Modern American Christianity -washer

You’re going to have a youth meeting; you want God to move, but before you go there you watch programs on television that God absolutely despises. And then you wonder why the Holy Spirit hasn’t fallen on a place and why you have to create false fire and false excitement.

I love this message and I sent out a mass email to everybody I know promoting it. Some took it well, others didn't.

A comment a friend made was, "Unless he got a word from the Lord for these specific kids or unless he knew these kids personally, he was wrong to accuse them like that."

What do you think?

Hi Santana,

A comment a friend made was, "Unless he got a word from the Lord for these specific kids or unless he knew these kids personally, he was wrong to accuse them like that."

Washer is only preaching with the same Spirit that ignited men like Whitefield to say similar things in their day...

"Do not think you are Christians: do not flatter yourselves with being righteous enough, and do good enough, because you lead moral decent lives, do no one any harm, go to church, and attend the outward means of grace; no, my brethren, you may do this, and a great deal more, and yet be very far from having a saving, experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ."

"The Lord enabled me boldy to open my mouth against unconverted ministers, for I am convinced that the majority of ministers talk of an unknown and unfelt Christ. The reasn congregations have been so dead is because they have dead men preaching to them. O that the Lord may quicken and revive them! How can dead men beget living children?"

If spiritual revival would come to the forefront in the church, the issue of false conversions must also be looked at truthfully. This is a hallmark of the preaching of not only Whitefield, but also men like Wesely, Edwards, Finney, Spurgeon, and Moody.

MC

If spiritual revival would come to the forefront in the church, the issue of false conversions must also be looked at truthfully. This is a hallmark of the preaching of not only Whitefield, but also men like Wesely, Edwards, [b]Finney,[/b] Spurgeon, and Moody.

[i]Ministers generally avoid preaching what the people before them will understand as addressed particularly to them. They will preach to them about other people, and the sins of other people, instead of addressing them and saying, "You are guilty of these sins; and, The Lord requires this of you." They often preach about the Gospel instead of preaching the Gospel. They often preach about sinners instead of preaching to them. They studiously avoid being personal, in the sense of making the impression on anyone present that he is the man. Now I have thought it my duty to pursue a different course; and I always have pursued a different course. I have often said, "Do not think I am talking about anybody else; but I mean you, and you, and you."

Ministers told me at first that people would never endure this; but would get up and go out, and never come to hear me again. But this is all a mistake. Very much, in this as in everything else, depends on the spirit in which it is said. If the people see that it is said in the spirit of love, with a yearning desire to do them good; if they cannot call it an ebullition of personal animosity, but if they see, and cannot deny, that it is telling the truth in love; that it is coming right home to them to save them individually, there are very few that will continue to resent it. If at the time they feel pointed at and rebuked, nevertheless the conviction is upon them that they needed it, and it will surely ultimately do them great good.

I have often said to people, when I saw that they looked offended, "Now you resent this and you will go away and say that you will not come again; but you will. Your own convictions are on my side. You know that what I tell you is true; and that I tell it for your own good; and that you cannot continue to resent it." And I have always found this to be true.
-Finney
[/i]

I believe this can be [u]only[/u] preached by broken and man lead and baptized mighty with the Spirit, otherwise everything will be [u]harm.[/u]
I believe that Paul Washer is broken man before the Lord.

...this can be only preached by broken and man lead and baptized mighty with the Spirit, otherwise everything will be harm.

Such a great point Tearsofjoy. Yet I feel alittle sad that we must be careful these days to state the most basic and obvious requirements for preaching...

Well, keep reminding us!

Blessings,

MC

im satisfied with this answer :-)

TOJ wrote:

Ministers generally avoid preaching what the people before them will understand as addressed particularly to them. They will preach to them about other people, and the sins of other people, instead of addressing them and saying, "You are guilty of these sins; and, The Lord requires this of you." They often preach about the Gospel instead of preaching the Gospel. They often preach about sinners instead of preaching to them. They studiously avoid being personal, in the sense of making the impression on anyone present that he is the man.

This is so true.

I am not very old, but old enough to have seen some radical changes occur in my own denomination. When I was a child, evangelists preached hellfire and damnation. The meetings were packed, responses many. But this changed when the subject matter shifted to emphasis on God's love. The audiences were ho-hum, responses few, attendance shrank.

One reason for the shift was [I think] is some were put off by the emotinalism [they perceived] as having a great impact on the responses. No doubt that did happen BUT what is the alternative they have introduced since then? Is it an improvement? Has it produced more holiness? NO!

The sad part of it all is there seems to be a dearth of the gift of the ministry of evangelists among our people. Many concerned men in the pulpits who love the LORD but the ministry of evangelists is rare...and the people in the pews rationalize apostasy:"People just no longer do it this way..."

Appreciate this thread....

ginnyrose

I like the comments going on here, some great insights!! I just love this message by Paul Washer. Why is it that there is so much depth to his words, so much power, so much truth? Maybe it is because the Holy Spirit speaks through him. Since I've started listening to him and learning about other preachers on this website, I've started looking for another church. It just seems that preachers are just talking and don't have the holy spirit speaking through them. It's hard to find a preacher saturated in the truth He is talking about and cutting to the hearts of people. Where is the power?

As far as evangelists goes, I've only recently discovered that I might have the gift of evangelism. I don't know how many times I've studied the gifts and gone through all sorts of classes... it also seems there isn't a lot of training for this in churches, and in many churches it is something they just don't do. People need to be trained and exposed to evangelism by going out and DOING it. I don't know how many times I've learned about "how to evanglise", it wasn't until I started taking EE (Evangelism Explosion) where we actually go out and witness that I started to understand how to witness and evangelize and use it in my everyday life.

I think there is no doubt the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul Washer. The first time i heard him i was blown away because I knew I had just heard the Holy Ghost through a man- i was like, 'wow, is this what Holy Ghost preaching is really like!'

There is no replacment for it. Nothing else will do. The key thing is that Paul Washer is a man who knows God- really knows Him. He said something in a sermon of his I listened to the other day ('God is a rewarder of those who seek Him') that really shook me up. He said to his audience that God's presence was more real to him than they were.

How we need preachers like Paul Washer who know God. A wise old preacher once told me, 'Anyone who knows God is worth listening to'.

I sometimes preach and i love preaching. I know truth, but if I am honest i know far more about truth than I know God Himself. Herein lies my problem. After listening to that sermon- which you all have to listen to- I am settled on seeking God, and not giving up until i find Him. I want to know Him, I have to Know Him- not so i can get power for preaching but because I want Him.

"This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face" (psalm 24:6)

We need to be that generation brothers and sisters!

Amen! :)

'Anyone who knows God is worth listening to'

That's a great line. I guess the key word here is "knows". Who in America doesn't claim they have their own relation ship with God??