Good vs Bad Preaching
Study Outline
Relationships and
discernment15
1. Context & references
vs pretext22
2. Preach Christ vs preach self24
4. Everlasting gospel vs fads,
winds34
5. Whole counsel vs one
topic36
7. Reconciliation vs condemnation42
8. Called, Spirit filled vs
hirelings47
9.All participate vs spectators52
Good vs Bad Preaching
Acts 17:10-11 … the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On
arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of
more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with
great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said
was true.
Questioning
the scriptural accuracy of a preacher may sound intimidating, especially for
new or uninformed Christians. However, scriptural ignorance, and complacency,
are not an option in the end times with the deception that is coming. The Bible
tells us of a great falling away from Christ with false religious leaders and a
global religion that will affect everyone on earth. We should not blindly
follow anyone but Jesus, so it is essential to know the difference between the
voice of Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, and the voice of Satan's
messengers, the strangers.
John
10:2-5 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd
of the sheep. "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his
voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. "And
when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow
him, for they know his voice. "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger,
but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
These are just guidelines, the Holy Spirit is the
teacher, and He is the one who brings life. Regarding preaching, there are two
aspects, the messenger and their message, which cannot be separated. You could
say that the preacher has a public and a private life, but what happens in
private reveals the true character and determines what kind of fruit they
produce, good or bad.
A life spent in prayer, studying the word of God, and
walking in continuous obedience to the Holy Spirit will produce the fruit of
the Spirit and greater power to see souls saved and transformed forever. But by
contrast, even ungodly hypocrites can put on a religious performance providing
riveting entertainment that appeals to the fallen, sinful nature. But God is
not mocked, and you reap what you sow. If you plant apple seeds, you will
harvest apples. And if you sow to the fleshly lusts and itchy ears motivational
messages of worldly success or moral compromise, or salvation by works, what
will you reap? Rest assured that whatever they are, they will not be born-again
disciples of Jesus!
We will
attempt to glean what we can from the scriptures to identify the best practices
and ethics for preaching and teaching the word of God. We will outline the
good, the bad, and the ugly of preaching and expose some nonbiblical and
erroneous preaching methods, as well as the character defects of the ministers
that are bad and should be avoided or outright rejected.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments
over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and
destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From
such withdraw yourself.
Philippians 4:9 (Paul)The things which you learned and
received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
1 Timothy 4:12-13 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct,
in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give
attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Theologians and seminaries educate and train
professional religionists in public speaking, theology, and denominational
narratives. That's all fine and good, but that is not how Jesus and the
apostles worked with their disciples to train them. Institutional training
without the gifts and calling of God is questionable, at best. It seemed
incomprehensible to religious leaders of Jesus' time that God could speak
through uneducated people, especially two ignorant and smelly fishermen like
Peter and John.
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus.
In the
original Greek, this verse reads that Peter and John were agrammatos, defined
as illiterate, and they were idiotes, meaning an ignoramus or an idiot. So, in
the eyes of the religious leaders, they saw Peter and John as crude fishermen,
illiterate idiots, and not fit to serve God. But Jesus chose Peter and John and
made them pillars of his church, with the genuine gifts and power of the Holy
Spirit, and God used them to change the world forever. God is the only one who
chooses, appoints, and spiritually equips those who serve him, NOT any
individuals, religious denominations, or institutions.
Romans
9:15-16 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on
whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have
compassion." So, then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs,
but of God who shows mercy.
1
Corinthians 1:26-29 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God
has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are
mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised
God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
Just because someone has a title like Pastor, Apostle,
Bishop, or whatever does not mean you should blindly trust them. An official
title is part of a job description but is not proof of someone's moral
character or spiritual attributes. We cannot be presumptuous because who someone
is inside their heart and mind comes out when they speak, and that spirit can
be transferred to us, whether good or bad.
John 6:63 "(Jesus speaking) It
is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit,
and they are life.
Luke 6:45 (Jesus speaking) The good man
brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart (or spirit) his mouth speaks.
If you sense pride, arrogance, greed, or uncleanness
when you hear a preacher speak, leave, get out of there, and go somewhere else.
You would not eat rotten maggot-infested food from the garbage can or drink
colored water from a toilet bowl because those are unclean vessels and
dangerous biohazards that could lead to sickness and death (besides being vile
and repulsive). So, we should not consume spiritual food and drink from a
preacher whose mind is in the sewer and who feeds on the garbage of this world.
Those whom God calls, he equips, but it is the preacher's responsibility to be
a vessel of honor, living a clean and godly life,
2 Timothy 2:20-21 But in a
great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also
of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if
anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for
the Master, prepared for every good work.
2
Corinthians 7:1-2 Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Receive us; we have
wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.
As we evaluate the message content, let’s lay down
some ground rules. First, we will look at the anatomy of a sermon. The closest
Biblical models we have for this are from Jesus preaching the Sermon on the
Mount, and the letters or epistles, written by the apostles to the churches.
