How To Preach Without Converting Anybody

Charles G. Finney:

Preach on every doctrine that centers the attention on man rather than Jesus. Teach every doctrine that makes man the center of God's attention rather than God the center of man's devotion. Tell people only what God will do for them.

Avoid preaching about the necessity of a radical change of heart, through the truth revealed to the heart by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Let your supreme motive to be popular with all people, then, of course, your preaching will be suited for that purpose, and not to convert souls to Christ.

Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind, so that no one should say to you, as they did of Christ, "This is a hard saying, who can hear it?"

Make no distinct points, and do not disturb the consciences of your hearers so that they may become truly alarmed about their souls.

Avoid all illustrations, repetitions, and expressive sentences that may compel people to remember what you say.

Avoid all heat and enthusiasm in your delivery, so that you never make the impression that you really believe what you say.

Make appeals to the emotions, and not the conscience, of your hearers.

Be careful not to testify from your own personal experience of the power of the gospel, so that you never should produce the conviction upon your hearers that you have something which they need.

Do not stir up uncomfortable memories by reminding your hearers of their past sins.

Denounce sin in a general way, but make no reference to the specific sins of your present audience.

Do not make the impression that God commands your listeners here and now to obey the truth. Do not let them think that you expect them to commit themselves right on the spot to give their hearts to God.

Give the impression that they are expected to go away in their sins, and to consider the matter at later time of their convenience.

Preach salvation by grace; but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner so that he never should understand what you mean by grace, and know his need of it.

Preach the gospel as a remedy or a cure, but conceal or ignore the fatal disease of the sinner.

Do not speak of the spirituality of God's holy law (by which comes the knowledge of sin), so that the sinner never should see his lost condition and repent.

Make no appeals to the fears of sinners; but give them the impression that they have no reason to fear.

Preach Christ as an infinitely friendly and good-natured being. Ignore those scathing rebukes of sinners and hypocrites which so often made His hearers tremble.

Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, so that you should never hurt their feelings, and finally convert some of them.

Admit, either obviously or casually, that all men have some moral goodness in them; so that sinners should never understand that they need a radical change of heart, from sin to holiness.

Say so little of hell that your people will think that you do not believe in its existence yourself.

Make the impression that, if God is as good as you are, He could not send anyone to hell.

Make no disagreeable reference to the teachings of self-denial, cross-bearing, and crucifixion to the world, so that you should never convict and convert some of your church members.

Do not rebuke extravagance in dress, so that you should never make an uncomfortable impression on your vain and worldly church members.

Encourage lots of church socials, and attend them yourself.

Aim to make your hearers pleased with themselves and pleased with you, and be careful especially not to wound the feelings of anyone.

Make sure you avoid preaching to those who are present. Preach about sinners, but not to them. Say "they," and not "you," so that anyone should never take your subject personally, and apply it to their own life, Securing the salvation of their soul.

Preach that the new birth is something God deposits in people, not a fundamental change in the ultimate purpose of our lives.

Never tell people that they must cease from serving self and serve God and do His will.

Never tell them that repentance is man's ability and responsibility to turn from his sin to God! Teach them to delay turning away from all known sin toward God.

Preach predestination in such away that results in fatalism and apathy on the part of all people. Make each person believe that God has already determined who shall be saved, and nothing can change His will. You never want anyone to think that their actions can make any difference.

Preach that man is totally unable to obey God. Teach him that no one can turn to God, but he must wait upon God to turn (change) him. Make sure that no one realizes his true responsibility requiring him to repent in order to be saved. You never want anyone to know that man can turn from sin to God but the real problem is that he will not!

Preach that every one is born a sinner and a criminal. Teach that every baby is born guilty before God. You never want anyone to consider the fact that man is born morally innocent. You do not want anyone to know that he becomes a sinner because, in his rebellion, he has refused to love God with all his heart according to the light and has selfishly sought his own happiness above all else.

