To advance the Gospel by political lobbying, by any form of pragmatism, shallow Gospel entertainment, emotional manipulation, acceptance of sin and sinners, is to cross over into the devil's work.
John MacarthurRead
I've said so often to pastors, if your sermon can't get out of your zip code throw it away. It has to be transcendent. If it can't be translated into another language then it's not a right reflection of the word of God.
Interpretation
Sermons should be universally understandable to be relevant and meaningful.
John Macarthur emphasizes the importance of making sermons accessible and relatable beyond local contexts. He argues that if a sermon cannot resonate with people from different backgrounds or cultures, it fails to capture the true essence of God's word, which should transcend linguistic and geographical barriers.
In practice
A pastor might share this quote during a conference to encourage fellow ministers.
To advance the Gospel by political lobbying, by any form of pragmatism, shallow Gospel entertainment, emotional manipulation, acceptance of sin and sinners, is to cross over into the devil's work.
Our calling as gospel ministers is to preach the truth, confront sin, and call all men to repentance and obedience to the gospel - the good news that achieves soul conversion and saves sinners from eternal wrath.
I always individuate myself from other writers who say they would die if they couldn't write. For me, I'd die if I couldn't read.
Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and - since there is no other metaphor - also the soul.
You can present the material, but you can't make me care.
The problem is not scientifically illiterate kids; it is scientifically illiterate adults. Kids are born curious about the natural world. They are always turning over rocks, jumping with two feet into mud puddles and playing with the tablecloth and fine china.
To endure is the first thing that a child ought to learn, and that which he will have the most need to know.
Children are not yet fools, but we shall turn them into imbeciles like ourselves, with high I.Q.'s if possible.
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