Using the example of the apostles, we will use the template of a letter as a
basic format for delivering a message.
Letters begin with a greeting, identifying the writer
and the recipient. Also, this is typically a warm-up period to build rapport
and connect with recipients before launching into the reason for the message.
In the introduction, the preacher sets up the reason
or theme for the message. It is like a bricklayer using a plumb line, string,
and level to build a wall. The first row of bricks serves as a guide for all
the bricks that follow. If the first row of bricks is level, straight, and
square, then the following bricks can be good. But if the first bricks are not
in a straight line and are off balance, then the wall will be a mess. It is
good to lay down the introduction for the topic, draw a straight line, and then
stay on topic. If the preacher begins with a false premise or mixed and
disconnected thoughts, then that line of reasoning will turn into a wall of
confusion with a twisted, and unbalanced and unsupported message, and will
likely fall flat and may cause damage or harm.
One old proverb says, if you chase two rabbits, you
will catch none, but if you chase one rabbit, you will catch one. After a
sermon, if you cannot identify the core topic of the message, you probably will
not remember the message. Retention and application may be the difference
between ministering in the Spirit, and fleshly entertainment.
1 Corinthians 14:33 God is not the author of confusion
1
Corinthians 14:8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who
will prepare himself for battle?
Habakkuk
2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write
the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
The body of the message is a presentation of all the
facts, evidence, supporting scriptures, information, arguments, examples,
illustrations, and testimonies. Each speaker has their way of presenting a
message that varies according to spiritual gifts and personalities, and styles
may range from passionate preaching, line-by-line teaching, humor, and
testimonies, with various types of visual aids. The best case
scenario is that preachers hear from God and deliver God's message with
scriptural accuracy and under the unction of the Holy Spirit, which produces a
lasting impact on the hearers. At least, that's the way it is supposed to be.
The closing is a call to action, not a farewell. The
preacher defines, suggests, and encourages how the listeners should respond to
the message and apply it to their life. That response may invoke prayer or
another course of action, but there should be a commitment to be a doer of the
word just preached with whatever action is required.
James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and
immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The length of a message has an enormous impact on how
it is received and is very dependent on the environment and the audience.
Factors to consider would be schedules and routines, distractions, fatigue,
hunger, opposition, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus and Paul taught
at all hours of the day and night and for many hours at a time. At Cornelius's
house, Peter only spoke a few words when the Holy Spirit fell on everyone in
the house and ended his message.
Acts 20:7-11 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to
them and continued his message until midnight. … Now when he had come up,
had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he
departed.
Acts 10:44-45 While Peter was still speaking these words, the
Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the
circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because
the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
Preachers should be sensitive to their environment,
adapt, and use their opportunities wisely without wasting time on frivolous and
useless things. In most institutional church settings, thirty to sixty minutes
are allotted for messages to accommodate multiple services, etc. However,
preset schedules may limit the freedom of the Holy Spirit and restrict any
participation from the congregation. Some preachers without time restraints can
go way too long (except Apostle Paul), and their sermons can drag on and on,
draining the energy, ruining the message, and creating fatigue-induced slumber.
When speaking to small groups, on the street, or in a store, there may only be
a few minutes to testify or make a point, so in spontaneous situations, brevity
is the soul of wit.
Humor can be good but should
not descend into anything crude or sensual. Neither should it turn into a
standup comedy routine and neglect the responsibility of bringing God’s word to
the church. When moral and integrity lines get crossed, it becomes a corrupting
influence and grieves the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:3-6 But
among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy
people. Nor should there be obscenity,
foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; So, does
a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
The definition of a cliché is a phrase that is
overused and betrays a lack of original thought. Sometimes preachers repeatedly
use the same cliches for years, over and over. These sayings may sound good and
pump up the crowd, but they become a mindless exercise of filling gaps of time
between thoughts and maybe an indication of a lack of content or substance.
This routine of clichés can become a tradition of men exposing a superficial, stagnate,
artificial, and insincere religiosity.
Years after the revival has died, the old wineskins
will repeat the same old revival clichés like clouds without water. It is much
like how Samson would shake himself in the glory days when he had supernatural
power. But after Delilah's haircut, the shaking thing didn't work anymore, but
that didn't stop Samson from shaking. Many church revivalists continue shaking
what isn't working anymore.
Judges 16:20 Then she
called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his
sleep and thought, "I'll go out as
before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left
him.
One analogy of preparing a sermon compares it to
building a house. The content would
be like the walls and are the scriptures and commentary that support the topic.
The illustrations are like windows
with stories, testimonies, and graphic displays that illuminate and give
vision. Both are needed, but with the proper balance. A message with all scriptures
and no illustrations is like a house with no windows, no light coming in, and
no way to see outside. And sermons that consist only of stories and testimonies
without scriptural content would be like a house with all windows that is
structurally weak and could collapse under the weight of the roof. The right
balance between scriptures, supporting documentation, and illustrations will
produce a more powerful and effective presentation.
