Cottage Mentality or Tent Mentality?

COTTAGE MENTALITY OR TENT MENTALITY?

Genesis 13:12-13

12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 19:1-3

1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

The Division Between Abraham & Lot

God had greatly blessed Abraham and we know as far as herds and servants are concerned he was very wealthy.  As God blessed Abraham the blessings overflowed on his nephew Lot.  Everything was going well for a time and then a conflict arose between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot.

Abraham came up with a solution to this problem.  He proposed that they split ways and that Lot could have the first pick of the land.  Lot chose the watered plains in the north, the plains of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 13:8-11

8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

God blessed Abraham for his unselfish attitude towards Lot.  God promised Abraham that he would give him whatever his foot walked upon towards the South, West, and East.

Lot Pitched His Tent Towards Sodom

The Bible makes it clear in our text that Lot dwelt in a tent.  Lot started out in a tent.  He pitched his tent towards Sodom.  This means that he did not arrive at Sodom in a day.  It took him weeks, maybe even months to make it there but every day he moved his tent closer and closer to the sin-cursed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Over time Lot was gradually assimilated into Sodom.

This is what is happening in the Church today.  People are pitching their tents towards this world!  They are not getting there in a day but they are slowly moving in that direction until they wake up one day and realize that they are now more a part of the worldly system than they are of the Kingdom of God.

People in our Churches do not become worldly overnight.  It takes years!  Sometimes it takes several generations for the Church to change!  What one generation achieves in God can be lost in the next generation.  All religious movements are one generation removed from extinction!

The process that saw Lot and his family assimilated into Sodom & Gomorrah took years.  But day-by-day they became more and more comfortable with all of the sin around them until one day it did not bother them any more.

The Bible tells us that lot was vexed by the sin in these cities.

2 Peter 2:7-8

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 

It is good to be vexed by sin, but if you remain around sin long enough you will lose even that.  Lot may have been bothered by the sin, but his family easily adapted, and soon they saw nothing wrong with it.  Today there are elders in our churches that are greatly vexed by contemporary Christian music (CCM) but they remain silent.  They youth coming up are not bothered at all by it.  It is time that our elders took a stand on issues such as music, holiness, modesty, the authority of Scripture, doctrine, worship, the prosperity movement, and worldliness in our churches. 

From the Tent to the Cottage

Lot started out in tent.  The tent implies a temporary condition.  A tent is a temporary residence.  It lacks the permanence of a home.  The fact that Lot, and Abraham, lived in a tent made it clear that they were only pilgrims and strangers in this world.

Hebrews 11:9-10

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Lot started out in a tent but by the time we find him in the nineteenth chapter of Genesis he had moved into a house.  I am not saying that having a house is a sin.  God forbid!  But what I am saying is that this reveals that Lot had taken up residence in the most wicked city on earth at that time, Sodom.  Lot had settled down, he had put down some roots, he was now a permanent part of Sodom.

The Sin of Sodom & Gomorrah

The twin cities of Sodom & Gomorrah were the most wicked of all the cities of that day.  Even the names, Sodom & Gomorrah, have come to be words that represent evil of all kinds, especially the sin of homosexuality.

The list of sins that were present in those cities sound like a recounting of today’s newspaper headlines: Homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, rape, child-molestation, murder, theft, and every evil thought of mankind were a part of those cities.

Today it is no different.  Catholic priests molest tens of thousands of children and the issue, though reported on briefly, is quickly swept under the rug and forgotten while the Pope is dotted on and admired by Kings and Presidents.

Homosexuality has completely taken over movies, television, and all other forms of the media.  Today it is almost a crime to take a stand against this perversion.

Promiscuity, fornication, adultery, pornography, and thousands of other sexual perversions continue to grow and multiply.  Nothing is sacred anymore. 

