THE PREACHER AND THE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
Dear friends, let
me start by wishing you a very Happy New Year.
It is my sincere belief that
this year will be greater than the previous one for all of us in the mighty
name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Now, when you hear
the word “preacher”, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is the Gospel.
When you hear the term “motivational speaker”, the idea is usually about that
charismatic, well-dressed, well-spoken lady or gentlemen who inspires you to
act now to achieve great things in life.
The motivational
speaker is also a preacher, albeit one who preaches about the things of the
world. His preaching is about greatness in this life alone.
He uses terms and
phrases like auto-suggestion, imagination, picturing a bright future, stepping
out of one’s comfort zone, tackling life’s challenges head on, etc.
These things are
very good; however, the motivational speaker’s doctrine has limitations to this
world only. He never has any answer or information to what happens in the
afterlife when one departs this world.
This
is why the Lord Jesus Christ asked a critical question in Mark 8:36-37, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole
world, and forfeit his life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?
37 For what can a
man give as an exchange (a compensation, a ransom, in return) for his [blessed]
life [in the eternal kingdom of God]?
The preacher of the
Gospel on the other hand says the same things the motivational speaker says
when he is preaching about faith and how to achieve greatness in Christ in this
world.
The preacher uses a
resource that contains truths no human can dispute, the infallible Word of God
in the Holy Bible to pass his message.
Additionally, the
preacher of the Gospel talks about a life after this earthly one. In fact, the
preacher’s message on the afterlife is the most important message he has to
offer his congregation.
The reason is
because one cannot stay beyond 120 years in this world as God has decreed in Genesis
6:3. On
the other hand, the afterlife, also called eternity is not measured in the time
used here in this life.
There is no need
for such measurement of time because it is a world without end. There is also a
criteria of getting into the right place in this afterlife.
This right place is
called Heaven, where God, the Creator of the Universe and Father of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ has His Throne.
There is also a
second place, a wrong place called Hell in the afterlife, a place of eternal
damnation, torture and permanent separation from God our Maker.
To enter the right
place, the criteria is to be born again in Christ Jesus our Lord. It means to
have realized that one is a sinner, repented sincerely, confessed the sins to
God and forsaken them completely.
Thereafter, to
accept the Lordship of Jesus as one’s Messiah and to live in sincere obedience
to Jesus’ commandments in the Holy Bible.
The preacher is
expected to tell his congregation these things to help them know the truth
about the afterlife and for them to prepare adequately to get into the right
place, Heaven, otherwise they would end up in the wrong place, Hell.
In today’s world,
sadly though, a number of preachers have left this most important message and
have become motivational speakers only.
They convincingly
and consistently inform their audience of the beauty of achievement as a
Christian in this life but speak less about the afterlife.
If I were a member
of such congregation, knowing that there is an eternity where I could enter the
wrong place that I do not want to find myself, I would be concerned.
I would search the
Scriptures to know the truth. I would pray to God to help me know and
understand the truth. I would take a firm decision to obey God’s commandments
in the Holy Bible.
Dear friend, you
need to take this message seriously because God is using it as another
opportunity to advise you. Today and now may be the very last opportunity for
you.
Tomorrow or later
may be too late.
I will end by
asking, is your pastor a preacher or a motivational speaker?
May the good Lord
bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in the
glorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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