Why is it that, today, many preachers seem to think they need a gimmick in order to draw people into their church?

Every so often, I hear someone say that the younger generation is bored by the traditional teachings, so we need to have more modern music or a preacher who jumps around like a wild man on a pogo stick. Somehow, I just don’t think that’s necessary. Most of the old hymns have a deep message in the words that many modern songs miss.

The word of God isn’t boring. Jesus didn’t have a gimmick, yet the people flocked to Him. The Apostles didn’t use gimmicks, but their faithful teaching of the Gospel allowed God’s truth to reach the far corners of the world. The congregation in Corinth was “woke” and tried to fit in with the culture of the time; Paul was quite straightforward in criticizing them. He didn’t congratulate them on their innovative way of worship or their all-inclusive way of preaching. Paul preached the Gospel without compromise.

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

There is no other way for anybody to be saved except through understanding the Gospel of Christ. What could be more exciting than the fact that our sins, no matter how big, can be forgiven? When we repent of the sin that separates us from God and ask Him to forgive us, we are no longer on the highway to Hell, but on the highway to Heaven. The problem is that so many preachers today don’t preach the pure word of God. One preacher I know will quote from his “favorite atheist” or from Bob Dylan and other rock stars, but Scripture is a secondary issue.

Paul didn’t use fancy words or water down the Gospel. He often paid a price for his honesty, but he didn’t let beatings or imprisonment silence him.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

When was the last time you heard that from the pulpit? Even those who have been raised attending church need to hear that message.

It’s obvious that the teaching in Corinth had deviated from the pure truth of God’s word; they were very prideful because they accepted sin into their congregation.

Sinners should always be welcome into worship services, but not influence the teachings. We are all sinners and need to be forgiven. Christians need to show love towards those who need to come to salvation, but until they have repented and turn from their sins, they cannot be leaders in the church. Today, there are preachers who misrepresent God’s word, and are more worried about offering plates overflowing than God’s truth being taught.

When people first began to accept the Gospel, it was more important to care for each other and be sure God’s word wasn’t compromised than to entertain and tickle ears. They mostly met in homes, so there was no big building or large pastor’s salary to support. They shared what they had, so nobody was left wanting. Christians need to care for each other. We are to share the Gospel with the unsaved, but we are to care for the needs of fellow believers.

“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common… Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need” (Acts 4:32, 34 & 35).

The people cared for each other and made sure those in need were helped. The focus was on caring for fellow Christians. In today’s congregations, it seems we care more for non-Christians but fail to share the Gospel with them, and Scripture isn’t preached from the pulpits. Barnabas was a man who seemed to go the extra mile for his brothers and sisters in Christ.

“And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36-37).

Barnabas must have been a special man. He was a man who understood how to serve the Lord. It was Barnabas who brought Paul to the Apostles in order for them to accept him, and then Barnabas went on missionary journeys with Paul. These trips were to spread the Gospel. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying you have to sell all you have and give it to fellow Christians, but if you can drive a widow to the doctor, or cook a meal for a man who has just lost his wife, or if you can help an elderly brother or sister with home repairs, or mow their lawn, that’s caring for fellow Christians.

There were no gimmicks in the early church. The Gospel was shared, and people responded. It seems as if in these last days, the word of God is hidden. Are we ashamed of our Lord? Paul wasn’t.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). 

Only Jesus can save a person from eternal damnation. That’s the best news ever, and a very exciting message. If we share the Gospel with the lost, invite them into our congregations, disciple them and care for them, you might be surprised how many people will come to salvation. If the lost come to see a sideshow rather than a worship service, will they ever hear about their sins keeping them from salvation? Will they ever come to true faith in Christ?

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13-14). 

People need to hear the pure word of God with no gimmicks and not watered down. God hasn’t changed, and His word is the same truth it has always been. We cannot change His truth in order to appeal to people. If we do, then God’s word is taught as a lie, and God cannot lie. It’s people who need to change, not God. Gimmicks won’t bring salvation.

