Soul hunting season?

I've been to a lot of churches which instead of putting the emphasis on PREACHING (where it should be), they have a lot of "DRAMAS" and "SKITS." It's easy to spot such churches, as they look more like secular country clubs then they do spirit-filled churches. The pastors of these churches know that in the last days in which we are in, they can't get a crowd with good, hard preaching against sin, so they instead have set up a type of Christian Entertainment, in their congregations and end up spending their time making the people chuckle, instead making them feel sorry for their sins.

In one church I visited years ago, (which of course was a gigantic big-name Fundamentalist mega church with a lot of well-known preachers often filling the pulpit), I sat down in the service hoping for a good message that would be encouraging, as well as hard on me and my sin. Instead, what I got was a lesson on "hunting."

What do I mean, you might ask? Exactly what I said. The preacher actually preached a message on, "How to go Hunting!" And, to make the crowd laugh, he called his son up onto the stage and had him act out what he was teaching. He had him put on the camo clothes, and gave him a rifle, and then had him check it for ammunition. He then brought out a fake deer, and showed him how to sight in on the right spot in order to kill it. During the service, the congregation was rolling on the floor with laughter, enjoying the pastor's antics, and his son's continual mess ups.

I, however, was not impressed. There was supposed to be some kind of spiritual lesson there about "hunting for souls" (the Pastor's words, and not mine), but I didn't get it. All I could think of was, "Oh, no! Now somebody's going to go out of here and start going postal on people and shooting them, and then saying the pastor said it was okay!" (I kind of think of the worst possible things that can happen. You know, prepare for the worst, but hope for the best!)

Anyway, that sermon did nothing for me. It was not instructive or edifying. It was a grown man making fun of his son in front of a congregration in order to get a laugh, and then trying to get serious in the end by trying to make a spiritual application. But it did not work.

As I told this story to my wife later, she said, "You know, there is such a thing as hunting season. I wonder if there is a hunting season on souls!" We later read in the Bible the following verses which made us think more about this:

2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant IN SEASON, OUT OF SEASON; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2 Tim 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

These verses talk about preaching the word of God, and how there is a preaching "season." And we are instructed whether in season or out to be busy preaching. How are we to do it? Is it by entertaining the congregation? A THOUSAND TIMES NO! The Bible says it's by REPROVING, by REBUKING, and by EXHORTING with longsuffering, and with doctrine!

The Bible further tells us why we should be faithful in doing so. It's because the time will come when people will not want to hear it, but will instead look for people they want to hear (i.e. Pastors who will give them what they want to hear, and not rebuke them for their sins).

Folks, it appears we are now in that season! It's call the season of apostasy! And the last thing we need are Christian Entertainers in the pulpits! We need men of God, filled to the brim with the Spirit of God, who will rear back and let 'er rip; preaching with boldness and authority the word of God, and not caring what anyone says about it. God never called a man to build a big work. He calls preachers to boisterously bark out his mighty word!

And if a man is not doing that, I don't care how big his church might be, HE'S NOT CALLED OF GOD! Or else, he's a low down sorry compromiser who cares more about money then he does doing what God's called him to do! He's a "heirling" who wants a crowd to listen to HIM, instead of focusing on instructing those who come to his congregation on what GOD says!

Our churches are full of such men! And no one seems to say anything about it. It's time someone stood up and said something, and men of God got back to preaching the word of God with POWER, so the Holy Spirit of God can begin convicting hearts. (Did you know it's hard to be convicted of your sin when you are laughing?)

Sadly, it's vastly upopular for a man to lamblast sin and preach against things anymore. It's "out of season," if you will, in the eyes of many a worldly person and liberal, who look at hard preaching as "intolerant" or "out-dated," and something which you aren't supposed to do anymore. But, didn't God tell us in His Holy word that that's exactly how people would believe in these last days of apostasy?

The SEASON for bold preaching and proper soul winning seems to be over. Now days, it's not "posh" to preach or teach with authority, and to stress man's need to turn to the blood of Jesus Christ for forgiveness. It's almost been "outlawed" by politicians and the clergy alike.

There just aren't many preachers left with enough backbone who'll do it anyway, whether it's popular or not, or it's in season or out of season. They would rather forget about doing it God's way, and do it the way they want to.

How about you, preacher? Let's make this personal. Are you entertaining your congregation, or are you edifying them with the word of God, instructing them on how they should live and grow as Christians, while reproving and rebuking them of their sin?

If you aren't, then you might as well just go to the country club and play golf (which many pastors do), or just go hunting (like a lot more do), and forget about the spiritual aspect of the ministry. And you might as well just keep on making them laugh with your jokes, antics, skits, and dramas. But just remember, one day you'll give account to God, and you most certainly won't be laughing then, neither will they! For your lack of reproving and rebuking has lead us to mess we are now in, the APOSTASY of our age. You are the reason it's "out of season!"

So, what are you going to do about it?