Yet with all of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel gives us the greatest insight into their sin:

Ezekiel 16:49-50

49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

Ezekiel sounds like he is describing America!  Pride?  Prosperity?  Idleness in which to be entertained?  America has more than any other nation on earth.  This wealth has led men to seek more ways to indulge the flesh!  More free time to pursue their sins!  Like Sodom & Gomorrah we stand in danger of fiery judgment!

The Tent Mentality

We in the Church need to have a “Tent Mentality”.  Abraham had this mentality.  He never became comfortable in this world.  Abraham always knew that he was a stranger and a pilgrim.  Abraham always looked for another world.

The Tent Mentality is:

1.      A Mentality that is fixed on a better world- This world is not my home!  I am just passing through!  Our minds must be fixed on the Kingdom of God.  Most in the Church are “To earthly minded to be any heavenly good!”

2.      A Mentality that is established in the Word of God- One cannot be spiritually minded if their mind is not on the Word of God.  If we expect to have the “Tent Mentality” then we must focus on the Word of God.  Like Brother B. H. Clendennen used to say so frequently, “God is not going to speak to you during the halftime of the football game”.

3.      A Mentality that looks to Jesus as the all-in-all- Jesus is the Alpha & Omega, the First & the Last, and the Author & the Finisher of our faith.  We press towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Jesus is the answer to everything!  There was a time that the Church fully understood this.  We did not look to man to rescue us from our problems, but we looked to God.  We did not need a half-way house or the drug-addict.  No!  We knew that Christ is the answer to everything!

The Cottage Mentality

Lot ended up with a “Cottage Mentality”.  He became a citizen of Sodom!   He went even further!  He got entangled in the politics of Sodom!  He became a leader in this wicked city.

Genesis 19:1

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom:

Lot sat in the gate of the city of Sodom.  This is the place where the city officials presided over the leadership of ancient cities.  Lot became a part of that evil worldly system.

Today we see so-called Christians getting wrapped up in politics and the affairs of this world.  They campaign for political candidates, picket & boycott, write letters to congressmen, volunteer for political parties, and pass out petitions.  Political activism has become the “New Religion” of the American Church.  Instead of praying through in an altar of prayer they kneel before candidates and laws.  My friend, we are part of much greater Kingdom!  In the Kingdom of God everything is pure and holy!

They have the “Cottage Mentality”!  They have taken up residence in Sodom!  They are no longer looking for a heavenly city!  They like the cities here!  Instead of looking for a Heavenly city they are trying to reform Sodom!  The “Cottage Mentality” is worldliness.  The Church is so worldly today.

Taking Up Residence in Sodom

Many of the Church today have taken up the mentality of this world.   They have pulled up the tent and packed it away.  Now they have built themselves a foundation in this world. 

This world is more important to them than the Kingdom of God.  Their job is more important to them than the Church of the Living God.  Their career is more important than the Kingdom of God.  Their promotion is more important than obeying the voice of God.  Their mortgage is more important than the Mission Field.  A new bass boat is more important to them than a new soul in the altar.  A new four-wheeler is more exciting than the Gifts of the Spirit.  Another shotgun, another rifle, a $2000.00 deer lease?  No problem!  But try to get them to give another $100.00 to the building fund.  No way!

Citizens of Sodom!  Denizens of Gomorrah!  They don’t belong in that city that John saw coming down! 

“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me to heaven’s crystal shore, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

“Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you.  My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.  I hear the sweetest praise from Heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore!” 

“Just a few more weary days and then I’ll fly away to a land where joys shall never end, I’ll fly away.”

“To prepare a mansion Jesus said I’ll go.  If it were not true I would have told you so.  Just a little while to linger here below.  I’m gettin' ready to leave this world.” 

“I’m gettin’ ready to leave this world (of sorrow), I’m gettin’ ready for the gates of pearl.  I’m keeping my record bright, watching both day and night.  I’m gettin’ ready to leave this world.”