Matthew 7:24-25
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: "
1 Corinthians 3:10 According
to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder …
Paul referred to Timothy as his son, and he also
referred to himself as a nursing mother to the church. Local pastors, elders,
or leaders are like parental figures over the church or group they lead.
Leaders have a vested interest in their people, for whom they give their time,
labor, and sacrifices. They stand with their people through all their ups and
downs because they are family. That relationship earns them the respect to give
counsel and correction to all the members of their spiritual family.
1
Timothy 1:2 & 18 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace,
mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. … This charge I
commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made
concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
1
Thessalonians 2:7-8 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing
mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we
were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own
lives, because you had become dear to us.
2 Timothy
4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Hebrews
12:6 … because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and
he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
However, sometimes a preacher comes around and causes
a stir in the community. They don’t know you or any of the locals personally,
but they gather crowds in big or small meetings, give erroneous teachings and
harmful counsel, fleece the flock, and then get out of town, leaving a bunch of
big messes behind them when they go. Whenever you watch TV, listen to the
radio, or are at a meeting, if anyone has questionable teachings or practices,
beware and do not follow, subscribe, or buy their products.
First, pray to ask God for wisdom and discernment, and
search the scriptures for answers to your questions. If you belong to a church
or a small group, go to a respected leader with your questions. They may
alleviate your concerns by giving scriptural and rational answers. But if their
answers trouble you, and you have no peace, you may consider leaving that
fellowship. But do not ignore any negative feelings that linger with you
because the Holy Spirit may be warning you to spare you from deception.
James
1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and
without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Proverbs
11:14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in
the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs
15:22 Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the
multitude of counselors they are established.
Proverbs
24:6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
Psalms
119:98-100 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than
my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than
all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand
more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.
Some preachers like
to fly by the seat of their pants and rely on inspiration to come to them while
they preach. They are prone to fish for thoughts during the message and may use
emotional gimmicks to stir the crowd and fake it until they make it. They may
have exciting moments but are usually low on substance. Other preachers are so
prepared that they robotically read their dry sermons, going point by point
without any connection with the people, which can be a dreadful bore or a good
nap time.
As always, there is
a balance needed between delivering strong content with illustrations, speaking
with passion, and rapport with the people. The bottom line is that preparation,
content, and delivery are nothing without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Human wisdom and charisma without the Holy Spirit will have no spiritual
benefit. Only the Holy Spirit can inspire words with the power to bring life to
a dead soul and open spiritual eyes to peer into eternity. The preacher needs
to pray and study as if everything depends on themselves but maintain the
attitude that everything depends on the Holy Spirit to bless and bring life
when preaching.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
1
Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come
with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my
speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the
wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1
Corinthians 2:13 -14 These things we also speak, not in words which
man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.
Most young preachers have a favorite preacher, and
they like them so much they try to imitate their preaching style. God has made
each person uniquely different, so preachers should speak from the pulpit in
their natural voice and not put on some manufactured preacher's voice for
dramatic effect. Some preachers change personalities as they step onto a
platform. After getting warmed up, they switch into full preacher mode with a
different voice, animation, and a grand display of religious theater that is
not natural for them. Fervent and passionate messages are great if they come
straight from a heart of sincerity, with the zeal of the Holy Spirit, and
without concern for approval or rejection from men.
The following is an article written in July of 1893
by William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, about this very same
issue:
“Talk
colloquially; that is, naturally; just as you talk at the table or in
conversation. Don’t imagine that you have to shout or use some sort of platform
twang. It is astonishing how interesting some people are in private
conversation, and how utterly uninteresting they become directly when they
mount the platform. This is largely because they go into some unnatural way of
speaking. Be natural in the way you talk. Be yourself, nay struggle to forget
even yourself; that is, to lose yourself in the discharge of your duty. While
you are thinking about yourself, or rather of what the people may think about
you, or of what you are going to say next, or about anything except the
salvation of the people before you, you will be hindered, if not actually
disqualified, for your duty. Throw yourself into the fight regardless of
anything and everything. Don’t imitate anyone else, however much you may admire
them, or however useful they may be. Even if you could acquire what is best in
their manner of saying and doing things, it is very improbable whether you
would be likely to be more useful than you will be in acting out your own
original self. But imitators of other speakers in manner or voice are usually
worse rather than the better for it, seeing that they ordinarily acquire the
most objectionable features of the person they copy”.
Now we will consider what is being shared or imparted
during a sermon, the all-important content. Everything in a church can look
great, have great music, with friendly people, but if the preacher is spewing
false teachings, then nothing is as it seems, and deception and ruin are
lurking in the shadows. The truth of God's word is all-important for the
church, and it is the pillar and the foundation on which the church stands.
