“Johnny-One-Note” Preachers

 

            Have you ever meditated on the size of the Bible--a veritable library with sixty-six books?  In the words of one anonymous writer: The Bible “contains...the mind of God, the state of man, the doom of sinners.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true and its decisions immutable.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy.  It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter.  Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed.  Christ is its grand object, our good its design and the glory of God its end.  It should fill our memories, rule our hearts and guide our feet.  Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory and a river of pleasure.  It is given in life, will be open at the judgment and will be remembered forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, reward the greatest labor and condemns all who trifle with its holy contents” (George DeHoff.  Why We Believe the Bible.  Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1944, p. 107).

 

            With such an enormous variety of topics, people, nations, situations and problems in the Bible, can you explain why some preachers dwell on one topic and seem never to stray from it?  Is it because they are too lazy to study to learn all God has to say on every subject--not just the subjects of special interest to the preacher?  Some charismatic preachers even boast of not studying.  They pretend to speak only as the Spirit of God moves them.  I remember hearing of a preacher who claimed to be supernaturally guided in his preaching.  A gospel preacher handed him a Bible that was open at Romans 16.  He asked the charismatic preacher to read the names of men and women listed in that chapter.  He could not pronounce the names.  Please understand that I am not making fun of the preacher, but should not a preacher who claims to have supernatural guidance be able to read the Bible intelligently?  Charles Taze Russell, a prominent leader in one religious cult, boasted of his knowledge of the Greek language.  In a court of law he was given a Greek New Testament and asked to read it.  He could not read one word.  He was then asked to read the Greek alphabet.  He could not do that either.  A Spirit-guided preacher should be able to read the Spirit-provided word.

 

            Occasionally, I listen to a radio preacher on Sunday mornings.  He devotes the major portion of his preaching to one theme: the new birth.  There are at least two problems with that kind of preaching.  He neglects dozens of subjects that are vital to Christian living.  For example, he never discusses the political corruption that is undermining our nation’s moral values.  He almost never talks about the family, about the sexual promiscuity that is destroying millions of our young people, about rampant racism both in churches and in the nation as a whole or about bioethical issues, such as, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, genetic engineering, cloning and such like.  Does he not read books and magazines or watch television to know the problems our nation faces?  Or does he have any interest in any of that?

 

            The other problem with that preacher’s discussion of the new birth is that he has perverted what the scriptures teach on that topic.  He wants his hearers to believe that all they have to do to enjoy the new birth is to pray the sinner’s prayer.  He continually emphasizes the necessity of the new birth--which is absolutely essential to our becoming children of God--but he neglects to explain how the new birth takes place.  Jesus said to Nicodemus:  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Even though Nicodemus was a very wise man and held a responsible position among the Jews, he did not understand it.  So Jesus made the new birth so plain that anyone could understand it.  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5).

 

            The preacher I hear sometimes affirms that the water was the water of the physical birth.  That is the exact opposite of what Jesus told Nicodemus.  It would have been foolish for Christ to command Nicodemus to be born of the water surrounding the physical birth.  He had already been born physically.  Jesus would have confused the ruler of the Jews and others who read this great chapter.  The new birth, or more precisely, the birth from above, can be understood only as we read the book of Acts to ascertain how the apostles understood it.  The book of Acts is a divine commentary on what one must do to be saved or to enjoy the new birth.

 

            You, no doubt, have read the sermon the inspired apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost.  I shall not take the time today to review the main points of that great sermon, but I do want to read the climax to the sermon.  “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  Peter’s powerful sermon convinced the Jews that they had crucified their own Messiah.  They were cut to the heart and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  Has it ever dawned on you that Peter did not say, “Except you be born of the water and the Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God?”  What did Peter tell the penitent Jews?  The simple answer cannot be missed, unless people have already decided not to accept the Holy Spirit’s words.  Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).

 

            These verses demand that I ask you some questions.  When Peter commanded the Jews to repent and to be baptized for the remission of sins, was he telling them how to be born again from above?  If he were not telling them how to be born again, what else did they have to do to comply with Christ’s command to Nicodemus?  If water in John 3:5 means the water of the physical birth, how do you explain what occurred in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch?  Philip, the preacher, and the eunuch, the alien sinner, went down into the water, and Philip baptized the eunuch (Acts 8:38).  But does water really play a part in the new birth?  My friends, you know it does, if the Bible means what it says.