“I’ve a home prepared where the saints abide, just over in the Glory-Land.  And I long to be by my Savior’s side, just over in the Glory-Land.”

“I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory, and I heard about the streets of Gold beyond the crystal sea.  About the angels singing, and the old redemption story and some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory”

“Victory in Jesus, My Savior forever.  He sought me and he bought me with His redeeming blood.  He loved me ere I knew him and all my love is due him.  He plunged me to victory beneath His cleansing flood.”

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.  We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

Green Pastures

GREEN PASTURES

If I were a carnal man I might have titled this message “Green acres”.

THE GREEN GRASS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE IS WEEDS

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER OVER THE SEPTIC TANK

Psalms 50:10

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

Psalms 23:1-2

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

The Cattle Upon a Thousand Hills

The Bible tells us that God owns the cattle upon a thousand hills.  Look at all of the green pastureland that God has provided for his cows.  God leads them into green pastures and what do they do?  They stick their head through the fence after the grass on the other side!  God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and half of them have their head through the fence trying to get the grass on the other side!  Those cows have 10,000 acres of green pastureland behind them and what do they want?  They want the grass in the ditch!

I have lived in Texas all of my life and it is a common sight to drive down the highways and see acre after acre of green pastureland.  The amazing thing to me is that it is also common to see cows at the fence with their head stuck between the stands of barbwire chewing on grass in the ditch.  Behind the cows are acres of fresh green grass that has been provided by the rancher but do they want that?  No!  They want the grass on the other side of the fence.

Looking for Greener Pastures

Why is it that we cannot be content with what God has given us?  God has blessed us!  God has blessed the Church!  But people continue to look over the fence at the “Other Pasture”.  People are always looking for “Greener Pastures”.

Why can they not enjoy the Green Pastures that God has set them down in?  Why is it that people cannot appreciate the blessings that God has provided to them?  Why do they always want what is forbidden?

God’s Green Pasture

When I got saved God put me in a Green Pasture.  The Bible says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures”.  And boy is it ever green!  There is nothing greener than God’s pasture.  Take a look with me at what is in our green pasture:

The New Birth!

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost.

The Fruit of the Spirit.

The Gifts of the Spirit.

Our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord.

The Word of God.

My Church.

The Ministry.

The Love of God.

The Grace of God.

Peace that passes all understanding.

All of this is a part of the Green Pastures that God has given us.  God has provided very well for the Church.

The Other Side of the Fence

But there is something in human nature, if it is not fully under the control of the Holy Ghost that will cause it to look to what is forbidden.

I want to make this very clear to everyone: God has a fence!  There is a fence around God’s green pasture.  God has encircled his pasture and his flock with a fence.  Today, the emphasis in most churches is on tearing down the walls (fence).  Is that Biblical?  Well, it all depends on what they mean by a wall or a fence.  There is one whole book in the Bible written about “building” walls (Nehemiah) but there are no books in the Bible about tearing walls down.  The only wall that I see in the Bible that God wanted down was the Wall of Jericho and God took it down Himself. 

One of the first things that the ancient people did when establishing a home was to erect a perimeter, a barrier, a fence, a wall.  At first the fence may have been made of brush, thorns, and vines.  Later this was replaced by stones.  This fence/wall was not constructed to hinder the people but rather to protect them.  The wall clearly defined what was theirs and what was not, what was home and what was not home, and a place of safety and place where safety ended.

Why is that fence there anyway?  The fence is there to protect us.  The fence is there to keep the wolves away!  The fence is there to keep us away from danger!  As long as we remain in the fence then we are under the jurisdiction of the Shepherd.

Why would we ever want what is over the fence?  The Word of God lays out the fence for us.  There are things that we can and cannot do when we become Christians.  Those limits are our fence!  When we cross the fence we put ourselves in danger.

The fence is not there because God is mean, or because he does not want us to have a good time, but rather it is there for our own good!

