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Continuing our discussion from part one, sadly, to our own shame, the situation hasn't changed much in our modern day. While there are some men of the cloth who do have a sincere desire to win souls to Christ, and to feed their flocks with the sincere milk of God's Word, there is likewise a growing number of modern preachers and theologians who appear to be more interested in impressing each other with their doctrinal dissertations which are full of impressive language which is native to their profession. They expound upon their beliefs in books, videos and DVDs which reap them a healthy profit.

Just as bad are their companions in crime -- the so-called fast-talking "Abundant Life" preachers a.k.a. the "Prosperity Preachers" -- who love to fleece their flocks for all they are worth, while they promise them the Moon. As I explain in the three-part series entitled "Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon", as well as in a number of other articles, God's Word refers to this wicked and selfish practice as "filthy lucre". In fact, in his second Epistle, the Apostle Peter very specifically writes "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you." You should know that the Scriptures have absolutely nothing good or positive to say regarding these unscrupulous individuals who use their positions as overseers of the Lord's Church for financial advantage. Indeed, they are a plague on our modern Christian society. This becomes very evident by the following group of sample verses:

"And through COVETOUSNESS shall they WITH FEIGNED WORDS MAKE MERCHANDISE OF YOU: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."


"Not given to wine, no striker, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous . . . Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE;"


"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, NOT GIVEN TO FILTHY LUCRE . . . Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, FOR FILTHY LUCRE'S SAKE."


"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; NOT FOR FILTHY LUCRE, but of a ready mind;"


"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for YE DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."


"And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation."


"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."


"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."


"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."


"And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."


You will find a more thorough discussion of this topic in the articles which are listed at the end of this current series. This brings us to our next point of discussion. The primary requirement for any preaching of the Word of God, is that in whatever form it takes -- in the pulpit, or online, or in the public square, or in books and on DVDs -- it absolutely must be God-inspired. That is to say, it must be inspired by and empowered by the Holy Ghost. Otherwise, it will just be dry, boring and fruitless. In speaking of how His Disciples would appear before kings and the mighty men of the Earth, you may recall that Jesus said the following in the three Synoptic Gospels. That is, in Matthew, Mark and Luke:

"But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;‭ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.‭ ‭‭But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.‭ ‭‭For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."


"But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."


"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."


In case it isn't already evident, what Jesus is basically saying here, is that we should not trust in ourselves, or in our own human wisdom when it comes to sharing the Gospel of Salvation. Rather, we must trust in the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, and in fact to empower us, as we carry out our witnessing endeavors. We must let God's words flow out of us -- and not our own words -- as Jesus appears to be saying in the following verse. I have added a few more verses below it as additional support for this Biblical concept:

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."


"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook."


"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."


"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."


"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, [that is, the Holy Spirit] that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."


"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."


The truth of the matter is that God has been working in this same fashion since the days of the Old Testament era. The Scriptures make it very plain that it has been God, by way of His Holy Spirit, who has spoken through the mouths of His holy men and Prophets. Consider the following set of verses which verifies this point:

"And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, ‭Is‭ not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I WILL BE WITH THY MOUTH, AND WITH HIS MOUTH, AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT YE SHALL DO. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, ‭even‭ he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God."


"And the LORD met Balaam, and PUT A WORD IN HIS MOUTH, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus."


"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."


"And I have PUT MY WORDS IN THY MOUTH, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou ‭art‭ my people."


"Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have PUT MY WORDS IN THY MOUTH."


"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE ‭AS THEY WERE‭ MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST."


"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"


In fact, I will take this a step further by adding that we must likewise trust in the Lord to bear the fruit which He desires after we have planted the seed of the Word in a person's heart. As I explain in the series "Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service" and in similar articles, God's Word does not return to Him void. In other words, it does not return to Him empty. It accomplishes whatever purpose it was designed for, even if we don't immediately recognize it as such. Not only that, but we need to recognize that God is really the only one who can add lasting fruit to His Church, according to His own Will and Plan. Consider the following group of verses which substantiates these points:

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: IT SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID, BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT."