Without God's truth, there is no church, and the building, the music, and the
friendly people do not matter. Depending on the degree of error, false teaching
will eventually manifest with different levels of spiritual blindness and
destruction. A little bit of leaven will leaven the whole lump, a little bit of
poison in the Kool-Aid will kill you.
1
Timothy 3:15 … if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to
conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
1
Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a
little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that
you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ,
our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not
with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
The following is an overview of important factors to
consider when evaluating the difference between the good preachers and messages
and the bad ones.
First on our list of what divides good from bad is
that good preachers stay within the context of the scriptures, while bad
preachers twist the scriptures to change the intended meaning to fit their
narratives. Twisting the scriptures is nothing new and will get dramatically
worse as deceptions increase before the coming of the Lord.
When we question the meaning of any verse of the Bible,
we can get the context from the preceding verses and the verses that follow. We
can also reference other related verses and possibly use resources like
dictionaries to clarify the intended meaning taken from the body of the
surrounding scriptures of the verses in question.
We interpret the Bible with the Bible, and a scripture
text, taken out of context, becomes a pretext or a false assumption.
Text = written
material regarded as conveying the authentic or primary message
Context = the
circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in
terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.
Pretext = a reason
given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason.
Anyone who twist and takes the scripture out of
context is facing severe consequences from God.
2 Peter 3:15-16 Paul,
according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to
understand, which untaught and unstable
people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures.
Revelation 22:18-19 For I
testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will
add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from
the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written
in this book.
The bad preachers like to preach about themselves,
drawing disciples to themselves, and they are self-centered with inflated egos
and wallets. Their churches are personality cults built on the charisma of the
preacher who takes center stage while preaching a different Christ. Ironically,
their Christ is a mirror image of themselves. But their Christ is not the
Christ of the Bible that the apostles preached.
The good preachers exalt and magnify Jesus Christ
while humbly rejecting the praise of man and avoiding self-promotion. John the
Baptist took himself out of the picture to give Christ all the glory, and he
described himself as just a voice to prepare the way for Jesus.
John
1:22-23. Then they said to him, "Who are you, that
we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about
yourself?" He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet
Isaiah said."
The apostle Paul considered himself dead at the cross,
and for the remainder of his life, he allowed Christ to live vicariously
through him. Paul took no credit for his accomplishments, and he attributed
every good thing to the grace of God and gave God all the glory.
Galatians
2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Paul was determined to preach Christ and leave himself
out of the picture.
1
Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified
1
Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with
you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
2
Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ
as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
Isaiah 14:11-15 "How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning! How
you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said
in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will
also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds, I will be
like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hell), To the
lowest depths of the Pit.
By contrast, when Jesus was facing the cross, he
prayed while sweating drops of blood and said, “not my will.” Jesus was not
self-promoting or grasping for power, but to the contrary, he laid aside all
his divine powers, humbled himself and became a man, and humbled himself even
more by making himself a servant.
Luke 22:42 saying,
"Father, if it is Your will,
take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not
My will, but Yours, be done."
Philippians 2:5-8 Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a
cross!
The Spirit of Christ promotes a humble life of
selfless sacrifice and obedience. Satan is the polar opposite of Christ, and
those who imbibe Satan's spirit and character are full of pride, lawlessness,
narcissism, and self-promoters. It is startling how quickly a man of God can
pivot from receiving inspiration from God to allowing Satan to speak through
him. Many worship leaders and Pastors are vulnerable to the pride of ministry
and unwittingly crossover into the sin of Lucifer. The Apostle Peter fell into
this trap immediately after his big revelation about Christ.
Matthew 16:13-18 When Jesus
came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who
do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John
the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you
say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell
you that you are Peter …
How impressive, Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter
(Rocky), and Jesus himself says that Peter got his revelation straight from God
the Father! You can imagine how that affected Peter’s ego, so shortly after
that, this happens:
Matthew 16:21-23, From that
time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer
many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and
be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying,
"Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are
an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things
of men."
This spiritual flip-flop, changing sides back and
forth, is a frequent but subtle switch and happens all the time. God chooses
weak and foolish people, and he uses them mightily, then they get proud and
steal God's glory from the victory for themselves. Gideon faced an opposing
army of 135,000 men, and he had an army of 32,000 men, so God told him he had
too many men, and here's why:
Judges 7:2 And the
LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to
give the Midianites into their hands, lest
Israel claim glory for itself against Me,
saying, 'My own hand has
saved me.'
So, God reduced the size of Gideon’s army to 300 men
against an army of 135,000. That’s 450 enemy soldiers against one Israelite
soldier in hand-to-hand combat, and guess what? Gideon still took the credit
for the victory and stole God’s glory! As Gideon prepared his men to attack, he
gave them their battle cry, saying to shout, the sword of the Lord, AND OF
GIDEON!
Judges 7:18
"When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow
the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the
LORD and of Gideon!'"
