The Power of

Positive Preaching

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Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)• Philosophy: the concept of emphasizing

positive thoughts to overcome negative issues in life. It is not an effort to resolve the cause of problems, but to somehow make them go away by overwhelming them with positive thoughts and actions.

“Negaphobia”• Society:

– Politically correct terminology – It’s not sin, just an alternate lifestyle.

• Church: – Don’t publicly challenge “false religions/teachers”.– Don’t call one “false teacher” who teaches error.– Negative attitude toward negative teaching. – Redefine sin and use Romans 14, for toleration. – Soothe emotions without addressing problems.– Preach partial truths to avoid confrontation.– Preach truth but don’t apply—don’t hurt feelings.– Don’t preach to convict sinners of sin.

“More positive-less negative preaching!”

• Or “Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.”

– Positive and negative “subjectively” defined.

– Whose concept of “positive” will we use? Yours? Mine? Or God’s?

The Bible and “PMA” Preaching• Jer 8:4-12

• 2 Pet 2:1-3, 18-19

• 2 Cor 11:12-15

“Negative” does what “Positive” cannot

• Most need no warning for doing good.

• Gal 5:23, “against such there is no law.” Ever heard of anyone having to resist the urge to do good?

• However, people CONSTANTLY need warning against sin, because they may want to do wrong in spite of knowing it is evil.

– If we win here, we can win over sin!

The “Power of Positive Preaching”,

according to God, is determined by the results, not by how it sounds to the human ear.

God’s idea of “Positive Preaching”• POSITIVE preaching instructs and informs.

• NEGATIVE preaching protects and preserves “positive preaching”.

• NEGATIVE preaching helps one understand evil without experiencing it.

• NEGATIVE preaching yields “positive” results by producing “positive” prevention from doing wrong.

Summary…..

• POSITIVE truths instruct, encourage and edify. = POSITIVE

• NEGATIVE truths warn, convict and prevent one from sinning = POSITIVE

• Favoring one over the other defeats the power of both = NEGATIVE

• POSITIVE ONLY neglects valuable warnings and rebukes = NEGATIVE

• NEGATIVE ONLY neglects full instruction and encouragement = NEGATIVE

All of God’s truths produce “Positive” results when preached and obeyed.

God’s Truths In Action• Adam and Eve. Gen 2:16-17

• Deut 10:1-4, 12-14. Ex: Deut 5:7-21, 32-33

• Jesus magnified the POSITIVE with “NEGATIVE” statements, Matt 15:11-14, 22:34-40

• POSITIVE + NEGATIVE = POSITIVE, 2 Tim 3:13-17, 4:1-5

• “Whole counsel of God” Acts 20:27, 1 Cor 4:17

• POSITIVE power of NEGATIVE instructions = POSITIVE, Job 5:17-18, 2 Cor 7:6-11, Heb 12:3-11

• Example: Acts 2:22-24, 36-47.

Heart of God’s Grace

Titus 2:11-12

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying (NEGATIVE) ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live (POSITIVE) soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

True POSITIVE Preaching can only be accomplished when preachers and

Christians declare and live the WHOLE counsel of God.

• To emphasize POSITIVE over NEGATIVE produces NEGATIVE results.

• To emphasize NEGATIVE over POSITIVE produces NEGATIVE results.

• To teach a balance of BOTH will produce POSITIVE results.

• Preaching the WHOLE COUNSEL of God is always POSITIVE PREACHING.