Ray's Wensday Special

Revelation 2:7, 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; Oh Lord, this writer, your humble servant, earnestly solicits your unction upon this message. Grant, I pray Thee, the spirit of Elijah and the power of Nathan. Our so-called evangelistic messages, including those that emanate from this source, and even those by our high profile, renowned and respected preachers of the day, are so bland and mild that our congregations merely nod their heads in temporary assent, considering themselves alright, or they are so directed to the humanistic, socially recognized issues of the day, that we learn to trust our good conduct, like the well-known Pharisee who prayed within himself, “I thank thee that I am not like other men… The “mirror” of our messages has become so clouded that our hearers don’t see themselves as God sees them, but see themselves as denominational or social ethics see them. We have become so enamored with high sounding doctrine that we are made to trust in our church attendance, our casual agreement, and our good sounding responses that are intended to make us look good to the preacher but rather serve as mere band aides on a gunshot wound. We quickly hide behind our “spiritual or religious service resumes.” Oh, I thank God for the good doctrinal teaching of T. P. Simmons, C. T. Studd, John Gill, etc. They have been of tremendous educational value to me. But have you ever noticed how much pride and debate is generated by simple academic study of their books? I suggest that we need more preachers like Spurgeon, Whitfield, Wesley, and Nettleton. We need more men like Rolf Barnard, Leonard Ravenhill, and Duncan Campbell of the last century. Men who would - and could - beat on the pulpit and roar from the pulpit. Oh but we like it that way. We have spawned a generation of sleepy Christians - if Christians at all. We have comforted and nurtured a sleepy Christian society that looks to whatever Sunday services they do attend for a restful oasis from the mundane activities and entertainments of the week - comforted in their “Christian behavior”, dozing in the pews and crying, PLEASE DON’T WAKE ME UP”! Oh, I’ve seen the faces in a congregation looking back at me with expressions that say, “I’m here, I’m doing my religious duty”, but singing in their hearts, “I shall not be moved.” We don’t want - and don’t have - fired up preachers like Ravenhill and Campbell. We want preachers who will let us doze through the sermon, feel good about ourselves in our doctrinal pride, and fuel our arsenal to attack or criticize that preacher across town. We are better prepared to quote some old Puritan divine that we are to quote Scripture. And we have such a proliferation of “new and improved” that we don’t know if the speaker is quoting Scripture, paraphrasing Scripture, or just a good sounding but manmade proverb. That is why, I for one, am so thankful for the technology that lets me go back and listen to messages by men like Barnard, Campbell, Riedhead, and Manley Beasley, messages that will challenge me and move me to prayer. We need more fearless prophets like Nathan, who pointed his finger in David’s face, and in spite of David’s self righteous indignation, declared, “Thou art the man.” I condemn my own preaching by that standard. My writing and preaching is so bland that my readers and hearers simply nod their head, mutter “uh-huh”, and see the sin in someone else, even changing their own stories to make themselves look righteous, and the victims. We fear - I fear - the loss of friendships, the loss of support, and even the wrath of our people. We need more Holy Spirit anointed ears, ears that will fall into the category of “…what the Spirit saith to the churches” instead of just ”what the preacher saith to his congregation.” Our “Sovereign Grace” theology has removed the invitation from the equation and replaced it with, “just believe this doctrine.” The other side of the spectrum has made the invitation into a drawn out, emotional altar call, or a “repeat after me” prayer. In either case, too many times, the gospel invitation becomes a “PS” tacked on at the end, and repentance is deleted from the equation. Christ gets presented as either an impassionate despot, or a pleading, would-be savior (small “s” intentional), instead of Lord and Judge, but one who so loved His people that He took their sin and guilt in their place. Rebellion becomes a matter of casual choice, barely more important than choosing sides in a sandlot baseball game. The “savior” is reduced to a “genie in a bottle” that, at our command, makes life easier and more comfortable, instead of the ONLY means of salvation from sin and hell. Church attendance, if at all, becomes a smoke screen excuse, and “I go to (a) church, or “I’m religious” is an accepted excuse. The invitation becomes, “if we can be a help to anybody…” Hell is not feared. A “sloppy excuse” for Christian living, or even a lifestyle of worldliness merely means a 2-room shack in heaven instead of the mansion that our Lord promised. It is no wonder that our abundance of “Christian messages” have not produced the revivals of Whitfield, Wesley, and the 1904 revival in Wales. “Dear lord, wilt thou not anoint the eyes and ears of any who read or hear this message - to praise you for the message, hear and apply this message, and draw them to the conviction of your Holy Spirit, unto committing themselves to you as LORD and Savior!” PS: If you think you are being targeted by this message, you probably are. But it isn’t me who is doing the targeting. Whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you to do - do it. But I can guarantee you that the Holy Spirit is not telling you to rise up in rebellion and try to defend yourself. Pastor Ray