What kind of preaching do you prefer? Do you prefer the fluffier stuff that makes you feel all squishy inside? Or do you prefer fire-and-brimstone stuff that instead makes you squirm inside.
I have heard some Christians put down Joel Osteen because his books are considered to be too centered on making people feel good. I have heard other Christians put down some charismatic authors because they focus too much on hell.
What I think is that believers need a good mix of both. God is love but God is also about punishment. I think what it comes down to is learning how to be balanced.
If being balanced applies to other areas of our lives then it should also apply to the spiritual part of our lives. There are times when I need something that is going to knock me off my socks. Then there are times that I feel like I just need a big hug from God.
Personally, I believe the best preachers are those that can balance the two. When it comes to reading books, with such a wide variety available, we can also choose a healthy spiritual balance.
I liken it to our role as a parent. If you have children you know that sometimes they need us to demonstrate firmness or perhaps even times of discipline. Then there are other moments where they need to know that we are a soft place to fall upon.
If we are balanced as parents we don’t spend all day lecturing our children with fear tactics. Yet we don’t coddle everything that they do either. We learn how to balance our role as a parent.
Balanced teaching will give us everything that we need. Too much of one thing or another and it’s never good.
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