There are preachers who always concentrate on positive messages. They speak constantly about the love and favour of God, about success and answered prayer and about reaching your potential in life. They present and important aspect of God's truth and I like to listen to some of that preaching.
But if that is all you listen to, you could become complacent about sin. The cross could begin to lose its meaning. After all, Jesus, the Son of God, had to suffer the cruelest possible death to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin. He was demonstrating not only the depth of God’s love for you but also the intensity of God’s hatred of evil.
On the other hand, there are preachers who constantly preach severely about sin, repentance and holiness. We cannot deny that there is always sin for them to preach against but which kind of preaching is more biblically correct?
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6-7? (ESV)
Yes, we should preach against sin but the main emphasis must always be on the power of the grace of God to save and heal us from ALL sin. The blood of Jesus saves you from your own sin and heals you from the damage caused by the sin of others.
If we preach about sin and repentance, we must also emphasise the amazing glory of God’s purpose for forgiven sinners.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (ESV)
Once our sins have been forgiven, we are transformed into saints, priests of God, sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven, kings who rule and reign over sin, demons, sickness, poverty and even death.
In preaching about the light, let us not be satisfied with a gospel of positive thinking and successful living. Let us preach the full extent of our glorious destiny in Christ. There is no such thing as an “ordinary Christian”. There are no common citizens in the Kingdom of God. Either you are an alien and an enemy of God or you are a Son or Daughter of the King of Kings. There are simply no ordinary citizens in the Kingdom. They don’t exist.
We honour Apostles and Pastors as special people and that is good. But two of the most highly honoured saints in the New Testament were Mary the Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Neither of these women was an apostle or a pastor.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 23:8-9 (ESV)
When Paul wrote letters to the early churches, he did not address them to the pastors, elders and then members. He began his letters like this.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1 (ESV)
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a son or daughter of God; you are a saint; you are a holy priest; you are a king; you are an ambassador or official representative of God on earth.
If you are not all of these things, you are not a Christian at all. You are either a citizen of heaven or a citizen of hell and there are no common citizens in God’s kingdom, only royal priests.
Please let me know what you think.God bless you from
Bill Derham
No comments:
Post a Comment