Tag: sincere

When Sincerity Isn’t Enough

Carl Pollard

I was recently watching a documentary on the life of Billy Graham, and I found myself genuinely impressed. His morality seemed consistent, his integrity stood out, and his commitment to Christ was obvious. He preached to massive crowds, spoke clearly about sin, and called people to respond to God. The more I watched, the more I felt both admiration and uneasiness.

Admiration because of his devotion. Uneasiness because it raised a hard question. Can a man be that sincere, that disciplined, and that committed to Christ, and still be wrong about something as important as how a person receives the forgiveness of sins?

Billy Graham influenced millions. He preached Christ, the cross, the resurrection, sin, repentance, and faith. That shouldn’t be denied. But Scripture doesn’t measure a teacher by how many true things he says. It measures whether he teaches the truth fully.

The Bible never holds up sincerity as the standard. A man can be earnest, persuasive, and influential, and still be wrong where it matters most. That’s a hard truth, but it’s a biblical one.

Paul warned in Galatians 1:6–9 that even a changed gospel must be rejected. Not just a completely false message, but a distorted one. That makes this serious. Because a message can sound close to the truth and still fall short at a critical point.

Modern preaching often uses language like “accept Jesus into your heart” or “pray this prayer.” But when people in the New Testament asked what to do, the apostles answered differently. They preached Christ. They called for faith and repentance. And they also taught baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Peter said, “Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Ananias told Saul, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). Paul wrote that we are baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3–4) and put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27). Peter said plainly, “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). That language is clear. It’s part of how people were told to respond to the gospel.

So what happens when a preacher speaks powerfully about Jesus, but doesn’t teach people to respond the way the apostles did? He may say many true things. He may move people emotionally. He may even believe deeply in what he’s saying. But if he gives less than the full message, he isn’t teaching the whole truth.

Scripture shows this clearly. Apollos in Acts 18 was eloquent and fervent, yet he still needed correction. Saul of Tarsus was sincere and zealous, yet he was wrong. Romans 10 says zeal isn’t enough without knowledge.

A man doesn’t have to be evil to mislead people. He can be kind, moral, and sincere, and still be wrong. That’s what makes this so sobering.

In the end, this isn’t just about Billy Graham. It’s about us. Do we measure truth by Scripture or by results? Do we care more about influence or accuracy?

At judgment, no one will be saved by admiring a sincere preacher. The question is simple. Did we hear the gospel as God gave it, and did we obey it as the apostles preached it?

Focusing In Worship

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

Carl Pollard

As humans we have a hard time when it comes to focusing. Attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Goldfish have an attention span of about 5 seconds. I’m convinced that mankind will one day be on the same level if nothing changes. 

While focus in our everyday lives can be a struggle, what about in worship? How can we improve our focus when we come together each week? Before we even assemble, we should be preparing to focus on worship. 

Isaiah 29:13 says, “…Because this people draw near with their words, And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.”

They drew near to God with words, just like we do in singing songs each Sunday. 

They honored God with their lips, much like we do in our prayers each week. What they were saying sounded good! But, if our hearts are not in worship, we have failed God. 

Isaiah writing on God’s behalf says that their “reverence consisted of tradition learned by rote.” This word reverence is the the Hebrew word for “fear.” You may have heard that every time you read the word “fear” in the Bible to replace it with the word “respect” or “reverence.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hebrew language has a word for respect, and this isn’t it. It means literal fear. 

In fact, the Greek equivalent of this word is Phobos, which is where we get our English word phobia. For example, if you have arachnophobia you have a fear of spiders. If you saw a spider crawling on your leg, and you are afraid of spiders, you’re not going to look at it and go, “I respect you.” That’s not how fear works; you’re going to use any means necessary to dispatch the threat. 

So we are supposed to worship in fear? YES. 

Focus out of fear and awe of WHO we are worshipping. We are singing to the creator. 

We are praying to the God who parted seas, spoke the world into existence, and guided the Israelites with a pillar of fire. We are worshipping the King of Kings, the Great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, the One with no beginning or end, we are bowing down before the Most Holy God of the Universe. 

