He is controversial at best, and often tots that many do not invite him back. I don't personally believe it's because he is heretical, or anything like that. I think it's because he is a straight shooter about sin, and our "tolerant" world just can't tolerate that. The emergent church has taken such a foot hold in our culture and have done a good job at making the average Christian cringe when they hear the word Sin. "Be your best" they will say, or "God want's to bless you, try harder" to be encouraging.
Now by all means I think God does want to bless us, but the Bible is clear God chastens those he loves. God convicts people of SIN. We can box it up and ship it out all we want, but it will always be returned to sender, because it is our sin an we cannot escape it. So many thousands and perhaps millions of people fill churches every week they speak half truth's or outright lies.
Why do we even have personal copies of God's word. These preachers will contort, misconstrue, manipulate, and assault the very word of God, in front of many witnesses, and people will take it at face value....why? Because we'll he's a preacher so he knows better. Not true. Many of those people leading their flocks straight to hell are headed their themselves. THAT is why I like a man like David Nasser, he may tick you off, but he's preaching the TRUTH.
I am very serious about making sure that I represent the word of God in the way it was intended. Am I always going to succeed? Probably not, but never will I intentionally preach a half truth, to save the feelings of some, the very some that desperately need the Savior!
Hell is a real place, not a state a mind, and a real place people who don't accept Christ go to. Sin is a very real thing, and people need to confess sin.
The awesome thing though...God forgives. He sent Jesus for that very purpose to take on our sin we were guilty of, offer forgiveness, and a relationship with Him (Jesus) that leads to eternal life.
I recognize as a Southern Baptist, I get a bad rap for harping on sin, and other people for their hell fire and brimstone speeches, and that's fine. You can make the argument that's why so many people don't come to church, and being seeker sensitive, or watering down the Bible brings them in, and that's fine. It's wrong, but it's clearly permissible because it's happening.
My response to that and how I will end this blog post is that the very same message we are accused of harping on, is the very thing Jesus came to eradicate (Sin) and the very thing He was sent to the Cross for.
If Jesus had said "Hey guys, your doing alright, and God wants to meet you right where you are...keep it up" the Cross would have been the LAST place anyone sought to send Him!
And yes, I know Jesus said no one sends me there but I go freely...because He was doing the will of the Father, but point being is that Jesus spoke the truth, the whole truth, and He did not water down the Gospel so that people will like Him, or fill the Synagogue he was preaching at.
The truth...hurts. And yes, we need to present it in Love, but with God as my witness I say it must still BE PRESENTED.
I pray you all well this Friday...if you are a pastor and taking your youth to YEC, I hope to see you there, and if you are a pastor or a leader in general, I pray you heed to the true words of God and preach the whole Bible, not just the part that appeals to sinners who don't want to truth.
-Brian
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