The Powerful Pulpit

The evil one has done a fabulous job of convincing preachers that their highest priority is to be non offensive. This strong emphasis on how people are made to “feel” trumps speaking Truth. We have made catering to people’s sensitivities a god. It is like giving a drowning victim of the Titanic a hot cup of tea so they can feel better in the moment, but avoiding the blatant fact that they are dying and need a Radical Rescue.

We need the pulpits to be places where Truth is delivered, not watered down, or sugar coated, but real and life-giving. Truth isn’t rude, but loving. It loves enough to risk offending a deeply entrenched lie.

A prophetical pulpit speaks the truth from the Word of God. It doesn’t act like a psychic sharing tantalizing “God told me to tell you…” new revelations, but bold, Scriptural truths that are relevant for our day and our lives.

A man was dying from cancer in the hospital when a group of his fishing friends came in. They were all sharing pictures and stories of new places they were all going to go fishing in the spring. Their inability to cope with his impending death led them all to deny its reality and “plan the next trip.” Love doesn’t avoid reality, it deals with it head on. After they left, a room mate of this dying man, a sick, retired pastor, shared with him that he’s about to enter eternity unprepared and that he needs to acknowledge he’s a sinner that needs a Savior, and His name is Jesus. Later that night, this man received Christ as Lord and Savior of his life.

Love speaks the Truth.

Love isn’t afraid to offend a lie.

Love demands we confront false realities.

Jesus is love. Let’s share Him.

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)