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.
John MacarthurRead
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.
Interpretation
This quote warns against compromising the integrity of the Gospel for political or societal gain.
John MacArthur's quote emphasizes the importance of adhering to the true essence of the Gospel without succumbing to external pressures such as political lobbying or the pursuit of popularity through entertainment or manipulation. He believes that straying from the core teachings and moral standards of the Gospel, whether for pragmatism or social acceptance, constitutes a betrayal of its fundamental purpose and aligns one with morally dubious practices.
In practice
In a sermon discussing the importance of maintaining moral integrity in faith.
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.
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.
What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.
Character is revealed in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress.
As bad as it might be to destroy a creature made in God's image, it might be very much worse to be creating them after images of one's own.
The press doesn't stop publishing, by the way, in a fascist escalation; it simply watches what it says. That too can be an incremental process, and the pace at which the free press polices itself depends on how journalists are targeted.
It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.
A state is better governed which has few laws, and those laws strictly observed.
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