Do you have a garden? There’s a season when tomatoes grow, and a season when they don’t. So, when planting a garden, it’s important to plant seeds in the correct growing season. Planting the seeds of God’s word is never out of season. It may be more difficult for the seeds to grow in hardened hearts, but the seeds need to be planted. The Apostle Paul saw the importance of teaching the pure word of God, and he gave guidelines for pastors.

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).

This is very clear. Stand solidly upon Scripture. People like to say, “Don’t judge me,” but to reprove and rebuke is to use Scripture to help a fellow Christian to walk closer to the Lord. Unbelievers have no basis for moral behavior, but Christians have Scripture, and it isn’t judging to use it to guide us.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Remember, Paul was writing to a pastor and talking about Christians. If your pastor doesn’t preach from Scripture, then you need to dig into it yourself. Use it to shine its light on your life to see what needs to change in you to allow you to walk closer to God. If there are attitudes that need to change, then pray and ask God to help you to honor Him with your life.

You don’t need gimmicks when you have God’s truth.

God bless you all

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

The date-setters are discouraged. September 23, 2025, has come and gone, and the Rapture didn’t happen. Date setting is always an exercise in futility. If God had wanted us to know the exact date of the Rapture, He would have made it crystal clear. He didn’t, yet Christians everywhere sold their property, isolated themselves, and waited. Today, there are a lot of homeless, lonely Christians who wonder what went wrong.

What did go wrong?

The Rapture will happen, but we won’t have advance notice. When we look at Scripture, it seems as if it was always a surprise to the one taken. We know it will happen; we just don’t know when. The first Rapture revealed to us in Scripture was Enoch. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly how Enoch walked with God, but he must have been a God-fearing man. He lived during a time of great sin but was not a part of the sin; he stayed true to God. He was an example to his children and grandchildren of a man who followed God. He is also an example to us. Do you walk with God? We live in very wicked times, and too many Christians take part in worldly sin, walking in the ways of the world instead of honoring God. Enoch was “raptured” prior to God’s judgment on the God-rejecting people, and so will Christians.

Sin was great in the days prior to the Flood. The fallen angels had taken human women, and they had children. Evil children who weren’t fully angel nor human. “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).

Too many Christians don’t believe Scripture and have corrupted the words to mean that Seth’s sons married Cain’s daughters. That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know how angels can mate with humans, but I do believe God’s words. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

This wickedness corrupted all of the human genome, but thank God for God-fearing men like Enoch, who passed his wisdom on to his descendants. God saw the wickedness and the corruption and had to send judgment in order to keep people genetically pure. First, He took Enoch away from the coming judgment. He was Raptured. No date-setting; just one day, he was gone. It will be the same with Christians. Wickedness is everywhere, and the hearts of people are hardened to God’s truth.

Are people genetically pure? Beware of mRNA vaccines, and study about the experiments that are taking place in the scientific world. It’s mostly evil. Today, we do have something that Enoch didn’t have. We have our faith in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit indwells us. Enoch had to be sure he followed God with no mistakes.

Enoch is an Old Testament “picture” of the Rapture. His son, Methuselah, is a “picture” of God’s grace. People who know little of the Bible will use the phrase “Old as Methuselah” because he was the oldest person to ever live. He was 969 years old when he died. God waited as long as He could before judgment, and apparently, Methuselah died in the year of the Flood. This is a picture of God’s grace; God gave people many years to repent and turn to Him. Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah.

There comes a time when God has to judge wickedness. We seem to understand when a human judge sentences a criminal to prison for his crimes, but we expect God to chuckle at our own wickedness. He has given us Scripture to guide our ways, but humans are rebellious and want to follow their own hearts. That can lead into sin. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

People had been corrupting their ways before the Lord for many years, and God had to judge. This is where grace and mercy came in. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Noah had not corrupted his ways. This kept him and his sons from the judgment to come. “And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12).