After God gave Israel the victory, Gideon took 43
pounds of gold as his plunder and made an idol of gold to celebrate his
victory. Later that idol of Gideon's victory was worshipped by the Israelites.
How many of us make idols from our victories and place them on a pedestal
seeking admiration from others instead of giving all the glory to God? In every
message preached, Christ should be the victorious hero, and he alone should be
the only one receiving praise!
Judges 8:27 Gideon
made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All
Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare
to Gideon and his family.
Gideon began his ministry by tearing down his father’s
idol. He ended his ministry by making an idol of his victory, leading Israel to
worship the idol and him by association. Preachers who put themselves on a
pedestal and want the praise of man are not denying themselves, not taking up
their crosses, and are making themselves enemies of the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:18-19 (Paul speaking) For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in
their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it.
Paul just preached Jesus Christ as Lord; he was there
to be a servant to the people, and he always pointed away from himself and
toward Christ, and he acknowledged that only God brings life and gives the
growth.
1 Corinthians 3:4-7 For when
one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos,"
are you not mere men? What, after all,
is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to
believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos
watered it, but God made it grow. So, who makes things grow, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God!
The focus of every message should be about Jesus, not
the messenger.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the
cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
Good preachers are not always popular or liked because
they will not back down from preaching the truth, the unadulterated gospel of
Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. That would include fire and brimstone if the
situation mandates it, likewise with death, hell, judgment, repentance from
sin, and Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Paul said that he did not shun
his responsibility to preach the whole counsel of God, and in fact, Paul said,
woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.
Acts
20:27 "For I have not shunned to declare to you the
whole counsel of God.
2
Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of
season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching
1
Corinthians 9:16-17 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I
am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I
preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply
discharging the trust committed to me.
1
Corinthians 15:1-4 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel
I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your
stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in
vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which
are saved it is the power of God.
Jeremiah tried to hold back from speaking out, but the
word of God was like a fire inside him, so he had to speak out. Good preachers
deliver God's truth without fear or concern for the approval of man.
Jeremiah
20:9 Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in
my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it
back, And I could not.
The Bible tells us about a great apostasy or departure
from the faith in the last days. Churches, false preachers, and religious
people will partake of the moral rot of the culture, consumed with the love of
themselves, money, and pleasures, and living only for this life. They won't
tolerate true men of God but will hire false preachers to tickle their ears
with a feel-good gospel of human potential and success. Meanwhile, these
preachers of vice and greed will make merchandise of the tickled ear
reprobates.
As we get closer to the coming of the Lord, the
teaching errors will become more demonic, declining, and falling over a cliff
into the depths of depravity. The current trends of false preachers are: to
advocate for sexual perversion, surgical mutilation of children, abortion,
inflaming racial prejudice, empowering the medical police state, global climate
fascism, and unifying the world's religions as one to establish the harlot
church for the false prophet and antichrist. End times false ministers and
others profess to be Christian because of attendance at a building that claims
to be a church that may have some outward religious trappings. But they are
spiritually dead, cut off from the life of God because they have rejected
Christ. Paul advises us to have nothing to do with them.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in
latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits
and doctrines of demons,
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according
to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark
this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,
abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love,
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its
power. Have nothing to do with them.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers
of righteousness, whose end will be according
to their works.
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were false
prophets also among the people, even
as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness shall they with
feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation
slumbers not.
Next, we examine the contrast between teachings that
have eternal principles, contrasted against those that emphasize temporary,
trendy, or unimportant things. Messages emphasizing an earthly vision, living
for today, and whatever is currently popular and trending will create
instability. We can compare trendy teachings to being blown around by strong
gusty winds or tossed to and fro by powerful waves.
Messages based on temporal things are short-sighted, earthly-minded,
compromising, seek instant gratification, and can be a distraction from God's
eternal purposes.
Contrast that with the concrete stability of teachings
that are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Messages that stress eternal
principles bring an awareness of the future consequences of our actions which
should dominate our thinking and theology and compel us to prioritize our time,
relationships, and service to God.
Revelation
14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on
the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people
Isaiah
40:6-8 The voice said, "Cry out!" And he said,
"What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness
is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. …
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands
forever."
Hebrews
11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be
known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with
the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the
treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his (eternal)
reward.
When you are listening to a sermon, you can ask
yourself these questions;
In 100 years from now will
future generations relate to this message?
If we could go back 100
years in the past, would they have been able to relate to it?
Would Jesus, Peter or Paul recognize
this as a true gospel message, that is inspired by the Spirit of God?
Where
did they get the content for this message? Was it the Bible, testimonies,
secular, or other?
That is one reason we previously used the article of
William Booth from 1893 to show that his words are still as relevant to us
today as when he gave them. Truth is eternal. Fads come and go, but we have the
everlasting gospel that never changes. Jesus is the rock of ages, and he never
changes.
