The side we’d rather forget
I've been posting here about the unpopular truth of the Word of God, and now it's time to put into practice what I preach---to tell some of the truths of the Word that I don't particularly like to remember. I ran across Ron Shanks's blog today, and it reminded me about a rock-bottom truth that all Christians, especially preachers, need to remember: souls without Christ will be lost forever in hell. At the top of Ron's page is a quote from John Wesley, which says, in part,
It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.
Also prominent at Shanktified is a reminder of how many human beings die each day (160,000), and that the majority of those people will enter hell. Not pleasant, not popular, just biblical (Mt 7:13, 14; Rev 20:15). My preaching is almost all about grace, peace, love, and transformation. I spent too many years in darkness and hopelessness to want to dwell on damnation. But it's real, and we must not forget it. Thanks, Ron, for the reminder.
Update: For some reasons the quotes I mention in this post no longer appear on Shanktified.
It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.
Also prominent at Shanktified is a reminder of how many human beings die each day (160,000), and that the majority of those people will enter hell. Not pleasant, not popular, just biblical (Mt 7:13, 14; Rev 20:15). My preaching is almost all about grace, peace, love, and transformation. I spent too many years in darkness and hopelessness to want to dwell on damnation. But it's real, and we must not forget it. Thanks, Ron, for the reminder.
Update: For some reasons the quotes I mention in this post no longer appear on Shanktified.
posted by Milton Stanley at 12:22 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Milton,
I know what you mean about preaching grace. For too long I think people in some places have tried to batter others into the kingdom of heaven. But yet I am struck by the preaching of Enoch, a man who walked with God -
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
He was direct and called a spade aspade, as we say here. Gracious preaching needs both to point the finger (accuse) and open the arms (invite), in teh name of Christ.
Well said!
Post a Comment
<< Home