30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:
31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
Has there ever been a day when preachers tickled the ears of listeners more than today? Happy, feel good, positive, self help messages fill the airwaves and the pages of books. Those messages are popular. It is what the people want to hear. It is what they crave. Preachers are quick to acquiesce.
This same thing happened in Jeremiah's day. Prophets predicted prosperity and peace. God told Jeremiah judgment was coming and repentance was in order. The false prophets were dead wrong. Jeremiah rightly spoke God's truth though in the minority. The false prophets did not care. They were successful. They were popular. It did not matter if they prophesied a false message and neglected true words from God.
They were Hollywood preachers. They acted. They pretended to have words from the Lord. They spoke convincingly and the people wanted to hear their lies. Those lies made them feel good and secure. Hollywood preaches do not care about the eternal well being of the listeners. They are in the ministry for selfish ambition.
Every message in the Bible is not positive. Repentance is as unpopular today as in Jeremiah's day. It is still a message that is needed.
It is appalling when preachers prefer popularity with men over popularity with God. A dreadfully shameful thing. Preachers are supposed to be called by God. They are called to be His messengers. It is horrible when they neglect to deliver God's whole truth. It is stunning.
It equally appalling when listeners prefer the sham of deceit and false preaching than the sincere unwatered down truth. Bible preachers seem in shorter supply today. Old fashioned gospel preachers may find it hard to get a church these days.
You could travel to many churches and hear the same type messages. You can even hear false messages. Lying deceitful preachers padding their own pockets pretending and acting their way to the bank. This is not a new thing. Back in the reformation age when the Catholic Church and the Pope ruled the religious landscape the priests often taught lies in order to boost offerings. They spoke whatever sold. Brave reformers like Jon Huss and Martin Luther thundered against such priests.
How many preachers still have the guts to preach the truth. How many ministers are guided by Wall Street practices and not Bible principles and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Churches are run like a Fortune 500 Company with marketing strategies, leadership flow charts, mission statements, strategies to raise capital and boost attendance. They rule by their own wisdom and celebrate more money in the plates and people in the seats. They govern according to the wisdom of men and not the counsel of God. These Wall Street practices may look practical and prosperous but what about the end?
What about the end? By the end I mean the death of preachers and prophets. The death of each person in the congregation. The end when the day of reckoning comes. On that day it will not matter how big the offerings or the crowds were. It will only matter if people are rightly related to God.
If Hollywood preaches and Wall Street Pastors have not walked and lived in truth it will be a horrible day in judgment. If such have falsely misled the flock they will have to give an account for it. If people were lured into security and not warned about the eternal consequences of a life without a saving relationship with Jesus there will be much to answer for. MUCH! [James 3:1]
Stories I hear horrify me. Church members living together outside wedlock. Extra marital affairs happening among church leadership. Rampant alcohol use among members both young and old. And so little preaching on sin and repentance.
Jeremiah cared for the people of his day. He also cared about obeying God. Therefore he preached an unpopular message. He preached even though nobody listened, nobody repented, no one believed him. He kept hammering the message of repentance. His heart broke and often Jeremiah broke down in tears. He is known as the weeping prophet. He saw the end.
The eternal end for a nation. The end for the false prophets and priests. The end for individuals. the end for an entire nation. He kept praying. He kept preaching. He kept warning. Nobody listened. The people loved hearing the false message. They embraced it. They cherished the lie over the truth. Is it any different in many religious circles today?
America is in the same predicament as Israel. We have turned away from God and played the harlot in idolatry. We have thumbed our noses at God and defiantly proclaimed we will do what we want without fear of the consequences. In the end there will be a day of accounting. God will settle accounts then. Let our nation awake and repent before then. If not there is only doom for people. Eternal doom. A stunning horrible and appalling reality. Wake up America and listen to truth. Search for it. Yearn for it. While there is still time.
No comments:
Post a Comment