Preaching Truth or Opinion?

Preaching Truth = Watered-down Preaching?

Well, noticed some stones lying around that someone had chucked over…guess I’ll toss ‘em back in hopes that eventually Christians will see the lunacy (and sinfulness) of dividing the Church over silly things.

Seems to be some renewed interest in pointing out how wrong we evangelicals are in our doctrine and methodology.  Nothing new in the content, just some renewed fervor (I probably have a theory why - something like trying to stop a mass exodus).  I’ll just address one of the most commonly thrown ones today (may get to more some other time):

Watered-Down Preaching.  Some toss this stone anytime someone doesn’t preach their same convictions regarding Christian living, and with the same fervor and frequency.  Saying this can lead people to believe that evangelicals have no standards for Christian living.  The truth is that evangelicals absolutely believe and teach that Christian conversion/discipleship involves a transformation of the heart, which results in love for God, which helps shift our desires, which makes living in accordance with God’s Word a super-naturally driven desire for us.  These things are being said in ignorance, or in deceit.

Change of heart, results in change of mind, which results in change of life.  Without change of heart, nothing really changes, and with change of heart, everything eventually does…so we place our primary focus on what changes the heart:  God, the Gospel, Jesus.   We then place a secondary focus on the results that manifest from that (see Ephesians for this model:  Chapters 1-3 FIRST set the groundwork, and Chapters 4-6 get into the resulting effects in the Christian).

But let’s be honest - the real issue some have with us is that we try to preach BIBLICAL standards, and when these don't line up with other's opinions, it can expose the error of pre-conceived, traditional opinion.  Simply put, evangelicals tend to avoid preaching our convictions, preferring rather to preach the Word.  We try to stick with Truth, the Word.  Convictions, the practical application of Truth, does not equal Truth.  Evangelicals freely debate conviction (or avoid debate on them).  Some are willing to die on the hill made of their opinions, even those that have little-to-no biblical support, or even those that have Scripture that contradicts them.

Now that I think of it, maybe “watered-down” is an appropriate term…I think the evangelical message actually is diluted with water:  the Living Water, the water that leaves us quenched, the water from the well that never runs dry, the water that satisfied us to the point that we don't have to keep searching for satisfaction apart from God.  Hope you keep using the term, and when you do, I hope people think of Jesus!