If we realize what we are doing in worship, we can’t help but feel a little fear. Isaiah says, their worship was done through traditions learned “by rote.” This literally means, “Mechanical or habitual repetition.” We may be physically singing and look like we are worshipping God, but only the individual and God above know what is going on in the heart. 

Isa. 12:5 “sing to the Lord.” This requires FOCUS, not mindlessly singing songs. 

There are songs for each other, and songs directed toward God. “I want to be a worker for the Lord” …do we mean it? We can’t sing “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” on Sunday when all throughout the week all we’ve done is sit down. Focus on the words. 

God would rather hear a tone deaf person who sings with their heart and mind, then a classically trained singer who only focuses on what it sounds like to them. Sunday morning worship comes once a week; it can be easy to let it turn into a mindless habit. Train your mind to focus on every act of worship. Don’t let worship become something we do out of tradition or habit. Focus on WHO we have come together to worship. 

THE HUMAN HEART (POEM)

Neal Pollard

That part of each man crafted by God
But unseen by mortal observation,
That figurative place of our emotions and thinking
Helping our spiritual station.
A place where we alone can nurture and tend,
To work to better or embitter
That directs our whole body and life on a path
That makes us a winner or quitter.
God put in place ways to help our own heart
Stay in tune to His perfect intentions.
To mold us and make us like Him in our thinking,
To stave off man’s wicked inventions.
The Bible, as His mind, He has given to mankind,
A heart monitor as well as a mirror.
It gauges our true selves and guides our footsteps,
If used it will make His will dearer.
He has given us music, a wide world of nature,
And people as living examples,
So much that exists we can see and by seeing
Can resist Satan’s slick sinful samples.
Yes, true, human hearts can be darkened and hardened,
Becoming a frightful container,
That holds in the worst, the depraved and perverted,
That becomes such a wicked retainer.
But such is the work of neglect and of lust,
A struggle that fights a higher objective,
For when in human hearts there’s willing submission,
They become more spiritually selective.
So spiritual battles are lost or they’re won
In a place where no other can see,
Keep your heart, you alone with heavenly help
Will determine your soul’s eternity.

Enthusiasm Is Contagious!

Neal Pollard

Have you seen The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore video where he is ebulliently exulting over the thunder snow he witnesses and knows to be captured by his cameraman?  The YouTube video montage where he is on camera for six lightning strikes says it all.  At one point, he implies that he’d rather experience this weather event than win the $500 million lottery.  The enthusiasm is transparent and honest.  You can’t help to feel excited about what he’s excited about because he so enthusiastically expresses it.

Being a Christian is not necessarily a non-stop fist-pumping, mountain-top experience.  The late Wendell Winkler used to say that there are not very many mountain-top or valley days but that most were “in between.”  He called it “the glory of the ordinary.”  What we do on the ordinary days is what typically makes the bigger impact.  However, the genuine enthusiasm of Christians is certainly contagious!  Some of the best church leaders I have known have known how to inject others with zeal.  Other words are “passion,” “desire,” and “excitement.”  If this is artificial and contrived, it is eventually detected. True enthrallment for pursuing the will of God, though rare, leaves its mark far and wide.

What should fire our enthusiasm?

  • A baptism
  • A wayward Christian being restored
  • A well-delivered, challenging, and biblically accurate lesson
  • A demonstration of decisive, godly leadership
  • A challenge to growth or involvement
  • Godly conviction from our youth
  • Hearing of a good work within our brotherhood
  • Singing in worship
  • A sound idea for church growth
  • The dedication shown by a spiritual brother or sister

Challenge yourself.  Ask, “What gets me excited?”  If the Georgia Bulldogs were to ever win the National Championship again, look out world!  I’d give those around me a “Jim Cantore” moment.  My honest prayer is, “Lord, help my greatest passion and enthusiasm be reserved for the things that will endure after the heavens and the elements burn and melt” (2 Pet. 3:11).  Let’s get excited about serving Jesus and doing His will!