A Love for that which is Brash

I was thinking this morning about some things--about American culture here in the south, about the Lord, and about the truth.

It seems to me that a lot of times, we have a love for those things that are brash. Sitting in church on Sunday mornings, when the preach gets fired up about stuff like "taking back our country", you get a pile of people saying, "amen!". But if someone was to preach that all authority has been given to Jesus and we can go out and preach the gospel unashamedly, even if it costs our lives---silence. When Donald Trump or Phil Robertson say something politically incorrect--no matter what it is--every gets excited about it. But if someone says, "Jesus calls us to a life of self-denial", no one reacts the same.

I think--a lot of times--we measure truth based on how it's delivered rather than the actual content. I have seen young men get caught up in preachers who yell at homosexuals nothing but condemnation without even a shred of grace in a sermon delivered to believers where no homosexual is even present!? And they love that.

In my opinion, that is why I think, men like Paul Washer are considered such good preachers--it isn't because they have listened to his phenomenal treatments of many of the scriptures. No one listens to those sermons. It's because he said, "I don't know why you're clapping. I am talking about you." And although what he said was true, no one paid attention to the content. They just liked the delivery. They loved the unabashed declaration of whatever he was saying.

I also think that's why in some circles, men like Art Katz just don't get listened to. I've never heard a sermon where he yelled, but that man has some fantastic truths that he has said.

havok20x said...I also think that's why in some circles, men like Art Katz just don't get listened to. I've never heard a sermon where he yelled, but that man has some fantastic truths that he has said.

"I think it's very unfair to stereotype every pastor today rather young or old, that they don't preach as good a gospel as the older pastors."

That's not really what I am saying. I am not commentating on whether the truth is preached, I am really getting at the idea that a lot of people I know seem to WANT brash preaching, regardless of the content.

I remember I was teaching a Sunday School class about submission to the government. I opened with talking about all the problems we were having and how they may want to take away our guns, they want to increase taxes, and I said--"What should we do about these things?" One guy got really passionate that we needed to take back our country and support this or that person. And I said, "Let's look at Romans." I just read the passage about submission to government authority, and he told me "That is YOUR interpretation of the scripture!" and all I did was read the passage, I didn't even get to say anything about it at all.

Brother: On this website youre going to get some bone-cruncher Josiah types ( like me that live off a diet of hard-preaching ministers) For some it might be delivery, for others it might be content, others...they want to believe something worth fighting for and dying on any hill because it seems right at the time...well, that's what zeal is about.
Where this all falls apart is imitation. Imitating Paul Washers style because his style has garnered a following of other bone-crunchers ( I get this from Josiah digging up the bones of the false prophets and grinding them to powder to rid Israel of any respect or reverence for false teachers)Well, other zealous guys like that sort of thing and combine this with the inexperience and immaturity of not developing their own gifting and ministry from prayer and seeking the Lord, they want to sound like Paul but in the end sound like clanging cymbals.
Recognize it for what it is...zeal is good and it should be cultivated. But there is only one Paul Washer and there is no one, and I mean no one called to be another Paul Washer, God is done making Paul Washers with just him. These young zealots need to become their own men, trusting Jesus to gift and grace them with a listening ear and anointed voice to declare the whole counsel of God. But, zeal is impatient and excitement gets anxious when it sits quiet to long, bad imitation and missing what God has designed them for makes for a lot of square pegs pounding their way into round holes.