Hebrews
13:8 Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
James
1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Some pastors and leaders are sheep themselves,
followers of the crowd, dragging their people into whatever wind is blowing at
the time. If the latest fad is worldly, weird, or greedy, do not accept it, and
get out of there and find other sober-minded, rational believers and leaders
who will protect the flock from heresy.
Ephesians 4:11-14 And He
Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers ... that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men,
in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
Some “Christian” groups specialize in a single theme
and stay exclusively on that topic. For example, under the heading of financial
prosperity is the health, wealth, and positive confession movement with a
single focus on becoming wealthy. They go to the extremes of believing they can
create wealth by speaking money into existence. Their greed drives them to see
everything through the corrupt lens of money, which leads them to twist every
scripture to fit their narrative. Many groups have hang-ups, but the
prosperity, seeker-friendly, and church growth (megachurch) movements have
recently come to the forefront and have turned the church into big business.
Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters, and you cannot serve God and money.
Luke 16:13 "No
servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Sad to say, but some preachers love money more than
God and have taken large groups of people captive into their deception. Beware
of greed-based, money-driven ministries. If money is the main focus of their
messages, run for your life! Others specialize in one-topic subjects like
Sabbath worship, the reformation, relationship experts, and the list goes on
and on. It is not beneficial or spiritually healthy to focus on one singular
topic while excluding all others. We cannot ignore the command that man shall
not live by bread alone but by every word of God. We need balance from
Genesis to Revelation.
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD:
but a just weight is his delight.
Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the LORD'S
With such a wide variety of things to study in the
Bible, why be stuck on one topic? That’s like eating the same thing every day,
year after year. Somebody may argue that the children of Israel ate manna every
day for forty years. That’s true, except that “manna” literally means, “what is
it?”
Exodus 16:15 So when
the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And
Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to
eat.
So, every day for forty years, the children of Israel
woke up saying, Lord, what is it today? What is the word from God for today?
Also, the manna would breed worms if they kept it overnight, so they had to get
fresh manna every morning. Yesterday's word of the Lord was for yesterday and
is old and worm-infested now, so we need to get a new word from the Lord each
day!
Exodus 16:19 Then
Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it (manna) until
morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it
was full of maggots and began to smell. So, Moses was angry with them.
Matthew
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Why get stuck in a rut with one message over and over?
Dwelling on the past can create a risk of eating maggot-infested food. For
anyone in this situation, escape, get out of the cage, and move onward into the
promised land and explore the height, depth, and length of God's word!
Ephesians 3:8 To me, who
am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ ... that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all the saints what is
the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which
passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now
to Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in us,
Acts 20: 26, 27 "Therefore
I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. "For I have not shunned to declare to you
the whole counsel of God”.
Matthew 4:4 But He
answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceeds from
the mouth of God.'"
One reason for five different offices and ministry
gifts to the church is to have a variety and provide a balance of perspectives
and functionality. That is another reason that each person should contribute
their talents to benefit the whole body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-16 And He
Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of
the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ
. . . may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ from whom the
whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the
effective working by
which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the
edifying of itself in love.
1
Corinthians 12:5-11 There
are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities,
but it is the same God who
works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit
of all.
Good preachers have goals to develop the character of Christ
and a godly lifestyle in themselves and their disciples. Bad preachers put on a
public persona of godliness, but in their private life is a different story.
They may have an inner circle surrounded by compromise, worldliness, and
corruption and live no differently than ungodly secular people, or worse,
hiding secret sins.
In the end times, there will be two churches forming
simultaneously. The first is the bride of Christ, who will meet Jesus in the
air when he returns, and they go to heaven. Then there is a global religious
system called the Harlot church, which will go to hell with the anti-Christ.
These two will grow side by side like the wheat and tares, until Jesus
separates them.
Matthew
13:30 'Let both grow together until the harvest, and
at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather
together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat
into my barn."
Even sincere believers can be seduced and deceived by
the teachings of false preachers. Jesus speaking to the seven churches in the
book of Revelation, pointed out several false prophets, one of them was Balaam.
Revelation 2:14 "But
I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught
Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Jesus is making a direct reference to Numbers 22 to
24, where an enemy king hired Balaam to curse the children of Israel. Balaam
could not curse with his words because he only spoke the word of God. Instead,
he counseled Balak to send young women into the camp of the Israelites to
seduce them, and Israel fell into the trap. At first, it began with sexual
immorality, and then the Israelites backslid into worshipping the idols and
pagan gods of the Moabites
The modern Balaam preachers quote the Bible, prophesy
for money, encourage sensuality, allow promiscuity, idolize material
possessions, and are in bed with the secular culture. Outwardly they have the
appearance of Christians, a church, and a preacher, but there is an atmosphere
and undercurrent of blatant hypocrisy and brazen sin.
Jude 1:10-12 Woe to
them! For they have run greedily in the
error of Balaam for profit. These are spots in your love feasts, while they
feast with you without fear, serving
only themselves.