Don’t be a part of the corruption that is happening today. Sin and wickedness are out of control, and God won’t hold off judgment much longer. Only those who have given their lives to Jesus and have faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be saved, like Enoch, from the judgment of God.

God told Noah to build an Ark that would protect the genetically pure people and animals through the judgment of the flood. There is coming a time of great Tribulation, but God will save those who earnestly turn to Him in faith. It won’t be easy living through God’s judgment, but some will make it through. The smartest thing you can do right now is to repent of your sin, ask Jesus to forgive you, and follow Him. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Earnestly repent and trust in the grace and mercy of Jesus to take you away from the judgment that is soon to come.

Many Christians are desperately yearning for the Rapture. I confess, I’m one who truly desires to be called Home in the Rapture. That’s where the date-setters come in. Every year on various Jewish feast days, someone will say that Jesus personally told them that the Rapture would happen on such and such a date. So far, the date-setters are 100% wrong. When someone sets a date for the Rapture, think of it as taking directions from a fortune cookie, a horoscope, or any false prophet.

Only God knows the date, but He has given us clues. When the disciples asked Jesus to tell them what would be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the world, the first warning Jesus gave was not to listen to man’s deception. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). Date-setters are deceivers. Remember, the disciples didn’t ask when the Rapture would happen, but asked about the end of an era. They used the word “aion,” which means “age.” Most modern translations use the word “age” instead of “world.”

Then Jesus described some very scary things that would lead up to the Tribulation. These are all signs that the Great Tribulation is getting close, but Christians have the blessed assurance that we will not go through that judgment. Still, we can look at the signs and know for a fact that the Rapture will precede the Tribulation and Jesus’ second coming. As we see these signs happening all around us, we can be encouraged. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Have you noticed any of these things increasing? I have, and they are becoming stronger and more often.

We can be sure that Jesus wasn’t speaking about the church but was speaking about Israel. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes” (Matthew 25:15-18). These are very Jewish instructions, not instructions to the Gentiles. There is no Temple in Jerusalem today, so the abomination of desolation has no place to stand yet.

As I see the excitement over the red heifers needed for purification, I get excited. Christians don’t need the Temple to worship God, but knowing that it will be built in time for the Tribulation tells me that the Rapture is getting closer by the day. Jesus also said to pray that this doesn’t happen on a sabbath day. Christians know we worship every day and don’t observe the sabbath. Jesus is our Sabbath rest, so, again, this isn’t talking to Christians.

Even though all of the signs are manifesting, they will become stronger as we move closer to the Rapture. We also need to study Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation, among others, to get a greater understanding of what to watch for. Brothers and sisters, it’s getting close.

The fact that the Rapture didn’t happen on September 23, 2025, has discouraged many, but it should be seen as a challenge to us all. Don’t trust man’s ideas, but run everything through the light of Scripture and find truth. Also, understand that the Rapture isn’t a date-oriented event. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

God has not forgotten, nor has He replaced Israel. In this period of time, He’s allowing Gentiles to come to Him for salvation. If you, like me, are yearning for the Rapture, then here’s the challenge. Share the Gospel. There are many lost souls all around us. God is looking for a certain number of Gentiles, not a date. When that number is reached, we will be called Home. What a day that will be!

Brothers and sisters, remember, we are not the judges and jury when sharing the Gospel. We are the ones who bring the message of salvation. Share God’s truth without compromise, but with love. Then, remember that a new believer needs to grow. Jesus told Peter to feed both the sheep and the lambs. The only way for lambs to grow into healthy sheep is to nourish them on Scripture. Lead them away from sin. We will never be perfect, but our righteousness is through Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will lead us all to a closer walk with our Lord.

Don’t be discouraged; be encouraged. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

Christians are redeemed, but we need to share Christ so others will be redeemed by His blood before it’s too late.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).