Put The Sugar Down

“They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.” (Jer 6:14 AV)

Dishonesty may help, but only a little.  The false prophets of Judah encouraged the people by promising peace rather than consequences for their sin.  Jeremiah is preaching pending judgment.  The false prophets, not so much.  The preaching of the false prophets, no doubt, alleviated fears.  The problem was twofold.  Their preaching did not confront the sin, which would result in pending judgment.  There was no space for repentance offered.  Second, the false narrative encouraged continued sinful behavior.  I have noticed an alarming trend.  Our preaching today is not what it used to be decades ago.  It is kinder and gentler.  As a result, sin is becoming a serious issue in the body of Christ.  Gone are the days when the preacher would warn of the pending judgment of God.  Today, we are feeding a self-involved generation is comfort food rather than to point out the sin that is causing their problems.  This soft preaching style has got to go.  All we are doing is compounding the injury.

My childhood pediatrician was Dr. Muscatto.  He was a well-liked doctor for his bed manner more than his medical abilities.  His medical practice was just fine.  It wasn’t that he was incapable of correct diagnosis and treatment.  However, it was his blunt way of dealing with things that attracted certain parents to his practice.  He did not sugarcoat anything.  He told it like it was.  If a child was carrying on and Mom was consoling that child, the Doctor would put a stop to it.  It was just a tongue depressor.  It was just a thermometer.  It was just a shot that would be over in seconds.  The more Mom tried to console her child, the bigger fit he would throw.  So, Doc said enough is enough!  He chastened Mom for what she was doing and corrected her!  The child’s issue was not the treatment. It was Mom who was overreacting to it and teaching her child to do the same.  Withholding the truth only made things worse.  When I broke my wrist, he warned me that if I didn’t treat the wrist correctly, he would have to re-break it and re-set it.  Sure enough, that is exactly what happened!  He told it like it was and if we didn’t like it, too bad.  Just pay the bill and see you in a few months.  The narcissist was not his patient.  Only those who wanted to get better saw him.

Isn’t it a curious thing that those preachers who tell it like it is often have the smallest churches?  We have a soft body of Christ.  We don’t want anyone to tell us the hard things.  We don’t want to go to church and actually feel conviction.  We don’t want anyone to serve the truth without the sugar.  We are looking to be pampered and pitied.  It reminds me of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.  Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole.  His response was that he came to the pool for the last 35 years and no one took pity on him by placing him in the water.  That didn’t answer the question.  The lame man wanted pity.  He didn’t want to be made whole.  This is the generation in which we live.  It is ripe for false prophets.  Preachers who will make you feel better about yourself rather than change the person that you are.  Our churches are filled with them.  They are preacher-politicians who are spoon feeding the body of Christ sugar and spice as a means to feed their own egos or line their own pockets.  What we need is men of backbone who will shoot straight from the hip.  We need men who will call out sin.  We need men who will feed the people what they need and not what they want.  Only then will there be a true revival.  Only then will the body of Christ come to repentance.  It starts in the pulpit.  By the way.  Body of Christ, grow up!  Stop looking for the preacher who will stroke your ego or salve your guilt.  Look for the honest man who doesn’t care how you react.  He wants to help you heal.  So, he is not afraid of saying things that may jeopardize a future relationship.  He is honest with the truth and loves you enough to tell you!  Look for that man and you will come out of the misery in which you find yourself.  His fix will be permanent!