Grace, I know what you're saying. However, often whenever I hear people talking about being upset because they really just wanted to be uplifted and encouraged and not feel railed at, it sometimes makes me think of 2 Tim:
3: 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
4: 1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
I do not know you well enough to even begin to accuse you of this personally, and I do recognize that we must be careful in how we apply and preach the Word. However, at the end of the day, the Bible is very clear that it is to be used in ways that often include rebuke and chastisement. That goes against what we want sometimes, and certainly flies in the face of where the church is headed, but I just get nervous whenever I hear people getting upset because all they wanted was uplifting messages and did not want rebuke or correction.
Again, I' not accusing you in particular, this post just kind of touched on what I hear a lot these days.
Don't you think these verses apply to actual sin? Adultery, fornication, stealing, cheating, lying, etc? Paul dealt with churches that were putting up with adultery and fornication and doing nothing about it.
Too often our pulpits are used as places for men to air their personal opinions and grievances. If someone had brought a sinner to this meeting, hoping to introduce them to Jesus, do they need to hear about the in-squabbling of an organization? That might have been the only opportunity some people ever had to be introduced to a Pentecostal church. Hopefully they got a good impression.
I agree that campmeetings are not the place for this.
Don't you think these verses apply to actual sin? Adultery, fornication, stealing, cheating, lying, etc? Paul dealt with churches that were putting up with adultery and fornication and doing nothing about it.
Too often our pulpits are used as places for men to air their personal opinions and grievances. If someone had brought a sinner to this meeting, hoping to introduce them to Jesus, do they need to hear about the in-squabbling of an organization? That might have been the only opportunity some people ever had to be introduced to a Pentecostal church. Hopefully they got a good impression.
I agree that campmeetings are not the place for this.
Again, I go back to the idea that I am making a general statement here. I have never been a proponent of in-squabbling over the pulpit. However, I am also not of the opinion that the purpose of preaching is to always make everybody feel good and to leave good impressions. It just worries me that that is where we are headed.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
Again, I go back to the idea that I am making a general statement here. I have never been a proponent of in-squabbling over the pulpit. However, I am also not of the opinion that the purpose of preaching is to always make everybody feel good and to leave good impressions. It just worries me that that is where we are headed.
I agree with you there, completely. Sin must always be preached against (true sin, not opinions ). Our society, including the Christian world, is getting much too tolerant of fornication, perversion, and not insisting that Christians live an honest and upright life. This must always be preached, and reproof will come into it when people begin living their lives in this way.
I think the 'itching ears' he refers to applies to people who no longer want to hear true sin preached against. "If my daughter wants to move in with her boyfriend, it's nobody's business." That type of attitude.
I agree with you there, completely. Sin must always be preached against (true sin, not opinions ). Our society, including the Christian world, is getting much too tolerant of fornication, perversion, and not insisting that Christians live an honest and upright life. This must always be preached, and reproof will come into it when people begin living their lives in this way.
I think the 'itching ears' he refers to applies to people who no longer want to hear true sin preached against. "If my daughter wants to move in with her boyfriend, it's nobody's business." That type of attitude.
Again, I'm not sure if I should have responded in this particular thread; however, let me also say that I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bro. Mooney as well.
I'm just saying that I think we need to reexamine how we feel about preaching that we don't feel like is palatable. There are some pretty strong examples of things said in the Bible that may possibly rub people the wrong way.
We have Biblical examples of what the Apostles did when they felt false teachers came up among them. Paul singled them out by name.
1Timothy 1:18 – 20. This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
In Titus 1, the duties of an elder include:
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
Don't you think these verses apply to actual sin? Adultery, fornication, stealing, cheating, lying, etc? Paul dealt with churches that were putting up with adultery and fornication and doing nothing about it.
Too often our pulpits are used as places for men to air their personal opinions and grievances. If someone had brought a sinner to this meeting, hoping to introduce them to Jesus, do they need to hear about the in-squabbling of an organization? That might have been the only opportunity some people ever had to be introduced to a Pentecostal church. Hopefully they got a good impression.
I agree that campmeetings are not the place for this.
I call it spiritual incest, and it produces malformed spiritual children and miscarriages. Not that many give a rip what I call it.
14Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? ......a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
16...... their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
__________________ For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. (Romans 14:11- NASB)
). Our society, including the Christian world, is getting much too tolerant of fornication, perversion, and not insisting that Christians live an honest and upright life. This must always be preached, and reproof will come into it when people begin living their lives in this way.
Hybrid Mode