 

            Preachers, whatever their denominational affiliation, who preach only one theme--regardless of how vital the theme is--are guilty of failing to preach the whole counsel of God.  Do you remember a song that was popular several years ago?  I have forgotten who wrote it or who recorded it, but it had the title, “Johnny-One-Note.”  That title describes some of the preachers of our generation.  They know one note and vigorously avoid learning any more.  Do they not know that their hearers are going to starve spiritually, unless they hear other preachers and teachers?  Individual Christians must have a balanced spiritual diet if they are going to grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The new birth must be preached faithfully, regularly and enthusiastically, but people will starve to death spiritually if that is all they hear.

 

            Some of the television evangelists I sometimes watch also seem to be Johnny-One-Note preachers.  Have you ever noticed how many of the preachers on TBN seem to know only one topic: dispensationalism?  Their sermons are devoted almost entirely to the rapture, the great tribulation, the so-called “signs of the times,” what will happen to Israel at the end of the age, the part Russia will play in the battle of Armageddon and such like.  What is especially disturbing about these sermons is that the preachers have no idea about the time of the Lord’s return and about the other topics they so glibly discuss.  Can they not learn from the mistakes of false prophets of the past?  One man wrote a book with the title, Eighty-Eight Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in ’88.  Another false teacher wrote a book entitled 101 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in ’88.  All one hundred eighty nine reasons were wrong, inexcusably wrong.  Furthermore, anyone who sets a date for the Lord’s return will always be embarrassed, if he can be embarrassed.  And how utterly foolish for preachers to keep saying, “This is the terminal generation.”  Only God in heaven knows the time of the end.  He has chosen not to tell anyone.

 

            Some of the preachers on Trinity Broadcasting Network have a different note, but still just one note--how to get rich by giving to the Lord’s work.  Prosperity, according to some of these preachers, is a sign of the Lord’s favor.  A preacher friend of mine wrote in a letter: “Some of these preachers say, ‘Send your money to God, but send it to my personal address.’”  Even if these men were preaching the truth about giving to the cause Christ--and they most assuredly are not--do they not know any other subjects?  The impression these preachers give to outsiders is that churches are just interested in your money.  In many cases, the preachers get richer, the contributors get poorer and religion suffers from the very people who ought to be its friends.

 

            All preachers with whom I am acquainted have their special interests.  Many preachers have spent a great number of years studying some particular topic, such as, the family, the Greek language, archaeology, creation, moral issues and the miracles of the Bible.  Those preachers often conduct special meetings or seminars on their areas of expertise.  I have a friend who holds dozens and dozens of workshops on evolution every year.  For the past twenty-five or more years, I have conducted at least one hundred workshops on marriage and the family.  I taught marriage and family courses at Freed-Hardeman University for fourteen years.  I am tempted to speak often on topics relating to the family.  But I realize that a congregation must have information on many other areas.  So I strive to do exactly what Paul said he had done.  He told the Ephesian elders: “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shown you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ...  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:20-21, 26-27).  Is there a preacher on earth who would not like to say the same when he stands before God to give an account of his preaching?  But will we be able to do that if we have failed to preach the whole counsel of God?

 

            So if a man does not want to be a “Johnny-One-Note” preacher, what should he do?  What I am about to say to you may not fit every situation in the world, but I am convinced that most of it will help preachers in our country to be more effective in their work for the Lord.  Preachers who desire to please God must keep their hearers informed, warned and built up in the most holy faith.  And what is included in those responsibilities?  Obviously, preachers must be committed students of the word of God.  How can we preach what we do not know?  I knew a preacher in Alabama who studied his Bible four hours everyday.  Would it surprise you that his sermons were saturated with scripture?  I have heard him quote as many as 150 verses of scriptures in one sermon.  One verse would be an abundance of scripture for some modern preachers.  Paul was not speaking of preachers only when he wrote: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col. 3:16), but should not Paul’s advice drive every preacher to study regularly?  There is no excuse for a preacher’s failure to study.