There are some Christians in the Church that get as close to that fence as they can.  They are always looking across the way with a longing.  If they are not careful it will not be long and they will be back over there!

When my wife and I went to Bible College we made friends with another couple. Often we ate dinner together at one another’s apartments.  On one of those occasions the husband began to tell me about his old life in sin.  He said, “I wish it was not wrong to drink beer.  I love the taste of beer!  If it was not wrong then I would go out and get me a cold one right now.”  You know what?  It was not a year after those words that he was out in the world drinking that beer, divorced from his wife, and living in sin with another woman.  Why?  Because he wanted what was on the other side of the fence!

When I was young my Dad took my brother and I hunting with him at a deer lease in Buffalo, Texas.  The lease was on a large ranch.  As we would drive into the lease my brother and I always looked for the wolf carcasses hanging on the fence.  We were fascinated by this practice of the ranchers.  I asked my Dad, “Why do they hang those wolves on the fence?”  He said, “It is telling the other wolves they are not welcome in the pasture with the cows”.  I have thought about that many times since that day.  I thank God for the fence.  At Calvary, the Body of our Sins was crucified with Christ, and it is telling the Devil you are not welcome here!

My message to all of you next to fence eyeballing the world is this: Get away from the fence!  The wolves patrol outside the fence.  They are afraid to cross the boundaries of God, but if you stay close to the fence you may find yourself crossing over one day and then you will be in great danger.

It Looks Pretty Green Over There

I have to admit it, but sometimes it does look green on the other side of the fence.  Those preachers and churches that preach “another gospel” have thousands in their congregations.  Their buildings are plush and packed with large crowds.  They drive nice cars and live in fancy homes.  It seems they never want for anything (on the surface). 

I have driven past their parking lots and viewed the hundreds of cars parked outside of their buildings.  I remember visiting a mall in Baytown, Texas with my family years ago and on the way home we passed a large charismatic church.  Our church was small and in a storefront building that was not much to look at.  There were hundreds of cars parked everywhere, the police were out directing traffic as thousands flocked into the building.  I looked and on the Church marquis it said, “Power Team”.  The devil spoke in my ear and said, “If you were not so hung up on holiness you could have all of this”.  I shouted out to the Devil, “I don’t want any of this!  Get out of my car!”  

 It may have looked pretty green, but you know what?  The grass is always greener over the septic tank!  Erma Bombeck wrote a book by that name years ago.  How true!    It may look green but it is probably covering a cesspool.  It is probably just weeds!  The Bible tells us that Lot chose the “well watered” plains of Sodom”– it was green!  But look at the awful toll it took on his family.

Genesis 13:10

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Instead of being content with what God had blessed him with, Lot chose a path that eventually led to his destruction.

The Prodigal Son looked for something greener in a “Far Country” but all he ended up finding was a septic Hog Pen.

Paul said that “Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world” – he was looking for greener pastures and forfeited eternal life.

Enjoy the Green You Have

If you are a Christian, then God has blessed you with some Green Pastures.  Why not enjoy the green that you have?

D you have a good Church?  Then why not enjoy the Green Pasture that God has placed you in?  You do not need to look for another Church!  You just need to learn to appreciate the one that you have!

Do you have a good Pastor?  They why not enjoy the Green Pasture (Pastor) that God has given you?

Has God blessed you with a loving mate?  You don’t need to look over the fence for another!  Enjoy the mate that God has given you!  Enjoy your Green Pasture!  Husband, that other woman may look pretty green to you but remember she is a septic tank!

David got in trouble by looking over the fence at the other “green pasture” – he took Bathsheba from her husband.  Why could he not enjoy the green pastures that God had already given him?

2 Samuel 11:1-5 (KJV)

1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

David could not be content with the wives that he already had.  He took another man’s wife.  He should have been content with the green pasture that God had given him but he was not.  This sin led to the murder of Bath-Sheba’s husband Uriah, the death of the child, and rebellion in David’s Kingdom.  The Bible tells us, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”  We need to be content with our Green Pasture.

