As Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built, so are his teachings the unifying cornerstone of Christian doctrine.

Preaching smooth things

The smooth prosperity Gospel is popular among some Pentecostal preachers and televangelists. In Isaiah 30:10 the people asked their prophets to preach pleasant deceptions. A motivational speech is not real preaching, but it is more popular than the Gospel. Exciting music and dramatic speaking may shake our planet but cannot heal like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we tell a preacher of the Gospel from a motivational speaker? Nehemiah describes the re-establishment of true religion in Israel and it began with real preaching (Nehemiah 8:8). The Bible was read and expounded. Paul encouraged Timothy to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). A real preacher uses the Bible. The Gospel is not always pleasant-sounding. It demands that we put God first and that we count the cost. It demands self-sacrifice and total commitment (Luke 14:25-33).

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