“We can focus the Message

on the Members,

or the Man- Jesus Christ!”

This statement can be taken a couple of different ways...

I think the speaker intended:

That we should preach “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

This is taken from 1Cor.2:2, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

So what did the speaker mean?

That Jesus Christ has the be focal point of our preaching/teaching rather catering to the “people in the pew” and their likes, dislikes, and desires, cf. 2Tim.4:1-4.

With this interpretation, we would hopefully all agree.

But the statement could also be taken to mean:

That we should preach “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” and not condemn sinful practices or worship which is contrary to the New Testament teaching and pattern.

That we ought to “just preach ‘Jesus’ and leave all that other stuff alone!”

Question:

Can that be done?

Perhaps more to the point:

Can it be done and still be pleasing to God?

Realize:

• That wasn’t the way Jesus “preached Jesus”.

>He repeatedly rebuked His audiences for sinful practices and errant worship, Matt.23; and Matt.15.

• And that wasn’t the way that the Apostles “preached Jesus” either.

>Paul, in the same letter from which thequote is taken (1Cor.), rebuked sinful practices and flawed worship throughout.

How else can we interpret 2Tim.4:2?

If I understand correctly:

• What we (all- preachers, elders, deacons, pips, everyone) must do is to:

focus our Message on getting Members (and everyone else) to focus on the Man by

emphasizing Obedience to everything He said!

Luke 6:46 & John 14:10,14• We can’t “cherry pick” the gospel of Jesus

Christ by emphasizing one part (words in red, cf. 1Thess.2:13) or another, like the ones on love, mercy, etc. over judgment and faithfulness, Rom.11:22.

Therefore we can’t:

• “stand on” the passages that emphasize the importance of Believing in Jesus and ignore those which state the essentiality of Baptism in Jesus.

• “stand on” the passages that emphasize the Security of the Believer and ignore those that state the Possibility of Apostasy.

• “stand on” the passages providing common ground with the denominations while ignoring those that point out the errors of false teaching and unscriptural worship.

And we have to:

Preach “the whole message of this Life”

Acts 5:20

• That includes all that Jesus did and said;

• and it includes all that those inspired by Him taught.