preaching for prizes, peddling the Gospel

preaching for prizes, peddling the Gospel

thoughts on peddling the Gospel, from a friend.

What Are the Signs of a Gospel-Peddler?

1. Craves earthly pleasure (understood as earthly gain, money or toys)
   
2. Dreads earthly pain

What Does a Gospel-Peddler Preach?

1. Human prosperity is the gift of salvation. This appeals to the desire for earthly pleasure and replaces God's worth with money.
2. Human obedience is the price of justification. This appeals to the desire for earthly achievement and replaces God's grace with morality.

Paul Did not Peddle the Gospel.

Paul renounced the pursuit of money as the goal of ministry and so received fewer physical pleasures. And he renounced the pursuit of morality as the way to be justified and so he received more physical persecution.

He preached Christ and let the chips fall where they would, whether he received money or beatings.

We, too, should not be in the ministry in order to make money (or prizes) or avoid trouble. Regardless of the consequence, let us preach Jesus as the only satisfying treasure and the only sufficient obedience.

more later