2 Peter 2:12-15 But these
speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in
their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as
those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and
blemishes, carousing in their own
deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from
sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have
forsaken the right way and gone astray, following
the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved
the wages of unrighteousness;
2 Peter 2:18 For when
they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the
ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they
promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom
a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
On the contrary, the Apostle Paul said doctrines
should teach how to live a Godly life, and if they do not teach Godliness, get
away from them.
1 Timothy 6:1-6 ... so that
the name of God and His doctrine may
not be blasphemed. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to
wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing
nothing ... useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that
godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself
Finally, Good Preachers are Spirit-filled and have a ministry
of reconciliation. The Apostle Paul never forgot that he was a Pharisee and
that he viciously persecuted the church. Looking back on the days before his
conversion, he said that he was the greatest sinner because he persecuted the
church. Paul demonstrated his gratefulness by becoming an ambassador for
Christ, preaching reconciliation to God, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Paul is
still an ambassador through his letters, which continue to reconcile people to
God.
On the other hand, Bad preachers preach wrath and
condemnation, and they may drive people further away from God, doing more
damage than good. Legalism produces pride, self-righteousness, condemnation,
and spiritual superiority. They use intimidation and pressure tactics on their
followers to enforce compliance with their version of spirituality. Notice
there are two types of ministries, one brings life, and the other brings death.
2
Corinthians 3:6-9 ... who also made us sufficient as ministers of
the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter
kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death,
written and engraved on stones (the 10 commandments) was glorious, so that the
children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the
glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry
of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation
had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
2
Corinthians 5:18-20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us
to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of …
reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the
word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled
to God.
Ministry absent the gifts, power, and grace of the
Holy Spirit is condemning, legalistic, and exploitive:
Matthew
23:13-15 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You
yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to ...
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you
make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Colossians 2:20 Therefore,
if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though
living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,"
which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the
commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility,
and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the
flesh.
2
Timothy 3: 4-5 ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having
a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
2 Corinthians 11:20-21 (the
Apostle Paul speaking) In fact, you even
put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you
or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame, I admit
that we were too weak for that!
Sometimes denominations or churches have written or
unspoken rules that amount to human attempts to achieve God's righteousness.
They may be well-intentioned, but their legalism usually has the reverse
effect. The law condemns, makes guilty, or produces pride. But only the Spirit
of Life in Christ can set us free from the law of sin and death and resurrect
us to walk in the newness of life.
2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such
confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent
in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from
God. He has made us competent as ministers
of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills,
but the Spirit gives life.
Romans 8:1-4 There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the
law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His
Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in
the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (This is
the chapter on the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, read the whole
chapter!)
Galatians 3:1-5 O foolish
Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before
whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This
only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the
flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain?
Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does
He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Each person should pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
who will teach us the truth and guide us in the way we should go. He will make
us his messengers and give us discernment to find other messengers who are
after God’s heart. We need men of integrity, called, equipped, and obedient to
the Holy Spirit to be leaders and examples for the church.
John
6:63 (Jesus speaking) "It is the Spirit who gives
life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit,
and they are life.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to
mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Next on our list of what separates good and bad
preachers is the calling of God. God chooses his messengers and equips them for
his purposes, and when someone finds that purpose, it becomes their mission and
the driving force in their lives. Some bad preachers were called but went
astray, others were never called but use religion as a job to pay the bills,
and then some are charlatans and scammers chasing money. These people have been
separated from God, deceived, and are spiritually dead. Here is the bottom
line, only God chooses, approves, and equips his ministers, period.
Hebrews 5:4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he
who is called by God, just as Aaron was.
Romans 10:14 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?
John 10:12-13 "But
a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees
the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the
sheep and scatters them. "The
hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such
are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of
Christ. And no wonder! For Satan,
himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no
great thing if his ministers also
transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be
according to their works.
God decides who he calls and how he equips them. We do
not choose the time and details of our physical birth, and we do not choose our
calling or gifts when we are born again spiritually. God assigns all the
callings and spiritual gifts to each person according to his eternal purpose
before they are born.
Jeremiah
1:5 "Before I
formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Romans
9:10-16 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the
same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before
the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's
purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls, she was
told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written:
"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? Is God
unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I
will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but
on God's mercy.
A good analogy to show the difference between people
that God calls and those who he did not call would be the difference between a
Chihuahua and a Great Dane. They are similar in that both are from the dog
family, but that is where the similarities end. A Chihuahua will never have the
ability to grow like a Great Dane because that is not in their DNA. God ordains
the DNA, which determines all the gifts, talents, abilities, and growth
potential.
A church member and an apostle are both saved and
belong to the family of God, but they do not have the same spiritual DNA and
how they operate in the church is different. Each person needs to identify
their gifts, functions, and authority in the body of Christ and then stay
within the boundaries that God has assigned to them. A calling is not what you
do, but who you are, and you cannot be anything else, and there is no escaping
from it, ask Jonah.
