"When a man steps into the pulpit more interested in telling us about his week so that he can 'relate' to his people - he is not preaching the Word. When a man seeks to be funny behind the sacred desk rather than faithful with the text - he is not preaching the Word. When a man claims to have a 'word from the Lord' a part from the divine revelation of Scripture - he is deceived and is not preaching the Word. When a man designs his sermons to attract a target audience, appeal to the culture, and has as its primary goal a thirst to be relevent - he is not preaching the Word. When a man strives to change the world through politics, representing America as the new Israel, seeking to bring a societal morality through legislation, and honors the flag equally with the cross - he is not preaching the Word. When a man fails to tremble at God's Word privately before ever preaching it publicly - he is not preaching the Word. And when a man treats the pages of holy writ with a cavalier, seeker-friendly, watered down, cream of wheat irreverence - he is not preaching the Word."
- John MacArthur Jr.
3 comments:
All very true . . . albeit from a man who sees a nearly hyper-Calvinism in the scriptures. It's sometimes confusing to me how a man can be as fine a scholar and preacher as MacArthur, but somehow can't manage to work himself around Acts 2:38.
No doubt! You have to be pretty smart to explain away the obvious and that's not really smart at all!
Despite not agreeing with MacArthur over his Calvinism, the guy does tell it straight. He doesn't back down for what he believes and I admire him for that in an age where people compromise all the time.
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