Preach that a person can be saved without making Jesus his lord.

Teach that holiness is just an option and not a requirement of the gospel. Teach them that they can be Christian without becoming true disciples.

Preach eternal security in such away that requires no perseverance in faith or continuance in holiness on the part of the believer. Make every person think he has his ticket to heaven that is all paid for so that he will always safely scoff at all calls for repentance and righteousness.

Teach Christians that sin is a normal and natural part of their every day life and that they can never truly expect to ever overcome sin through the power of Christ.

Preach that no Christian needs to do anything. Teach them that they are safe and heaven bound even if their lives are disobedient and rebellious.

The Work of an Evangelist

Near the end of the month of May 2007, I answered the Calling to be an Evangelist, now we are ALL called to be evangelists in the presentation of the Gospel to a lost and dying world Matt 28:16-20, yet the calling I am referring to is more of Eph 4:1-12. To better convey what I am meaning we will briefly look at what an Evangelist is by definition of the 'Calling':

EVANGELIST
εὐαγγελιστής [G2099]
euaggelistés; gen. euaggelistoú, masc. noun from eauggelízō , to evangelize. Evangelist, one who declares the good news (Rom. 10:15). An evangelist, a preacher of the gospel. He was often not located in any particular place but traveled as a missionary to preach the gospel and establish churches
Syn.: kérux , preacher; ággelos , messenger.
—CWD, The

NT term referring to one who proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are only three occurrences of the word in the NT. The apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian church to walk worthy of their calling (Eph 4:1-12). The exhortation stressed the gifts given to each within the unity of the Spirit. Paul explained that the ascended Christ has given "some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (v 11, nasb). Paul was saying that Christ calls persons to these ministries and gives them to the church. The evangelist is one of Christ's gifts to the church. The meaning of the term indicates that the task of such a person is to function as a spokesperson for the church in proclaiming the gospel to the world. An evangelist is similar to an apostle in function, except that being an apostle involved a personal relationship to Jesus during his earthly ministry (Acts 1:21-22). The evangelist stands in contrast to the pastor/teacher. The former makes the initial proclamation, and the latter provides continuing follow-up ministry that develops maturity in the believer. The reference to Philip the evangelist (21:8) supports the idea of evangelism as a gifted ministry to which Christ calls some in the church.
More than one gift or ministry may be performed by the same person. Paul charged Timothy with his responsibilities as a pastor and teacher, and also exhorted him to "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tm 4:5). Therefore, "evangelist" can refer to a person called to that distinct ministry, and also to a function that may be performed by others.(other verses for reference: Acts 8:25, 40; 14:7; 1 Cor 1:17)
—Tyndale Bible Dictionary

Due to me receiving this calling it would not be in the right Light if I didn't post on here a writ, yet brief, presentation of the Gospel.
So without further ado I shall:
Romans 1:20-21: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
We must acknowledge God as the Creator of everything and accept our humble position in God's creation. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”
We must all realize that we are sinners and that we need forgiveness. We are not worthy of God’s grace. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Through Jesus, God gave us a way to be saved from our sins. God showed us His love by giving us the potential for life through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If we remain sinners, we will die. However, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and repent of our sins, we will have eternal life. Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Just confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved! Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
There are no religious formulas or rituals -- Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved! Romans 11:36: "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."
Determine in your heart to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life today. Are You Ready to Accept God’s Gift of Salvation?If you truly believe the message of the Gospel as shown here, and want to accept God’s gift of salvation right now, it's a matter of repenting of your sins and turning the rest of your life over to Jesus Christ. Again, this is not a ritual based on any specific words or prayers, but rather, a willful decision and a sincere step of faith. An example of a simple prayer that you can pray right now:
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.” "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

(If you have followed these simple verses of Scripture, and have prayed a prayer similar to the one above, then please send a message so that you we may contact you. We would Love to share in your Decision to Accept Jesus Christ into your Life, In Christ, Robert)