Don't Tone Down Your Message!

Church ministers are not leading their people aright of they are not preaching "the whole counsel of God" to their congregations.  They are leading them astray.  There is an urgently needed radical message that must be preached into this post-Christian world in which we live.  But its a very costly message for the congregation, and especially for the preacher.  In our preaching, we must treat men with love and talk to them humanly, as Schaeffer said. 

But we must NOT tone down our message.  That's what happened in Jeremiah's day; and it is also happening in our day, too.  Israel was being led astray at that time, and the churches are being led astray by their leaders today - by those who are not preaching the full Gospel of Christ.  By preaching, I mean explanation of the text and application of the message to those listening to them.  What has been lost and forgotten in today's church is the fact that simply being a church or religious leader does not protect from the judgement of God as revealed in Scripture.  The truth is, in fact, that because a man is a church leader, the all-searching eye of the Lord is upon him.  He who teaches is liable to an even greater judgement.  That's why not many are to put themselves forward as preachers/teachers. 

"Woe is unto me if I do not preach the Gospel, " cried Paul. Terrible consequences are laid up for me if I fail in this the highest of all callings.  Woe to those false shepherds who flatter the people, telling them how good they are, and that they are good enough for God and right for heaven.  Woe to those false prophets who claim to speak in the name of the Triune God, but who are prophesying for Baal.  Woe to those false preachers who accept all and sundry into full church membership, thus accepting them as Christians, when they experienced no new birth, there was no repentance, no faith, no conviction of sin, no turning to Christ as their only hope of eternal salvation.  Woe to those church elders who deceive their people into imagining that co-habitation is acceptable, that adultery is OK, that blasphemy is proper, that lying and cheating is good, whereas being faithful to Christ is not!  Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil.  Pharisees, hypocrites!  Away with you into the bottomless pit prepared for the devil and his angels!

And woe to you who know the truth and prefer to listen to error!  Woe to you who cooperate willingly and gladly with anti-Gospel ministers and elders within your church and denomination.  Woe to you who defend the right of ministers within the church to hold to an anti-Gospel position.  Oh, the woes of God are cascading upon the adulterous church in the 21st century.  Come out of her, my people, and be ye separate have nothing to do with her adulteries.  Flee as fast as your legs can carry you, and join yourself with the true people of God.