- Pastors who make their sermons available only for sale. Not asking for a donation, but actually ‘selling’ their sermons.

By the way, this really did happened about 2 months ago in a Sunday morning sermon. I was shocked.

The Lord told Jeremiah that He took issue with that as well.

Jeremiah 23:30 “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who steal My words every one from his neighbor.

Yes, it was very painful, this same Pastor would read a book and then preach sermons repeating the book in his own words. We attended faithfully twice a week and were starving for the preached Word. I know that both of these methods are used by Pastors for study and preparation, but when that becomes the end and not the means…..sad.

the Scriptures are clear that the True Bride will NEVER suffer the wrath of God.

AMEN AND AMEN!

Just for the record, the Scriptures are clear that the True Bride will NEVER suffer the wrath of God. Thanks for clarifying your position also.

OUCH!

I feel your pain…

Hardly the way to rightly divide the Word of God!

I was trying to the original subject of the post.

If you want to start another thread about the other controversy, that is fine.

Without meaning to sound wishy-washy by any means, I do see validity in what Leo, Desert Pastor and what you have said as well. With Leo, I would agree that there are those who are so obsessed with the end-times (key word: obsessed), that they keep making unscriptural predictions and suppositions. With the D.P. I agree that there are those who use the Rapture to “prove” Christians will not receive persecution, and that is simply unbiblical as well. And with you, I most certainly agree that there is so very little preached about the end times anymore, that a whole new generation is ignorant and unprepared for the warnings and predictions that will surely come to pass as given in Scripture.

I remember the big topic some 35 years ago in Christian churches WAS the Rapture, 2nd Coming, Antichrist, etc. I wondered why that topic pretty much dissappeared, and it finally dawned on me that:

1) For the Antichrist to make his appearance, all biblical teaching about him must be de-emphasized and ostracized as “Lindseyism” or some “lunatic fringe”, “paranoid delusion” of wacko eschatologists.

2) For the rise of the world religion, as is displayed by Emergent change agents, the focus must be shifted from a “negative doom and gloom” judgment-focussed future of man (as described in the Scriptures) to one of “hope” and bringing “God’s dream” of His kingdom to earth right now.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that no one wants to preach about the end times today, since we are now in those times, and the machinery is already well underway.

I am only saying I am not hearing of any preachers preaching excessively (if at all) about the Rapture, the Second Coming, the Millenial Reign, the coming wrath, etc., etc.

Actually, in the context of the Titus passage, it is the glorious appearing of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ that is the glorious HOPE. While I hold to a belief in the rapture, that verse does not speak of the rapture as the glorious hope. Sadly, that has been preached by many as a support for a pre-tribulational rapture viewpoint which is a position that cannot supported by Scripture. There are allusions to such, but no solid Scripture to prove the church (particularly in the West) will ever escape persecution. However, that would entail a different post and thread.

Every blessing,
The Desert Pastor

Was your comment a reference to what I said under this thread? If so, then I think you misunderstood my point. Because if you knew the kind of attitude the people at this church held (which is in complete contradiction to the commands of James, the brother of our Lord), I think you would agree that none of us would do good in fellowshipping with these people.

25) Preachers who tell their congregations “You should be more like David” or “strong like Joseph” or “You should have faith like Abraham”

26) Preachers who preach on planting “$eeds and prosperity” and are always saying the word “anointing” in every sentence for some strange reason.

27) Preachers who seem to be obsessed with the rapture & trying to figure out who the anti-Christ will be

28) Preachers who preach topical sermons ex; how to have better relationships, self-esteem,purpose, better 401K’s

22) Preachers who use a phrase (or any similar rendition of) that includes “Outside the box.” – You can’t get more outside the box than the work of regeneration and sanctification that the Holy Spirit will continuously and progressively apply to your life. It’s the most counter-intuitive paradigm the world can see. And best of all, you didn’t need to brainstorm to think it up. You just had to be called acording to His purpose.

23) Preachers who love to cite the litany of pious deeds done by their church. Behold, they already have their reward, the congregants are amazed at their righteousness. But how about exegeting the Word in context and making it point always to Christ?

And those who NEVER speak against sin, and maybe get around to mentioning repentance. Not knowing that they are stealing from those who listen to them by robbing the hearers of their introduction to the grace, longsuffering, patience, mercy, and goodness of our glorious Savior.

“Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your Name?’ And then I will declare unto them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”