But why is it that we see so little fire in this present generation? Why is it that despite all our evangelism and the availability of the many resources which the early Church did not have, we find so little motivation even amongst those who truly belong to Him? I believe there are three answers to this one question and we shall examine each carefully.
First is because we have relied on individual verses rather than the whole context of Scriptures. I am deeply convinced by historical evidence that a verse loses its worth and meaning when it is isolated from its Scriptural context and used all the time without taking heed to the entire meaning of the passage. For example, "God is worthy". But how is God worthy? On what basis has He proven Himself to be worthy of praise? If we isolate such a glorious statement from its original context, it loses its meaning. Isolation along with mindless repetition converts an awesome, man-conquering statement into a quaint maxim that has no real power against the darkness.
A perfect illustration for this is when visiting a museum. If you visit a museum with the knowledge of all the artifacts and their historical significances, you would leap with joy for every object you see. As you glance from window to window, you would be overwhelmed with pleasure as experiences and memories flood back to your mind. The next thing you know is that you are running recklessly in an attempt to explore the entire place at once. However, if you visit a museum repeatedly (repetition of a Biblical verse) without understanding the historical significance of the items present (isolation of the verse from its original passage/meaning/context), even an extremely historically significant object such as the ark of the covenant would not interest you in any way.
The second answer is our faulty evangelism. The Gospel preaching of this present age is based on wall street marketing than the Word of God. And I praise God for the many Christians who have realized this and stood up against the seeker-sensitive movement!
Even secular statistics have proven that our post-modern, seeker-sensitive evangelism methods have barely brought genuine conversions. None of these methods work because none of them were meant to work. We have failed to realize the earnest operations of salvation: salvation is of the Lord and so it is a supernatural work of God. Having said that, no amount of coercing can lead a person to Christ. God, Himself, has to move in order for genuine conversion to occur. God the Holy Spirit is the one and only mover in the process of being "born again" which is why it is also referred to as being "born of the Spirit" in John chapter 3. For this reason, Paul states that he can only plant the seeds of the Gospel and Apollos can but water them because it is God alone who can make them grow.
Thus, we can reduce the Gospel to make it more appealing as much as we want or dumb down the cross to facilitate easy-believism, but if God does not move, nothing will happen. On the first place, we should not even alter the message of Christ! Such action is not only a betrayal to God but an insult of the deepest form. It is for this reason that Paul admonishes the Galatians (Gal 1:6-10):
6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Take note that Paul repeatedly pronounces a curse to anyone, man, angel or mystical spirit, who changes the message. He then ends in verse 10 "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ", meaning that the Gospel is not to be changed for the pleasure of men and that all our preaching must be in accordance to the sound doctrine of God.
There is absolutely no reason to water down the Gospel. Such is an atrocity not only against Jesus, who died in the place of the guilty, but against His beloved bride whom He gave His life for. When we reduce the Gospel in accordance to the flesh, we starve the glorious bride, deprive her of the knowledge of her Husband and allow worldly suitors to visit her. God has ordained that the preaching of the Gospel be the means in which men would come to faith and call upon Him (Romans 10:14-15,17). Such is the reason why Paul declares in Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto the salvation of man.."
And let us also not forget that man by nature is at enmity with God. So why on earth would we conform the very Gospel in which we stand (1 Corinthians 15:1) to a carnal and depraved mind that sees itself as wise? To even think of such is not only grossly irresponsible of us but also a crime and treason of the highest form against the heavenly Deity.
This is but a sequel to the second argument. If the second reason says it is because of our faulty preaching, the third reason is because of our lack of preaching. It is not enough that we abstain from altering the message of Christ. We also have to preach it wholly and faithfully based on the full counsel of the Lord. Now, what does that mean?
To esteem God in His perfect beauty, we must first understand His perfect worth. But how are we to understand or realize His perfect worth? It is through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, but how? How shall we preach the message of salvation? By the full counsel of God. Yes, but what does that mean? It means to take the Word of Truth, toe to toe and preach it toe to toe.
In simple words, if we are to preach the Gospel we must realize that we must first start with the carnal and deadly condition of all mankind. We must preach sin, judgment and hell. Only then can man truly understand his depravity and realize the worth of this great God who hath saved Him from His own wrath.
We have heard that preaching is about sowing seeds, but this is only partially true. Preaching does not only involve sowing seeds but plowing the soil as well. How shall the soil be prepared to receive the seeds if we do not labor in plowing the land? The same thing goes for our preaching. As the apostles and the prophets of old did, we must prepare the hearts of men for receiving Christ by preaching about sin and its eternal consequences. The prophets and the disciples have labored night and day for this single, honorable task. Yes, such burden did all the great men of God in our past bore even unto their graves.
We are to preach about man's condemnation for him to see the need for salvation. How shall unbelievers seek the keys when they do not know that they are prisoners? Or how shall they comprehend and esteem the worth of the Messiah if they do not know that they were captives of the dark, dead in their trespasses? Shall we not also warn them about the words of the prophet Jeremiah: The heart is deceitful above all things... (Jeremiah 17:9) and command their ears to listen as Christ did? And isn't this real love for both God and men? To tell men the truth at the cost of our lives is one of the deepest forms of love because such action exhibits genuine selflessness towards our fellowmen and true devotion to the one true God.
Ah, even our beloved brother, the crucified thief, who was the very proof that salvation is not of works, realized that he deserved such torment. Thus, he saw his desperate need for Christ and so cried out to the Messiah to "remember him when His reign cometh".
Our hearers must realize their disposition against an infinitely holy God that they might recognize their desperate need for a Savior. They must also understand that they, as with the entire race of Adam, are all guilty and rightfully condemned under the wrath of the Lamb unless we repent and believe in the Good News (Mark 1:15). Only by man's recognition of his sinfulness and need to repent can he truly embrace the Gospel by faith and be saved.
With much love and humility, let us preach the Gospel wholly and faithfully that many may hear and be baptized under the Name hallowed above all. Let us join our Master in the scandal, teaching everything He has taught us.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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