I was sitting in my chair listening to
a missionary explain why he adopted the methodology
of felt-need preaching.
He said that you could not preach the
gospel to people today because you first had
to touch their needs.
With felt-need preaching, the one thing you
didn't want to do was to turn people
off to the gospel by mentioning sin or
repentance.
So you first must touch their needs with
a feel-good message.
He said that was the best way to
draw a crowd.
He made a real good case for it
and had adopted it as his way of
ministry.
Many pastors here in America have adopted that
kind of methodology and they filled their churches
with thousands of individuals who love to hear
their message on Sunday morning.
John the Baptist did felt-need preaching.
Listen to his words found in the gospel
of Matthew.
Oh, a generation of nice people.
God loves you.
He knows your hurts.
Just accept Jesus and he will make it
better.
Isn't that what he said?
That's what we think he said.
Actually, he said this.
He said unto them, O generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the
wrath to come, bring forth therefore fruits, meet
for repentance.
John the Baptist told King Herod, you're not
so bad.
You just need some improvement.
Accept this Jesus and he will help you
have a better life.
He'll help you rule your kingdom better.
Actually, John the Baptist rebuked the sin in
Herod's life by saying, it is not lawful
for thee to have thy brother's wife.
Old King Herod didn't like that kind of
felt-need preaching because it made him feel
his need of eliminating John the Baptist, so
he cut off his head.
Jesus Christ preached a feel-good message as
well.
Listen to his words.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can
you escape the damnation of hell?
Jesus' audience ended up being the ones who
crucified him because they didn't like his feel
-good message.
Even the Apostle Paul preached a feel-good
message.
Listen to his words.
For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
who hold the truth and unrighteousness.
Paul's message got him arrested and his head
cut off.
But today's preacher doesn't want to lose his
audience, much less his head, so he gives
them what they want and touches on their
needs and gives them a gospel to serve
their needs.
Everybody's doing it and growing huge churches with
it, so why not jump aboard and become
a popular preacher too?
My message this afternoon is entitled, Felt-Need
Preaching and a Feel-Good Message.
Listen friends, when I was in New England
conducting research on the Second Great Awakening, I
took some time to sit in the old
stained-glass chapel at Yale College.
I spent the afternoon there just reflecting on
what kind of preaching had taken place there
back in 1795, when the grandson of Jonathan
Edwards, Timothy Dwight, became president of Yale.
From the year 1795 to 1817, the campus
was gripped with revival under the powerful preaching
of Timothy Dwight.
In fact, four distinct revivals took place at
Yale during that time period, and many students'
entire lives were so radically altered that they
went out unsaturated to contrary with their powerful
pulpit ministries.
But how did they preach?
Did they use Felt-Need Preaching and a
Feel-Good Message back then?
Allow me to read you a section from
a manuscript written by Heman Humphrey.
He was the president of Amherst College, and
Humphrey was an eyewitness to the revival of
religion that took place in New England during
the Second Great Awakening.
He was good friends with Asahel Nettleton, and
during his tenure as president of Amherst, of
the 765 graduates, over 400 entered the gospel
ministry.
Allow Heman Humphrey to explain to us here
today what the preachers in his day preached.
Now, before I begin reading his words, I
want to emphasize that the goal of preachers
back then was different from the vast majority
today.
Back in the 18th century, pastors were not
obsessed with growing a large church campus, and
they were not consumed with nickels and noses
like pastors are today.
Back then, they preached for one result, and
one result only, the salvation of a soul.
Today, pastors read and study the new hot
book on church growth.
Back then, pastors just read their Bible.
I want to read you a passage from
my biography on Asahel Nettleton, in which Heman
Humphrey describes the preachers in his time.
Listen carefully to his striking words from his
personal observation of preachers back then.
Their preaching was not in man's wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and with power.
It was eminently scriptural.
The ministers of that day read and studied
the Bible more than all other books.
They had received it from their master as
their only commission, and in virtue of it,
as ambassadors for Christ, they besought sinners in
his stead to be reconciled to God.
It was surprising to notice with what facility
they would quote chapter and verse from all
parts of both Testaments without turning over a
single leaf.
