Preach on every doctrine that centers the attention on man
rather than Jesus. Teach every doctrine that makes man the
center of God's attention rather than God the center of
man's devotion. Tell people only what God will do for them.
Avoid preaching about the necessity of
a radical change of heart, through the truth revealed to
the heart by the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Let your supreme motive to be
popular with all people, then, of course, your preaching will
be suited for that purpose, and not to convert souls to Christ.
Avoid preaching doctrines that
are offensive to the carnal mind, so that no one should say
to you, as they did of Christ, "This is a hard saying,
who can hear it?"
Make no distinct points, and
do not disturb the consciences of your hearers so that they
may become truly alarmed about their souls.
Avoid all illustrations, repetitions,
and expressive sentences that may compel people to remember
what you say.
Avoid all heat and enthusiasm
in your delivery, so that you never make the impression that
you really believe what you say.
Make appeals to the emotions,
and not the conscience, of your hearers.
Be careful not to testify from
your own personal experience of the power of the gospel, so
that you never should produce the conviction upon your hearers
that you have something which they need.
Do not stir up uncomfortable
memories by reminding your hearers of their past sins.
Denounce sin in a general way,
but make no reference to the specific sins of your present
audience.
Do not make the impression that
God commands your listeners here and now to obey the truth.
Do not let them think that you expect them to commit themselves
right on the spot to give their hearts to God.
Give the impression that they
are expected to go away in their sins, and to consider the
matter at later time of their convenience.
Preach salvation by grace; but
ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner so that
he never should understand what you mean by grace, and know
his need of it.
Preach the gospel as a remedy
or a cure, but conceal or ignore the fatal disease of the
sinner.
Do not speak of the spirituality
of God's holy law (by which comes the knowledge of sin), so
that the sinner never should see his lost condition and repent.
Make no appeals to the fears
of sinners; but give them the impression that they have no
reason to fear.
Preach Christ as an infinitely
friendly and good-natured being. Ignore those scathing rebukes
of sinners and hypocrites which so often made His hearers
tremble.
Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies
of the church, so that you should never hurt their feelings,
and finally convert some of them.
Admit, either obviously or casually,
that all men have some moral goodness in them; so that sinners
should never understand that they need a radical change of
heart, from sin to holiness.
Say so little of hell that your
people will think that you do not believe in its existence
yourself.
Make the impression that, if
God is as good as you are, He could not send anyone to hell.
Make no disagreeable reference
to the teachings of self-denial, cross-bearing, and crucifixion
to the world, so that you should never convict and convert
some of your church members.
Do not rebuke extravagance in
dress, so that you should never make an uncomfortable impression
on your vain and worldly church members.
Encourage lots of church socials,
and attend them yourself.
Aim to make your hearers pleased
with themselves and pleased with you, and be careful especially
not to wound the feelings of anyone.
Make sure you avoid preaching
to those who are present. Preach about sinners, but not to
them. Say "they," and not "you," so that
anyone should never take your subject personally, and apply
it to their own life, Securing the salvation of their soul.
Preach that the new birth is
something God deposits in people, not a fundamental change
in the ultimate purpose of our lives.
Never tell people that they must
cease from serving self and serve God and do His will.
Never tell them that repentance
is man's ability and responsibility to turn from his sin to
God! Teach them to delay turning away from all known sin toward
God.
Preach predestination in such
away that results in fatalism and apathy on the part of all
people. Make each person believe that God has already determined
who shall be saved, and nothing can change His will. You never
want anyone to think that their actions can make any difference.
Preach that man is totally unable
to obey God. Teach him that no one can turn to God, but he
must wait upon God to turn (change) him. Make sure that no
one realizes his true responsibility requiring him to repent
in order to be saved. You never want anyone to know that man
can turn from sin to God but the real problem is that he will
not!
Preach that every one is born
a sinner and a criminal. Teach that every baby is born guilty
before God. You never want anyone to consider the fact that
man is born morally innocent. You do not want anyone to know
that he becomes a sinner because, in his rebellion, he has
refused to love God with all his heart according to the light
and has selfishly sought his own happiness above all else.
Preach that a person can be saved
without making Jesus his lord.
Teach that holiness is just an
option and not a requirement of the gospel. Teach them that
they can be Christian without becoming true disciples.
Preach eternal security in such
away that requires no perseverance in faith or continuance
in holiness on the part of the believer. Make every person
think he has his ticket to heaven that is all paid for so
that he will always safely scoff at all calls for repentance
and righteous.
Teach Christians that sin is
a normal and natural part of their every day life and that
they can never truly expect to ever overcome sin through the
power of Christ.
Preach that no Christian needs
to do anything. Teach them that they are safe and heaven bound
even if their lives are disobedient and rebellious.
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