Hellfire and Brimstone..???

Guys, guys, Guys,
Fire and Brimstone preaching IS necessary. Christ spoke more on hell than he did on heaven. Look at the times people. Hellfire and brimstone needs to be preached and a call to repent and turn to God. Do you think the apostle Paul held back. I'm not a pastor but I am a preacher and everytime I have preached fire and brimstone, I have seen fear the people's faces. Not fear of me but fear of God. "To know wisdom is to fear the Lord.

I am not saying preaching about hell and heaven isn't necessary.

I am saying preaching where there is constant yelling is not necessary.

What's wrong with yelling? Haven't you ever yelled at your children? are we not God's children placed under a shepard to be protected. are we not like sheep who have gone astray? Do you know what shepards used to do and I think they still do if I'm not mistaken when one of their sheep kept on leaving the heard and not obeying the shepard? He broke one their legs and then carried the sheep on his shoulders in order to teach the sheep that he could rely on him. "The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want" Psalm 23. I'm sorry Christ hasn't broken your leg, He just yells at you through His man of God behind the pulpit. Tell me, when you go astray from God's word, are you not worthy to be yelled at like the prophets would do to kings?

[ May 11, 2002, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: bgerald ]

So what about the yelling. Isn't the message the focal part of the service anyway? Listen to what the man of God has to say, not the volume of his voice. God calls some preachers to yell. There are folks in his congregation that obiviously need to woken up to the truth by yelling. who are we to critize the work of the Lord. I was saved because my fundemental preacher preached Fire and Brimstone one sunday morning, and it scared the living tar out of me. now I serve a risen Lord in the ministry because God led His servant to preach loud and hard to me. My point is here folks, were are not to critize Gods servants in the way God has led them to preach, for when we do, we are critizing God.

I do not have children, but I cannot honestly say that yelling is what I do with the children with whom I come in contact. I am the children's minister at my church. I direct the day care. I am in contact with the children quite a bit.

When do I yell? If ever, on the ball field, when they are out.

I am not saying that firmness isn't necessary, but there are some preachers who have bellerent yelling, foaming at the mouth, constant spitting. What is that all about?

Christ spoke more on hell than he did on heaven.

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And he spoke more of the Kingdom of God than he did either.

I've heard my share of fire-and-brimstone sermons, especially in my younger years. I don't necessarily object to them, but too often the ones I heard were an attempt to drag people to Jesus by scaring the devil out of them.

When I moved to a new city a few years ago, the word must have been out. Every church we visited had a preacher delivering a sermon about hell ... even the church where the pastor was gone and someone else was filling in.

That said, the truth about eternal separation from God must be preached -- more importantly, the church must really believe it -- and I'm afraid that's a bigger problem than the particular delivery style.

My Jesus, I love thee, not because I hope for heaven whereby, nor because those who know thee not must die eternally ...
"My Eternal King," by Jane Marshall, Carl Fischer LLC

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[ May 12, 2002, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: rsr ]

...and I can just here Jesus as he quietly spoke to the multitude now you naughty religious leaders, sham e shame.

Hogwash! I'm sure he was yelling when he admonished the phony religious leaders of his day. He sure wasn't whispeing when he drove the money changers out of the temple!

My, how one gets upset if a preacher raises his voice to make apoint or get the congregation's attention or just gets excited about the word of God.

Saggy you say you yell sporting events, hmm, seems the gospel message is more exciting than any ball game.

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins

No, Ernie, I said I yelled at baseball games because I am an ump, and the players are OUT!

Nonetheless, I am describing a few preachers who are incessantly speaking and yelling, and I just don't receive well from that.

Well, I suufered from "fire and Brimstone" preachers. I listened ten years long a preacher yelling that if I had ONE sin in my life, I'll go to hell. I was terribly afraid of going to hell. This preacher almost NEVER spoke about God's forgivness, about the power of the cross.... I think, it is not worth to be a christian, if you don't speak about Jesus.
I observed that people in Fire and Brimstone preachers congregation have two kind of reactions.Both reactions are wrong:
The one is a fear reaction. people are not able to live normaly, they are not aware about God's Love, pardon... They will never experience Grace because, they don't know, it does exist.
On the other hand, some people become Hard with them and with others. They are not able to hear God's whisper in their life, because they think that God shouts when He speaks to them. They hate hearing about God's grace, and they can't believe that God can love us. They make efforts to become better, but they never recieve the new life God gives us in jesus.

Cality, how wrong you are to suppose that fear is a bad thing. Remember scripture says, "To know wisdom is to fear the Lord." The Bible also says to be affraid of the one who can destroy your soul. Fear is a good thing, that is a reverential fear. It is the same fear that keeps me obeying the Lord. Now concerning the hardness of hearts, That is not brought on by the preaching of the word, but by a wicked sin calloused, depraved heart. The word preached, even when it is Fire and Brimstone, softens the heart of him who has ears to hear and does hear. Conviction without the right response brings on hardness of Heart.

Hi, I just believe that there's a good fear and a bad one. The good one, is the one, you just said. Yes, the fear of the Lord is the Beginn of wisdom; But the one I lived, was a bad fear. I was terribly afraid of God, I just could not believe, he loved me. I live the normal life of a normal christian. I never made "big" sins, and very few "little" sins. But if I just had a bad thought, I could not believe, God would forgive me. There's a good fear, which motivate to do good things. There's a bad fear, which makes us unable to do bad things but also unable to do good things. Do you understand?
A Father must be feared, if he wants that his children obey. But a Father must be loved, if he wants that his children trust him. An alcoolic father who just always beat his children, will never be loved. Well, sorry, but the God, this "Fire and brimstone" pastors told me about, was rather like a violent Father, who always punish, but never say "Well, it is good, my child, I am pride of you". One day, God revealed to me that He was different. If he would not have revealed his self to me, I perharps would not be christian anymore. Because the God I knew, was terrible, the christian life was unpossible.
But I still fear God, and still don't want to live in sin. But now, not because I am afraid of sin, but because God changed my life and I want to follow him, and love him.
Well, I hope, I made it clear.

