Just Tell It Like It Is!

One characteristic of liberal preaching and teaching, is to speak or write in such vague and ambiguous terminology, that no one can quite "put their finger" on the exact doctrine being taught. This is especially convenient for the liberal teacher or preacher who, when confronted about his teaching, is quick to say, "You misunderstood," or "That's not what I meant." There are some folks who make a career out of hiding behind vague wording, and thus are later able to seemingly "explain away" a misconception as being the fault of the hearer rather than the teacher.

As we read and study the Bible, one thing becomes crystal clear — that God's preachers and teachers said what they meant and meant what they said, as they spoke via the guidance of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). There were no ambiguous wordings in their discourses — only a "Thus saith the Lord" (cf. Exodus 4:22; Exodus 5:1; Exodus 7:17; Joshua 7:13; Joshua 24:2; 1 Samuel 2:27; 1 Samuel 10:18; 2 Samuel 7:5; 2 Samuel 12:7 KJV); and many more verses too numerous to mention. If we read Peter's sermon in Acts 2, we immediately see the plain, straightforward manner in in which the apostle let his Jewish audience "know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

As a result, the people understood the clear message and the Bible says, "they were cut to the heart" — so much so that they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Such was the effect of the simple, but powerful saving gospel message! (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Romans 1:16).

In Acts 7, we see another bold preacher and defender of the truth by the name of Stephen, delivering dynamic sermon in his own defense. As a result, we see the violent reaction which resulted in Stephen losing his life for the cause of Christ (Acts 7:54-60). As readers of this text, we cannot help but admire the courage of Stephen, his love for God's truth, his loyalty to Jesus in the face of severe persecution, and his determination to "preach the Word" (2 Timothy 4:2).

Can we imagine anyone in their right mind leaving the scene of Stephen's stoning or the site of Peter's sermon on Pentecost and asking, "Umm, I wonder where Peter stands on this matter?" or "Do you suppose Stephen really meant what he said?" We do not have to be a mind reader to grasp the theme, direction, or point of either of these inspired sermons. No one left these sermons scratching their head in bewilderment trying to decipher where the preacher stood.

There are several lessons that can be drawn from both Peter and Stephen's sermons, but for the sake of brevity, let's list three: (1) Preach God's truth in its entirety (John 8:32; Acts 20:20, 26-27); (2) Preach the saving gospel of Christ in all its power and simplicity (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; (3) Just tell it like it is — no matter what the consequences! (2 Timothy 4:2-5; cf. Mark 6:14-30; Acts 7:51-60; Acts 28:17-31; 2 Timothy 4:5-8).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets