, and stepped into the speaker’s stand deeply aware that they must bring their listeners to Christ “give ’em heaven,” or see them lost in hell.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 9, pp. 273, 275
May 2, 1985