Greener Pastures

If your Pasture is not as green as you would like for it to be then I have one word for you: FERTILIZE!

Quit complaining about your Church!

Quit complaining about your Pastor!

Quit complaining about your Brothers & Sisters!

Quit complaining about your Marriage!

Quit complaining about your Husband!

Quit complaining about your Wife!

Quit complaining about your Family!

Why not try a little fertilizer?  If you want things to be better in your Pasture then why don’t you do something about it?  Try a little fertilizer! 

Go to your Church and put your all into the service.  Say “Amen” when your Pastor is preaching.  Shout “Hallelujah” every now and then.  Clap your hands.  Stand up and back the service.  This will fertilize the service.

While at home during the week pray for your Pastor, pray for your Church, and pray for your Brothers and Sisters.

Brag on your Pastor to others.  Tell him how much you love and appreciate him.  You might give him a heart attack!  Spread the fertilizer!  God can turn that which is brown to green again.

Love your Brothers & Sisters.  Encourage and brag on them.  Buy a special card or gift and give it to someone that is struggling.

You may say, “Well, my marriage used to be green but now it is brown.  Everything is dead or dying”.  I say to you if it is not as green as it once was then do something about it.  Fertilize your marriage.  Why don’t you brag on your husband or wife?  Tell them often how much you love them.  Compliment them.  Buy something personal for them.  Take them on a date.

I am reminded of a story I heard years ago of a woman that was unhappy with her marriage.  She went to her Pastor and told him, “I do not love my husband any more.  The love went out of our marriage years ago.  I am going to divorce him.”  The Pastor advised her to wait for two weeks.  He told the woman, “Go home and treat your husband good for two weeks.  Make all of the meals you know he likes best.  Brag on him every day.  Treat him the way you did when you first met him and then come back and meet with me and if you still want a divorce I will help you.”  The woman did just as her Pastor suggested.  In two weeks her Pastor saw her at Church and he asked her, “Are you ready for that divorce now”?  The woman answered, “Divorce?  No way!  I discovered that I still love my husband!”  You see, the fertilizer this woman used made her marriage green again.

If your Pasture is not as green as it used to be, maybe it is partly your fault.  Do something positive to make a difference!  You do not need to look for greener pastures – you need to make the pasture you are in, Greener!

Principles of the Gospel

PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL

Romans 15:19

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Many preachers have learned how to draw crowd by preaching the principles of the Gospel. This is what most preachers do.  They preach broad principles but they do not flesh out the Gospel.  Their message is so generic and so broad that it really says nothing at all to the individual hearer. 

You may be asking, “What is wrong with the Principles of the Gospel?”  Absolutely nothing!  We need to preach those principles.  Here are some of the great principles of the Gospel that need to be preached:

1.       By grace are you saved through faith.

2.       You must be Born Again.

3.       The dangers of temptation and sin.

4.       Sin will lead you to Hell.

5.       Be ye holy for I am holy.

6.       Without holiness no man shall see God.

7.       Love one another.

8.       If ye love me keep my commandments.

9.       Be filled with the Spirit.

10.     We must pray.

All of the above is absolutely true and must be preached regularly.  The problem is not with the principles it is with the application. 

Most preachers today get up and preach a beautiful message filled with vague generalities about God and the Bible but they really never apply it to the listener.  The listener leaves the Church thinking, “What a great message”, but they have applied nothing to their heart – there has been no change.

