2 Timothy 4:1-5, Romans 1:16-17, 1 Peter 2:22, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Summary: God’s Word is truth in a world of contradictions and falsehood. We must, as followers of Jesus Christ, stay firm in what Scripture teaches and demands of us, regardless of what the world, the flesh, and the devil say and do.

The Lord Jesus taught that the end times would be characterized by deceit, hatred of God, lies, malevolence, lack of love, and an intense persecution of believers. False teachers would plague the church (Matthew 24:11-12), and many who claim to be “Christians” will fall away from the faith (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4), embracing the things of the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Selfishness and pride would be the foundation of a religion celebrating humanity and the insane idea that we can rid ourselves of God by embracing “science,” “intellectualism,” atheism, and all things repugnant to the message of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:1-12).

Satanism and all types of occult practices have accelerated to the point where more people believe in aliens from space than God Himself. People do not and will not take the time to think about whether or not an issue is true or not, as they have adopted a relativistic mindset that tells them that truth is different for each person and that there are no absolutes in the world. Feelings now override facts, and woe be to someone who challenges this belief.

What I am presenting is obvious to anyone who takes the time and effort to survey the world and its quandaries (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).

It is all too easy for the earnest followers of Jesus Christ in these last days to throw our hands in the air and say to ourselves that presenting the Gospel to a sinful world is not worth the hassle. We get tired of telling people about the saving grace of God only to face derision, ridicule, hatred, and mockery from those who hear and end up walking away, cursing God as they do so. It is even more frustrating to those of us who are called to preach the Gospel to every living creature (Mark 16:15).

In these final days, fewer and fewer churches will bother to open their pulpits to someone who will preach the Word without compromise or fear of “offending” somebody and end up being called every kind of name or worse (Acts 20:28-32; 2 Timothy 4:3). It is all too easy to want to “throw in the towel” and consign these reprobates and sinners to hell. That option is not found in Scripture. We need to be dedicated to the spread of the Gospel more than ever as the time draws forth for the return of Jesus and the Divine Judgment spoken of in Revelation to come to pass. Our emotions and feelings are not the guides by which to do ministry. Any serious follower of Jesus Christ will be led by the Holy Spirit to go and present the truth of the Word regardless of the circumstances.

The business of the preacher is to declare the truth of God’s Word and the exclusivity of salvation in Christ alone (2 Timothy 4:1-5) without compromise or what people say and think to the contrary (Romans 1:16-17).

The Bible has been around longer than contemporary social opinions and personal feelings. Despite centuries of opposition and attempts to destroy it, the Bible has outlasted every objection, every tyrant’s rage, every religion’s desire to downplay its significance, and every so-called “intellectual” attack on its integrity and inerrancy. The critics become obsolete, yet the Word remains eternal.

The Bible is not a collection of “myths and fables” and certainly not the idea of fallen humanity. Why would anyone in the obvious sinful state in which we find ourselves ever want to write a book that condemns our sins, exposes our wickedness, and declares that we are utterly incapable of redeeming ourselves in our own strength before a Holy God? (Isaiah 53:4-6) Would any kind of “holy book” that we would want to write include the fact that our so-called “righteousness” is no better than the rags that hold together the rotting skin of a leper, or worse? (Isaiah 64:6).

The Word of God, when preached, does not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11). Even if we think that the people who hear it don’t accept it at first, we are to take comfort in the fact that it is the Holy Spirit who will open the hearts of the hearer and open his eyes to the fact that he is a sinner in danger of judgment and draw him to the open arms of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30), who offers salvation to everyone who will come to Him in faith (John 3:16, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 6:23, 10:9-10, 13).

When someone truly repents and asks Jesus to save him, he will gladly obey the commandments of God and desire to live in a way that pleases Him. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we die to self and allow Him full control of everything. We are brought with a price and are now His possessions. Once we are His, He will be with us always and never let us go (Luke 14:25-33; John 10:28-30; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 13:5). This should give us not only comfort but motivation for us to share this with our loved ones and others.

Who wouldn’t want to have this kind of assurance?

Unfortunately, there are those who will reject this offer of mercy and grace and be content with their philosophies and excuses for unbelief (Romans 3:10-18, 23). They reject the only hope that any of us have to escape the approaching wrath of God upon this wicked world, to their eternal regret (Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).

Anyone who hears the truth of the Word and rejects it is without excuse (Romans 1:20-22). We also know that the devil is working overtime to deafen ears and blind eyes to the message of salvation, using every kind of deviance to draw people away from God and join him in hell for eternity (Matthew 25:41; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; Revelation 20:10).

