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It is impossible to preach to please all men if we preach the truth.
It is impossible to preach to please all men if we preach the truth. If we preach that there is a God, atheists will be offended. If we preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, orthodox Jews will be displeased. If we preach Bible baptism, most denominations will be offended. If we preach that the old Jewish sabbath is no longer required under the New Testament, Seventh Day Adventists will be offended. If we preach New Testament truth that the church is the kingdom of God and Christ is now reigning on David's throne, Premillennialists and "raptureites" will take offense. If we preach that worship must be authorized by God or it displeases him (John 4:24) the denominational entertainment industry will be offended. These are just a few examples to show that it is folly to try to preach to please all. Paul recognized this fact when he said, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10). It is not the purpose of preaching to please or offend men. Therefore, we should not preach with the idea of either pleasing or offending. Preach to tell men the truth that they may obey it and be saved. And when truth offends—not sarcasm, personal ridicule or wisecracks—we should not become excited about it. Jesus is our example in this. In Matthew 15:3-11, Jesus condemned the traditions of the Pharisees (the major denomination of that time) and branded their worship as "vain." "Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" (Matt. 15:12). His entire speech offended them. Their worship was void and abominable. He disturbed their self-complacency. He told them the truth. The truth offends those whose hearts are given to human traditions and unwilling to turn from them and accept the truth. The only to save those who are in sin—whether religious or otherwise—is to tell them the truth. (John 8:32). Strange as it may seem, it grieved the disciples to see Jesus offend these "reverend gentlemen from Jerusalem." Like many disciples today, they became tenderfooted when the path was made rugged by opposition. It's interesting to notice the Lord's reaction to the alarm of the disciples about the offended Pharisees. Instead of offering an apology for having condemned their doctrines, he strengthened his condemnation of their traditional system by saying, "Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not shall be rooted up." (Matt. 15:13). A man in a congregation where I was conducting a meeting requested me to apologize for a statement I made the night before because one of his friends was offended by it. "Was my statement the truth?" I asked. "Oh yes. It was the truth," he replied. "And you want me to apologize for the truth?" I countered. It developed that the man had misunderstood my statement. I agreed to clear up the misunderstanding, which afforded me an opportunity to emphasize the truth by repeating it. No apology was made. Though still in error, the offended man is a good friend of mine today. Men of real manhood appreciate seeing others stand for something. |