I read a story a few years ago about a young pioneer preacher in the 1800’s who went out west to pastor a small congregation.  The little town he went to was a logging community on a large river.  In those days the logging companies used the river to transport their logs to the mill downriver.  They would cut the trees down and then affix a stamp on the end of the log that indentified who cut the log and who would get paid for it.  One day the pastor was out walking and noticed some of his parishioners pulling logs out of the river that belonged to another lumber company and sawing the end of the log off that had the stamp on it and affixing their own stamp.  The next Sunday morning the young Pastor preached on, “Thou shalt not steal”.  After service everyone thanked him for his great message.  The next week he again saw his parishioners pulling logs out of the river and cutting the ends off of the logs.  The next Sunday he preached on, “Thou shalt not cut off the end of thy neighbor’s logs”.  After that message they ran him out of town.

What is the moral of this story?  The first time the Pastor just preached the principles of the Word of God: “Thou shalt not steal”.  The principle is it is wrong to steal.  Everyone at the Church was happy with that – it offended no one.  The second time the young Pastor preached he applied those principles to the lives of his listeners.  We all know that what they were doing was stealing but the carnal man is crafty and will seek any avenue out of admitting he is wrong – it was not until the preacher defined stealing as cutting “off the end of thy neighbor’s logs” that the message really had impact.  This is why they ran him out of town.

Preacher, you are never going to make anybody mad just preaching principles!  If you want to effect those that listen to you preach then you must preach the Gospel in a specific manner, you must apply the Gospel, by the Holy Ghost, to the hearer.

People tell me all the time, “That is a great Holiness preacher.  They preach holiness.  They preach against sin.”  Then I go and hear them preach and they say things like, “We need to live holy lives, and we need to live separated lives.  Sin is wrong.  Sin will send you to hell.  We need to repent of sin.”  All of that is true but they have really not said anything to the individual. 

It takes more than using the word, “Holy” to make you a Holiness Preacher!  It takes more than using the word, “Sin” to preach against Sin.  In order to make an impact we must name the sin.  In order to bring conviction we must set the parameters of holiness and modesty.  Preacher, when you fail to define sin and holiness, you leave it up to the listener to define it for themselves.  You can see readily what that has done in churches today.

I have been to churches and there is so much carnality and sin sitting on the pew.  Not just visiting!  The sin has been there for years!  Do you know what that tells me?  The Pastor of that Church really has not dealt with his congregation personally by his preaching.  I am not saying that we should point directly at a person and single them out (there are times for that but that is another subject for another time).  Oh, no!  But I am saying that we need to apply this Gospel directly to those we preach to in such a way that they know exactly what is expected of them.  The most powerful preaching is preaching that makes mean uncomfortable.

If smoking is a sin, please tell them!  If wearing a mini-skirt is not holy, then tell them!  If coming to church only on Sunday Morning is being unfaithful to God’s House, tell them!  If a refusal to pay tithes is sin, then tell them!

When Nathan stood before David years after David’s sin with Bath-Sheba he preached a beautiful parable of a man with a little ewe lamb and how another man with a large flock took the little ewe lamb away.  Nathan could have closed his message right there and David would have never known his own sin, but Nathan did not do that.  He pointed his finger at David and said, “Thou art the man”.  It was this direct message that brought David to repentance.

All of the Prophets of the Old Testament applied their messages to the people they preached to.  If you do not believe it then re-read the prophets again.  It was their direct, and often confrontational, preaching that brought many of them to a martyr’s death.

Generalized preaching never makes anyone angry, and rarely ever produces true repentance.  It is pinpoint preaching that gets the job done!  If you need surgery to remove a diseased appendix you do not want the doctor to open you up with a chain saw.  No!  You want precision, accuracy, and a precise hand.  Why should we want anything less from the preacher?

Preacher, why use a shotgun when the Holy Ghost can sight in the problem and make a surgical strike?  Allow that same Holy Ghost to guide you and you will never miss the mark.

When Stephen, the first martyr, stood before the Jewish leaders it was his preaching of, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51), that brought down their wrath.  It was not the general words of an unprepared preacher – it as the specific words of a man of God that found the hidden sin in their heart.

Thank God for the broad principles of His Word, but let us seek the face of God until those same principles are applied directly to each of our hearts.