When you preach salvation, people come to know Jesus.
When you preach about loving Jesus, people become better lovers of Jesus.
When you preach prosperity, people want to be prosperous.
When you preach about the second coming, people get ready.
When you preach healing, people will be healed.
When you preach hope, people are more hopeful.
When you preach about tithing, people tithe.
What you talk about is what people are going to respond to. In other words, you get what you preach for.
This is not about communication manipulation. This is about communication transformation.
So, friends, what are you preaching for?
What are you communicating for?
jeff Simms
January 8, 2008
With that logic, I guess we’re preaching how to put pictures in a PowerPoint with fancy effects…. heh.
Jay
January 8, 2008
why doesn’t it say when you preach prosperity, people will become prosperous?
Andrew Conard
January 8, 2008
Brad – Thanks for the post. I think that you are right on and also that a mix of preaching is needed in any given faith community over a length of time.
unkle e
January 8, 2008
I would have thought whatever you preach, people mostly do nothing except fall asleep, because preaching is such a poor (and unbiblical) way to communicate and make disciples! : )
Bean
January 9, 2008
I thought it was going to say, when you preach about tithing, people will stop giving. haha.
BoycottTBN
January 9, 2008
Tithing is under Old Testament Law and Jesus fulfilled the Law….ALL OF IT!! If you want to keep the law, then you have to keep ALL of it.
If your pastor is asking for a tithe, give him some spices, wheat, grain, or dead animal. Tithing was never about money…ever!! And yes there was money back then!!
Paul taught us in 2 Cor 9:7 to give as we purpose in our hearts and give cheerfully! No where in the New Testament are we taught to tithe. Jesus admonished the Pharisees saying “you pay your tithes, but you still live wrong.” (The law was still in effect until the Cross.)
Jesus wants your heart and your 100%…not your money!!
If you are struggling to pay your bills then you should not be even trying to tithe. That is the very one who should GET the tithe!!
Be blessed!!
unkle e
January 9, 2008
Preach it, BoycottTEN!!! : ) I agree 100%.
Brad Ruggles
January 9, 2008
Great post…very well articulated. Thanks for the great reminder!
Jermayn Parker
January 15, 2008
@Bean – do you struggle with your finances? I ask because the majority of people who struggle with money are the people who do NOT tithe or do NOT put the tithe first.
Yes the OT tithe was for food but it went for the temple and people who worked at temple and todays money tithe is for the pastor and his family. All about providing for Gods people and church…
In getting back to the article, I loved it! Its all about leading by example, if your preaching it, you must believe it and then your faith will spread :)
Kirby L. Wallace
September 15, 2008
When you preach salvation, people come to realize they are sinners.
When youy preach about loving Jesus, people come to realize that they DO NOT love Jesus.
And (for Andrew’s sake…) that is the ONLY way they will come to this realization because they cannot get it any other way.
Watching you perform skits, or watching you live out your life and relationships will do NOTHING to convict them of their own sin and thereby, in desperation, turn to Christ as the only person who has the remedy.
The purpose of the Gospel is to strip you of hope; to destroy your “culture”; to break you down completely; and to reduce you to nothing so that you will trust in nothing but the work of Christ without any attempt to adulter it with your own works.
They are truly saved who realize how wretched they are. Not the other way around.