By Bradlee Dean

April 12, 2023

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” —Colossians 1:28

Today, the world speaks much of love and, of course, their love is equated to man’s fallen state rather than the love of God proclaimed through Jesus and His Church (Romans 5:5).

Friends, Jesus promised us that we would be hated for His love.  So, when you preach and exhibit Christ’s love to a world that hates the Lord, you will then understand.

In John 15:18-19 Scripture tells us:

“These things I command you, that ye love one another.  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  Remember, Jesus said to His brothers that “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” -John 7:7

Scripture is very clear that God is love and if “love worketh no ill” for love is the fulfilling of the law (Matthew 22:37), and we are to owe no man nothing but the truth, then this is what we are commanded by God to deliver to the world in hopes of making men free (John 8:32).

Let me say it this way, compromising the Scripture by overlooking people’s sins before God is not being a faithful witness that delivereth their souls (Proverbs 14:25).  Instead, this is hate, and this now leads me to the point concerning what it is that we hear coming from the world today.

When you love those in the world and tell them the truth as to why they need to repent according to the Word of God, they again believe it to be hate (Acts 20:21; Romans 3:20).  However, the deceptions here is that you are actually hating them when you choose to withhold the truth from them from the Word of God in exposing their sin and bringing them to godly repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).  In their carnal, worldly minds, they think you are loving them by not telling them the truth or by preaching another gospel that does not line up with Scripture (Galatians 1:8).

We are to be the salt of the earth, not the sugar (Matthew 5:13).

Furthermore, I think of Paul, who stated: “…I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:3).

I also think of him and what he said concerning his ministry that he would give “no offence in any thing,” and “that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God…” (2 Corinthians 6:3-4).

In assuring that our ministries do not offend God and man, and that the ministry be not blamed in finding ourselves approved of the Lord, we are to preach to the world the unadulterated truth.
Remember, the message is “…Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

This is the very reason he held faithful to the Word of Lord as an ambassador of Christ and, in the end, he could say that he was “pure from the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26).

Again, the love that the world portrays is to withhold the truth that makes them free.  This is what we are to preach and yes, it will offend!  Friends, the world is offended by everything but sin.  This is why we must remain faithful to the Word of God so that sinners may be converted (Psalm 19:7)!

Do not worry about those who will be offended, not that we seek to purposely offend to simply be offensive, but consider those who will be misled, deceived, and destroyed if you don’t preach the truth.

The Prince of Preachers Charles Haddon Spurgeon said:

“Avoid a sugared Gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek that Gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the Gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his Gospel soak into your soul.”

© 2023 Bradlee Dean – All Rights Reserved

E-Mail Bradlee Dean: Bradlee@SonsOfLibertyRadio.com