"‭‭And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,‭ ‭‭Praising God, and having favour with all the people. AND THE LORD ADDED TO THE CHURCH DAILY SUCH AS SHOULD BE SAVED.‭"


"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ACCORDING AS HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: HAVING PREDESTINATED US UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."


There was a time quite a few years ago when I was a young Christian, when I employed what you might refer to as hard sell witnessing tactics in order to try to win a person to Jesus Christ. I could sit with a person for hours sharing Scriptures with them, until they were finally pressured into accepting the Lord; even if they weren't really ready to do so in their heart. Now, while my zeal may have been laudable, today, many years later, I have to wonder how many of those poor people were actually saved by my actions, and how many of them remain Christians to this very day. In all honesty, I likewise wonder how many of them went through the motions of praying with me, just so they could get rid of me. I kid you not.

Well, obviously, I have grown older and wiser; and nowadays my witnessing methods and tactics are rather different from my former years. While I am still more than willing to share my faith, and my time, with any sincere, truth-seeker, I have also learned to trust in the Lord more for the results, and not just in my own flesh.

As I mention in a few other articles, for a number of years, before I became more housebound due to my age and certain health issues, I would pass out small Gospel tracts which I created on my computer. When doing so, I would rarely say a word. If a person asked me what I was offering them, I would simply tell them that it was about the Lord, or else that it was an important message for them to read, and that was it. That is, of course, unless they showed a deeper interest and began to ask me certain questions. Now, if I had a captive audience, such as when I was riding in a car, then I would try to take advantage of the situation to deliver a fuller Gospel message, depending upon the person's receptivity.

The point I am trying to emphasize here, is that unlike in former years when I felt I had to rely upon my own strength and wisdom to win a person to Christ, I eventually learned to demonstrate more faith by simply, and passively, passing out my Gospel tracts, and then letting the Lord speak to a person's heart while they read the Salvation message printed therein. This more passive approach makes their Salvation a work of God's Spirit, brought about through Godly conviction and genuine repentance, and not through a work of my flesh, or as a result of high-pressure witnessing tactics.

In short, the bottom line is that no matter how hard and how long we witness to a person, unless they are drawn by God's Spirit, and convicted in their hearts by God's Spirit, all of our hard work will be in vain. The length of our words, or wordiness, won't make a bit of difference if God's Spirit is not present. Yes, we may quite possibly reap a soul, but the question is, will that convert endure in their newfound faith? Or will they eventually fall by the wayside and perish, similar to the seeds in the Parable of the Sower?

To reiterate, as I mentioned earlier, it must be the Lord who adds to the Church such as should be saved; because they are the only ones who will last. So instead of being a wordy preacher, endeavor to be a Spirit-led witness. This idea of being drawn by the Father to Christ, and in fact being known by the Father, is made evident by the following group of verses:

"ALL THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out . . . No man can come to me, EXCEPT THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME DRAW HIM: and I will raise him up at the last day . . . And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father."


"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. MY FATHER, WHICH GAVE THEM ME, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."


"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for THEM WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME; for they are thine . . . And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name THOSE WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, that they may be one, as we are . . . Father, I will that they also, WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."


"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."


"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."


As I was working on this series, I began to imagine how funny -- or perhaps sad would be a better word -- it would have been, if when the Lord called His first Apostles, and then sent them out two by two to preach the Glad Tidings of the Kingdom throughout the towns and villages of Israel in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, they would have said to Him something like the following:

"But Jesus, please forgive us, and please try to understand that we are really quite ill-prepared to take on such an important job as preaching the Gospel. After all, Lord, we have received very little proper theological training to do this. At the very least, please allow us some time first to write out our sermons on parchment."

Or can you imagine Peter or Stephen standing on the steps of the Temple in Jerusalem, frantically fumbling around in their dusty robes, searching for that prepared sermon? "Oh; I am sorry folks. There won't be a sermon today. It seems I have lost my script." Imagine how many souls wouldn't have been won on those days; and maybe Stephen would have saved his life for a while longer. But you see, God's Spirit was present on those days; and that is all that was needed; because He was doing the talking, and not them.

