Posted by
Patriot Pastor on Monday, October 19, 2009 12:32:32 PM
To preachers who really want to bring godly change to people's lives, there is a major problem that we face. Hearers who refuse to be doers of what they hear. We must never grow weary in consistently preaching the whole truth regardless of whether they listen or not.
Far too many preachers today have become 'ear ticklers' just telling people what they want to hear so that their 'faith' doesn't interfere with their freedom to do as they please. Note the following passage which pictures this problem very well.
"But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, 'Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the Lord.' They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. So when it comes to pass -- as surely it will -- then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst." Ezekiel 33:30-33
There are few true 'prophets' in the church today. The feel good preachers are doing people no good but are actually assuring that the people are never offended by dealing with particular sins. This might make folks feel uncomfortable.
Charles Finney, a preacher in the Second Great Awakening in America, once wrote about our condition today in a sermon entitled, 'Preaching so as to convert nobody.' He gives 67 things that preachers can do to avoid leading people to TRUE salvation. You can find this at www.gospeltruth.net/1871patcn.htm. I would advise all preachers to read this to see which category they fit into.