Do You Have A Good Referee?
Rev. John R. Greene
If you were able to visit every church some Sunday to hear for yourself what is being said, I believe that you may be in for a surprise. You'll hear a high percentage preaching about the newspaper, its events of the previous day; some will be preaching on David and Goliath; still others will be preaching on faith, the key to victory, while another share will be preaching on God making you feel good. At first you are thinking, "Why are you critical about preaching, Rev. Greene?" Follow along and I believe that you will understand.
Ministers are human just as much as their congregation, and they fall into the devil's trap many times. In a basketball game, the only person that is always wrong is the referee! The correct call will cause some people to explode into extreme rage and uncontrolled emotion. Although not a referee, a minister who preaches God's Word, must preach against sin because sin is our ticket to hell. Those in sin react to the truth by blaming the man of God, so he begins to preach messages that are less explosive, more feel good! Admitting sin makes us uneasy and angry.
Sin is not a trivial problem. God's holy reply was Jesus dying on Calvary's tree for sin! Jesus did it all. Now, I must repent. God's Spirit convinced Judas Iscariot of his sin, but he wept, and ended up committing suicide rather than repenting of his sins. Repentance is the naming of sin's horror, seeing Jesus died for your sin, and forsaking your sins at His cross, a genuine change of mind! Leave and sin no more!
In Hebrews 6:1, it says, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." Let's zero in on the underlined passage. Our churches are full of people that had a life-changing experience with Jesus, BUT they are still sucking on a bottle of milk. Your pastor preaching against sin is one way that the Holy Spirit reveals sin in your life! Invite him to preach against sin, say, "Amen," or "Glory," or "Hallelujah!" Love him.
We don't need "fluffy" messages! We shouldn't want "fluffy" sermons! I just can't imagine getting to heaven and being a baby. I'm sorry, but if you are a baby-Christian, it is your fault as well. We are told to grow up! I feel sorry for some good pastors who have to change a 35 year old baby-Christian's diaper! When it's number 2, it stinks and I can tell you that it most certainly isn't pretty!
Sin isn't an insignificant word! Sin must be seen the way Jesus talked about it. Sin will carry us to hell. If you're attending a good church and have a good pastor, praise God, but if you don't hear the truth each service, then get into another church! We're talking about where you will spend eternity! Don't let a relative, tradition or friend stop you from making heaven your home. Jesus will be looking for you, and so will I!
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