ARE WE KNOWN FOR PREACHING CHRIST

I was studying Acts 19 this morning where the disciples were thrown into the coliseum for preaching Christ and God gave me this thought, "Are we known for preaching Christ." God stopped me at Acts 19:37, "For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess." I see in this verse that these men were not there for slamming the cults, "nor yet blasphemers of your goddess," but they were there for preaching Christ. We certainly need to reprove the cults, but if we loose focus and that is all we do then the Gospel will not be preached ... OR ... when we the Gospel is preached we are so known for slamming the cults that their ears are stopped to their only message of Hope. Another thought in my study, "robbers of churches" is a single Greek word meaning sacrilege. I see in this word that they were not known for slamming religion either. We know throughout the Epistles that the Apostles reproved both the cults and religion, but to the cults and religion they were known for preaching Christ because that was their primary focus through it all.

You will find me to be the first to stand firm against both religion and the cults, and you will hear preaching and teaching against each of these from our pulpit. However, I want to be known for preaching Christ. Then, when I am thrown into the coliseum, per-say, it is not for my "Rambo" tactics that I am known, but it is for the preaching of the cross. Then, it is Christ that is lifted up and glorified, and not me getting a single ounce of the glory.

We need preaching and teaching concerning the cults and "religion" in our pulpits. However, the cults and "religion" do not need our debate as to why they are wrong and why we are right, they need Christ preached to them. Example: I will not debate a JW, I will defend what they throw at me while I will continue to preach the Gospel to them until they leave my doorstep.