65% of professing “Christians” in the United States do not even believe in the existence of a literal devil. Is it any wonder that we see him and his minions shouting for joy at our compromise, doubt, and laziness in not doing as Jesus tells us to do? In spite of this, we are to remain steadfast in our convictions and remain devoted to the truth of the Scriptures and, most importantly, to Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

We need to be bold in these final hours and say to the worldly powers that they have no business telling us what we can and cannot say as the remnant church. Sinners have no business whatsoever trying to bully the remnant church into silence or compromise of any kind. Truth is not welcome in the world, but that does not matter. We are not to fear humanity but to obey and follow the direction of God Almighty, whatever the cost.

Nobody remembers those who duck their responsibility, but the Sovereign LORD remembers those of us who take our salvation and commission seriously and boldly stand for the truth (1 Peter 3:15). Let us be faithful to His commands and of presenting the Gospel to everyone. Time is short, and we need to be about the King’s business.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

Being a guest speaker in a local church congregation is a great honor, but there can also be some very real complexities that accompany such an opportunity. How should we as preachers handle these challenges?

I shared in the first installment that I always try to ask the following questions before I go into a church to speak:

• Does the congregation have a strong preference regarding dress in the pulpit?
• Does the congregation have a strong preference regarding Bible translations?
• Is the congregation used to having a media slide presentation (i.e., PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) during the sermon, and how is that system set up?

Last time, we looked at the first of these questions, and this time, we’ll turn our attention to the second one, which is likely the most controversial of the three.

Bible Versions

In principle, we would respond to this second issue of Bible versions in the same way we do to the first regarding dress—endeavoring to accommodate the wishes of the local congregation, in which one is a guest speaker.

I must admit, however, that attempting to do this can leave me in a quandary. Probably like many who are reading, I am blessed to own a number of Bibles in a variety of translations. However, my Bible—that is, the Bible that I preach and teach from, is not interchangeable with any of the others that I use. I bought it in seminary, and this fall, it turns 25 years old. Now, when I went to select a Bible, I had to pick a translation, and I chose the New King James Version in the form of the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible.

I purchased this Bible with the determination of making it my preaching Bible—drawing on the example set by my two great theological mentors, Dr. John Whitcomb and Dr. Myron Houghton, along with other teachers I’ve enjoyed. I have a unique highlighting system for it, and I’ve carefully filled it with notes. My familiarity with this Bible, in combination with the different colors of highlighting and the notes that I’ve recorded in it, makes it much easier for me to locate passages and other information that I need to access in real-time. If called upon, with no advanced notice and no other notes in front of me, I could definitely preach a sermon, teach a lesson, or strive to answer a question—as long as I had my Bible with me.

In fact, I will often speak (following the models of my teachers again) with only this Bible and no other notes—especially if I am using a slide presentation.

Thus, changing the Bible that I speak from is not as easy as picking a different one off the shelf. Many people have no grasp of this concept. Some probably think that switching Bible versions for a sermon should be as easy as changing the font on your computer screen. But it is not—any more than it would be so easy for a trained musician to switch instruments after preparing on the one they are most familiar with.

On occasion, however, I have specifically been asked to change the Bible version that I speak from. Sometimes, a church will request me to go even further and alter my slide presentation.

Now, I have a heart for serving all churches that desire our ministry and want to be sensitive to their needs. I realize that the guest speaker is, before anything else, a guest. I must admit, however, that these situations cause me to struggle.

Recently, for instance, I was preaching in a church that asked me to use a different Bible version. As a result, during the Sunday School hour, I bungled an easy Bible question simply because I could not locate the passage I was looking for. Had I been holding my Bible, I could have answered effortlessly. Then, in the sermon, I messed up a major point I wanted to emphasize because I was reading it from that version.

These experiences leave me wondering whether such mistakes are really justifiable.

Yes, the church is the host, and I am the guest. But should I ever be more forceful in declaring that I simply must use my Bible? Should I ever make it clear that, in my desire to be true and accurate to the text and Biblically correct in all that I say, it is more or less necessary for me to use my Bible?

These are not easy waters for the itinerant speaker to navigate. I know men that I respect who have dealt with it in varying ways.[i]

What will you do when you have the opportunity to teach as a guest before a congregation of God’s people? How would you manage this situation? I’d love to learn from any wisdom that you can convey.

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org

[i] For instance, I have known some Bible teachers who did not generally concern themselves with this second question when going to preach at a church. They simply presumed that anyone inviting them to speak understood what they were requesting—including the Bible version that the speaker was known for using.