Please don't misunderstand me and think that I am totally against prepared sermons. After all, in a sense, all of my online articles are exactly that. They are Bible lessons which I have laboriously researched and typed out for more than twenty-five years now. In fact, to my delight, I know from a few online communications that some pastors have used my work in their sermons. However, at the same time, we need to recognize that the potential problem with preaching from a long prepared sermon, is that we may share what we want to share, instead of what the Lord may really want us to share. There is very little room -- and possibly even no room -- for intervention by God's Holy Spirit, unless the preacher is really yielded to the Lord, and is willing to deviate from his prepared sermon.

Perhaps the hearers are really in need of something entirely different from what may be included in the prepared lesson; but they may never get it if the preacher is following just his own program, and is not in tune with God's Spirit. Maybe the sermon of that slick preacher was indeed eloquent, and worthy of worldly praise, but was it really God speaking, or was it just the preacher? Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. Many of the sermons which are preached in churches throughout America today are lukewarm, politically-correct, socially-acceptable diatribes that are specifically tailored to offend no one, lest church members be lost, and the weekly offerings drop. And we certainly don't want to lose our (501) (c)(3) tax exemption, do we? I am reminded of the serious warnings which the Lord gave to the Churches of Sardis and Laodicea in the Book of Revelation:

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead . . . And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;‭ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.‭ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."


As some of you will know, some of these modern theological teachers and pulpit preachers are paid to spout off a very non-offensive, non-inflammatory, patriotic, worldly, secular humanistic, ecumenical gospel which moves and motivates very few people. How can it when it is so spiritually dead? Not only that, but I have read a few online accounts here and there where it has been reported that some pastors have even been fired from their job by the church board, because they refused to go along with the program. Now, whether or not such stories are really true, I honestly do not know. So as lamentable as it may be, in the words of German philosopher and economist Karl Marx, in many modern churches, religion has indeed become "the opium of the people", because the people there are either spiritually drugged, fast asleep, or already dead. And, as Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead." -- Matthew 8:22.

Another potential danger of relying upon prepared sermons, is that while the Lord may have already said by His Holy Spirit what He intended to say, the preacher may continue speaking in his own spirit, by his own strength, and in his own wisdom. While we want to follow the Apostle Paul's wise advice by not quenching, or holding back, the Spirit -- 1 Thessalonians 5:19 -- we also need to make certain that it is still God who is doing the preaching, and not just we ourselves. Let's face it. It is very easy to become lost in one's own zeal, and lifted up in one's own pride, possibly due to a favorable audience reaction.

For those of my readers who are Americans, you are no doubt aware of the fact that certain Southern Baptist preachers, traveling Evangelical preachers, and Pentecostal preachers are notorious for putting on quite a show in the flesh. They know how to emphasize just the right words, when to stomp their feet, when to clap their hands, and do everything just right in order to captivate their audiences. But how much of it is really inspired by the Lord's Spirit, and how much of it is just to make sure that the collection plate is filled when it is passed around at the end of the spiritual circus sideshow? You'll have to forgive me, but I just can't get into all of that nonsense. I more amply discuss this topic in articles such as "God's Golden Teeth, Or Satan's Delusion?" and "Have You Been Slain in the Spirit?".

Just as we saw earlier in our discussion regarding Christian musicians, what may start out being Christ-glorifying, can easily result in glorification of the preacher if one is not careful. In the United States of America, it seems that many Christians have their favorite preacher. Sometimes I'm asked by my readers what I think of preacher so-and-so. More often than not, I don't have an opinion, because I don't know the person in question and I am not familiar with their doctrine or ministry. I simply don't pay much attention to organized religion, unless the Lord happens to place a certain issue in front of me, and I am motivated to look into the matter and then present my perspective on the issue. For the most part, I mind my own business, and strive to keep busy by abiding in the calling and ministry which the Lord has seen fit to give me. This is in fact what the Scriptures counsel us to do, as we can see by the following group of verses:

"Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand."


"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called . . . Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."


"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."


"But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

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