Romans
11:29 For the gifts and the
calling of God are irrevocable.
2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,
you will never fall,
The Apostle Paul, before he met Christ, was called
Saul, and he was breathing threats and slaughter on his way to persecute
Christians. Then a bright light enveloped him, and he heard Jesus call him.
Jesus chose Saul (Paul), and not the other way around.
Acts 9:3-6 As he
journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from
heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are
You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So, he,
trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then
the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told
what you must do."
Jesus did not only choose Paul,
he chooses everybody that gets chosen. He made it clear to his disciples that
he chose them, and not the other way around.
John 15:16 "You
did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father
in My name He may give you.
Ephesians
1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Back to Paul. Later, God spoke even more clearly to
Saul and confirmed it with the elders.
Acts 13:2-4 As they
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the
Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away.
There has never been anyone so driven by the
convictions of their calling than the Apostle Paul. He was willing to do
anything, enduring hardships and suffering, and boldly risking his life because
of his burning passion for Christ. His calling and the power of the Holy Spirit
equipped him to preach and have the grace, strength, and endurance to do what
he did. His life and message are so powerful that future generations yet to be
born will be blessed by his writings and testimonies.
Philippians
3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted
loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that
I may gain Christ
2
Corinthians 11:23-25 Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am
more: in labors, more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons
more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty
stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three
times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys
often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own
countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness
and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in
cold and nakedness, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep
concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to
stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in
the things which concern my infirmity.
To anyone claiming to be a somebody in the church
world, read that list of Paul's qualifications as a minister again. He didn't
mention how many cities where he planted churches, how many souls he won, how
many books of the Bible he wrote, how many miracles he experienced and
performed, and how many visions and revelations he had. The only qualifications
Paul boasted about was his weaknesses and sufferings in service to Christ. May
God help us to renew our minds and learn from his example.
We have reviewed some differences between good and bad
preachers, not to criticize or discourage but to instruct and give discernment.
The principles we went over can be used to diagnose preachers, or they can help
give guidelines on what to do and what to avoid when you teach or preach. Not
everybody will forsake everything and be a full-time missionary, pastor,
preacher, or leader, but everyone can and should learn, grow, and lead others
to Jesus and disciple them.
For most people, Christianity is a spectator sport
where everyone enters the building, takes a seat, and watches the show. That
mindset is contrary to scripture and just plain wrong in every way. People with
the spectator attitude are spiritually immature, easily manipulated, and
possibly just religious without having a salvation experience. Jesus gave a
command, not a suggestion, that his followers go, preach, teach and make
disciples.
Mark 16:15 And He
said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature.
Matthew 28:19-20 (Jesu
speaking)"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The writer of the book of Hebrews rebuked those who
were not teaching and said they were immature spiritual babies. Every follower
of Jesus should be able to teach the basics of Christianity to others. The more
we teach, the stronger and more mature we become.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though
by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again
the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and
not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word
of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are
of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil.
Paul sent a letter to the church in Corinth which
describes the distribution and variation of gifts that should operate when the
church is gathered together with everyone participating. The churches back then
did not function with the speaker spectator division like churches today. Their
meetings were more like a spiritual potluck dinner where everybody brought
their gifts, a song, a testimony, a word of knowledge, so they all brought
something to the table so that everyone gave and received blessings.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 1Co 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different
kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of
working, but the same God
works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is
given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the
message of wisdom, to
another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith
by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous
powers, to another
prophecy, to another
distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of …
tongues, and to still another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same
Spirit, and he gives them to
each one, just as he determines.
All Christians should actively share their faith, that
is the purpose of this book, and the other books in the toolbox series, which
are designed to equip believers with the tools they need for personal and small
group studies. Paul told Timothy to teach faithful people, and they should
teach others, and everyone who actively participates will grow spiritually.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the
things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
We are in the end times; our
world is changing quickly to line up with Bible prophecy. Jesus said the signs
of his return would be like birth pangs, growing in intensity and frequency and
globally. All those signs happen at once, and we can see them happening in
real-time with wars, food shortages, pandemics, shutdowns, and natural
disasters, all leading to a one-world government ruled by the antichrist. Also,
there will be a great falling away from Christ, with churches becoming
perverted, politically woke, and government-controlled. Eventually, all true
believers will have to come out of the dead institutional denominations and
fake churches. Thank God we have a blessed hope that Jesus will rapture the
church before wrath and judgment hit the earth!
While we have time and freedom, we should study the
scriptures, share the gospel, and learn to live by faith. This book is part of
a series of basic teachings that all Christians should know and teach. We call
it the "toolbox series" because each study is a tool for you to share
your faith with others. For free resources and study materials, visit our
website at Ears2Hear.online.