 

            If preachers are going to serve their hearers, they must also be informed on what is occurring in our world.  That means we must read, read, and read some more.  Preachers should read widely--not just the theological works--but books on dozens of topics, such as, law, biology, ethics, politics, anthropology and education.  How are we going to know what our hearers are facing if we do not read books pertaining to their lives?  If you are a “Johnny-One-Note” preacher and want to expand your horizons, you must start by being an avid reader.

 

            I have preachers to tell me that they do not have time to do extensive reading.  If that is the case--and I am convinced that it is with many preachers--then different arrangements must be made with the elders of the church.  It is absolutely inexcusable for a preacher not to know what the world thinks about abortion, homosexuality, gambling, beverage alcohol, the criminal justice system, the death penalty, corruption in government and in business, the religious movements in our country, cloning, physician-assisted suicide, affirmative action, secular humanism, the New Age movement and radical feminism.  It is my considered judgment that preachers should read the books that oppose these evils, but also the ones that uphold them.  In other words, to be well informed, we must know what the enemies of truth are saying as well as what its friends are teaching.  Incidentally, many writers-both conservative and radical--make the mistake of not reading anything that differs from their views.  I have time to give you just one example--and that not from a preacher.  Steve Allen, the famous American entertainer, was a secular humanist, although I guarantee he is not one now.  He wrote two books on the topic, “the Bible, religion and morality”.  Both books were published by Prometheus Books, America’s best-known humanist publishing house.  Steve set himself up as an expert on the Bible, religion and morality.  He lists several hundreds books in the bibliographies of his two volumes, but only four or five of those books would be considered conservative.  Steve makes an enormous number of blunders for the simple reason that his reading was too narrow.  Had he consulted the words of Dr. Robert Dick Wilson, the world’s greatest linguist of all time, Dr. Edward Young, an outstanding Hebrew scholar, Dr. Carl F. H. Henry, Dr. Norman Geisler and hundreds of other conservative scholars, he would not have come away from his writing looking so foolish and biased.  Preachers cannot afford to make the same mistakes Steve Allen made.

 

            It is also advisable to know your community well enough so you can address the problems it faces.  Many of us preach the truth and only the truth, but we do not preach the truth our communities need.  For example, our city--like many cities in the United States--has had a fight over the legalization of beverage alcohol.  I have often wondered what most of the preachers in our city were saying preceding the vote on this very serious problem.  Maybe they were speaking out against racism.  We surely ought to teach what the Bible says on that topic.  Maybe the preachers were teaching on the family.  All of us know how very vital that subject is.  But were they telling their listeners what beverage alcohol does to families and to our country?  If we preach on legitimate subjects but do not address those concerns that are touching the lives of our people at that very moment, we are not preaching the whole counsel of God.  Many preachers teach the truth, but they neglect to address the immediate needs of the congregation and of the community.

 

            I close our lesson today with another anonymous writing.  This excerpt encourages all of us--and not just preachers--to examine the entire word of God--from Genesis to Revelation.  Please listen carefully to these beautiful and challenging words.  “Many years ago I entered the wonderful temple of God’s revelation.  I entered the portico of Genesis and walked down through the Old Testament art gallery where the pictures of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua; Samuel and David and Daniel hung on the wall.  I entered the music room of the Psalms where the Spirit swept the keyboard of nature and brought forth the dirge-like wail of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah; to the grand impassioned strains of Isaiah until it seemed that every reed and harp in God’s organ of nature responded to the tuneful touch of David, the sweet singer of Israel.  I entered the chapel of Ecclesiastes where the voice of the preacher was heard and passed into the conservatory of Sharon where the lily of the valley’s sweet scented spices filled and perfumed my life.  I entered the business room of the Proverbs and passed into the observatory room of the prophets where I saw many telescopes of various sizes, some pointing to far-off events but all concentrated upon the bright and morning star which was soon to rise over the moonlit hills of Judea for our salvation.  I entered the audience room of the King of kings and caught a vision from the standpoint of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; I entered the Acts of the Apostles where the Holy Spirit was doing His office work in the forming of the church; I passed into the correspondence room where sat Paul, Peter, James, John and Jude penning their epistles.  I stepped into the throne room of Revelation where all towered into glittering Peaks.  I got a vision of the King seated upon His throne in all his glory, and I cried: ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name, Let angels prostrate fall, Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all.”  (DeHoff, pp. 104-105).  What a great honor it is to be able to study and preach the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334

 

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