Indeed, it sometimes seemed to me as if
they knew all the Bible by heart, and
it is no disparagement to say that they
did know much more of it than most
preachers do now.
They had a great deal more of it
in their sermons.
Almost all their illustrations, as well as their
proofs, were drawn from its rich and exhaustible
treasures.
Thus saith the Lord was enough for them.
Let who would criticize, conveil, or blaspheme.
They didn't shun either from fear or favor
to declare all the counsel of God as
they understood it, whether men would hear or
whether they would forbear.
They did not wrap the sword around with
flowers, but left the two edges bare and
sharp to cut where they would, the deeper
the better, and they applied no emollients to
heal the hurt slightly.
Oh, how we smarted under it!
I remember it well in my own case,
and how my heart rebelled against some of
the doctrines which my Bible and my conscience
told me were true, till, as I hope,
I was brought to bow and submit at
the foot of the cross.
And as it was with me, so it
was with multitudes of others, we complained of
some of Paul's hard sayings and wondered why
our ministers dwelt so much upon them.
We wanted to get to heaven some easier
way, but instead of abating one jot or
tittle to relieve us, they pressed harder and
harder, driving us from one refuge to another
till there was no hiding place left.
The law, which we had broken times without
number, we were made to see was just,
its fiery penalty hung over our heads, and
we must submit or die.
Under such preaching it was hard to get
hopes, but when embraced, they were more to
be relied upon than if they'd been gained
in some easier way.
Our spiritual guides and teachers never said to
us, when under awakening, don't be discouraged, wait
God's time and He will deliver you.
No, no, but how long will you hold
out in your rebellion against God?
They never asked us while in this state,
don't you feel better?
But why don't you submit to God and
cast yourselves upon His mercy, embracing the Lord
Jesus Christ by faith, who came down from
heaven on purpose to save the lost?
Turn ye, turn ye, or why will you
die?
I do not say that this law work,
as it has been appropriately called, was alike
marked and pungent in all cases.
It was not.
He who worketh all things according to the
counsel of his own will opens some hearts,
as he seems to have opened that of
Lydia, at once to receive the truth and
the love of it.
But I am quite sure that in most
cases, the conversions in that revival were preceded
by a sharp conviction of sin and of
deserved punishment.
It was eminently a law revival, issuing into
more abundant and abiding consolations of the gospel
those loved most, who felt that they had
been forgiven most.
As our pastors were careful not to encourage
us that we had passed from death unto
life without good scripture evidence of the change,
they were very strict in their examinations for
church membership.
If they thought any of the candidates did
not give satisfactory evidence of having been converted,
they did not hesitate to tell them so.
Did you hear that, friends?
Did you hear that last part of Heman
Humphrey's comments, that the pastors in those days
did not admit you to church membership unless
you underwent a strict examination and gave satisfactory
evidence of having been converted through regeneration?
Today, most pastors want you to join their
church as quickly as possible, and the sooner
the better, without presenting any clear evidence of
a changed heart.
They need you to maintain their vast church
campus, and they need you to invite your
friends so their friends can join, and give
their money to the church as well.
And in the name of religion, they will
preach you a felt-need, feel-good message,
and make you feel a little better about
yourself before you go and have lunch.
But let me ask you a question.
Is the preaching of our day bringing revival?
Is the preaching of our day even converting
anyone to Christ?
Or are most church members merely people who
are decisionists?
They decided to become a Christian based on
a text or a verse of scripture, but
they've never been awakened to their lost condition,
never been convicted of sin by the Spirit,
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subject of any kind of evangelism, against that
strict and severe law of God and that
God requires perfection to get into his heaven
and we are not perfect and if we
stand in our own merits we will fail
that test so we must stand in the
merits of another.
I know I'm a sinner and I need
a sin substitute in the person of Jesus
Christ so do you friend, so do you.
Felt need preaching and a feel-good message
is what we have today and you see
where that has gotten us.
Pray for the Lord of the harvest to
send God called messengers into the harvest for
the fields are white unto harvest but a
feel-good message just won't get the job
done because a felt need feel-good message
will give you a harvest of tares instead
of wheat.
Heaven help us all.