Sorry, there's a mistake. Yes I fear sin, but I wanted to say that I also know that God forgives me, if I ever sin.
The difference between good and bad fear, is perharps the same difference than between to fear someone and to frighten. Does it make sense in english?

Just because you had a bad experience with a Fire and Brimstone preach that it is a bad form of preaching. How do you think the Prophets of old preached condemnation to the people when they erred from the Lord. Do you not agree that folks of this time, of this generation have erred from the Lord? Think about it.

The thread turned from "Hellfire and Damnation" style preaching to "Yelling!" How in the world did that happen? Reading some of the threads, though--made me realize that some of ya'll would make bad, bad, bad US Marines! I mean, can you imagine a Marine Corps Drill Sargeant who never yelled? Can you imagine a recruit who didn't like it! I mean, what I'm saying is this--if a fella fixin' to join the Marines can't stand a little yellin'--he better not "sign on the dotted line!"

Back in the early '60's we had a preacher who us kids thought "yelled" a lot--but I finally figured out why he had to be constantly yellin'! Back behind the pulpit/choir platform on the left hand side stood a wall mounted aircontioner that roared like a diesel locomotive--(finish the rest of the story yourself, reader!!!)

Preachers are people, the way I figure! And they each have different personalities. Different personalities do different things. And then there is the atmosphere of the church. The local church is a living organism and as a whole has an overall personality. Some churches find a "yellin'!" preacher acceptable--some don't! It will probably depend on the personality of the church!

I cannot see a parent raising kids going through his/her whole life without ever having to raise his/her voice(yellin'!) directed to the children. I can't see a preacher going through his whole career without at least once "yellin'!" at the folks in front of him!

Miss Saggy mentioned that she is an umpire and that she has yelled something like--"Out!" Well, I've done a little "ump-ing" myself! And find myself really getting into the game! Then the yellin' starts! "STRIKE THREEEEEEE! THE BATTER'S OUUUUTTTTT!" and even in a close play at Homeplate--"NOOO! NOOOO! HE'S SAAAAFFFFF!"

Yellin' comes with the territory!

"Now hear this! Now hear this!"

One more thing about "yellin'!" As an umpire, when he yells--it doesn't mean he's MAD atcha'! He's stressing a point of play!

As a preacher--just because he yells--doesn't mean he's mad atcha' either! He's stressing a point, more in likely!

"That is all!"

I think we all know what a "hellfire and brimstone" preacher is. There is no need to tiptoe around it.

1. A man who merely preaches on the doctrine of hell is not one. He is doing what is important.

2. A man who imparts and explains Jesus' words about hell is not one. He is teaching correctly.

3. A man who occasionally raises his voice behind the pulpit is not one. A stern voice is now and then required. Jesus was stern sometimes.

4. A man who teaches people the reality of hell is not one. He is obeying God.

But, a "hellfire and brimstone" preacher is a man who teaches and preaches fear and only fear. And not a healthy, Godly fear of Jehovah, but a paranoid, unfounded phobia of the devil and hell.

And people may walk an aisle, be baptized, and get what they think is "fire insurance", but they are not saved. And they don't come to church regularly, not from unconcern, but because they don't want to undergo the equivalant of a horror movie for the soul.

"Hellfire and brimstone" preachers scream verbal abuses at their congregations.

And while Jesus did admonish the Pharisees and other church officials, he never behaved in the manner that I have seen a couple of preachers do.

"Hellfire and brimstone" preachers thrive on the fear of their congregations. It's all they know and the only way they tend to preach. And they tend to be Puritanical. You know, if something bad happens in your life, then God is mad at you. Or, if you just would rebuke the devil, the cancer would go away. Puritanical.

They give the devil way too much credit and don't give the saving grace of Jesus the time of day.

Scaring people in Heaven is moot. It just doesn't happen. The terrified may have their name on a church role, but they never pray to God. The just spend their fearful days "rebuking the devil."

How did Jesus approach the "sinners" and the "heathens"?

He loved them.
He touched them.
He ate dinner with them.
He told them that He did not accuse them, but to sin no more.
He smiled at them.
He rebuked the devil(s) out of their bodies for them.

Preach on hell? the absolute reality of hell?
Yes. Without a doubt. And preach it unashamedly.

Beat up people verbally and abuse people with your hateful tongue and try to scare them into being a "good church member"? Tell them that they are evil incarnate, unlovable, and so full of the devil that the licking fires and worms of hell are just around the corner...

...and leave out the grace of God and the blood of Jesus?

No thanks.

And that's what "hellfire and brimstone" preachers do. They leave out Jesus.

I know that hell is real and so is the devil.

But I also know that Jesus has already won. And that God loves me so much, even my my pitiful sinful state that he rescued me from the devil's grip.

That's what people need to know.

God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you life if you will call on His name and be saved.

Peace-

YSIC
Scarlett O.
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By preaching hellfire and brimstone a preacher is not just preaching doom and gloom but can and will if it is nesscesary. I preach different messages as the spirit allows. I can preach hellfire and brimstone, and I believe that it should preached more, I, I think but I preach what God tells me.