“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1st Cor. 1:18)
We preach Christ and Him crucified, risen, resurrected from the dead, for the sins of all mankind.
If you do not care for that word “Preach,” if in your mind you envision someone standing behind a pulpit, then in your mind see if these words change your perception of what you have been sent to do. Instead of saying “For the preaching of,” say “For the speaking of.”
That single word should alter your perspective from the one called to stand before others to those sitting in the pews, but that makes it a little too personal for them, they like to believe that James 1:27 is relevant to them.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
That Micah 6:8 applies to them. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
They want to believe that they can be hearers of the Word, and the only doing that is required of them is to love the Lord with all their strength, heart, mind and soul and their neighbor as themselves, as best as they can of course. The “golden rule” people, those who live peaceably with others, who are polite to a fault, who will never judge another, never reprove or rebuke are not saved people, they are good people, they are willing to sit and listen to the pastor, as long as he never makes it too personal for them, as long as he never attempts to use the Scriptures to convict them to action, to move from being hearers to doers.
As long as there are never any personal requirements placed upon them to actually go out into the world and speak those words that those that are perishing consider foolishness, they will continue to sit there and listen.
But ask them to do more than a few simple obligations within those church walls, and the one behind the pulpit will begin to see more empty spaces in those pews, and sooner or later he will hear from those who actually run that church that he needs to stop attempting to convict those in the pews to be doers, and start scratching their itchy ears, or it will be necessary for him to seek employment elsewhere.
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” (Jer. 20:9)
“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5)
Preach what we want to hear, make us feel happy, do not attempt to force us to be holy, make us feel comfortable where we are at, never attempt to ask us to move forward on the path, we are doing what we are supposed to do, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14)
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)
“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 25:30)
They feel like they love Him when they profess to serve, and that is all the doing they need to do. A few coins in the plate as it passes by, sing the songs with exuberance, listen intently to the message, feel happy while you are there, and then walk out that door, back into the world, willingly and with intent to serve it for your pleasure, until next Sunday when you will once again fulfill your obligation to the Almighty by assuming your place in the pew.
As long as you are not required to be an actual doer of the Word out there in the world.
How long do you believe that pastor is going to have his job if he stops in the middle of the service, points to one and says, “Stand up, and tell us what you have done for Christ this past week.”
The doers of the Word would rise quickly, what would you do?
