The Acid Test

 

 

I listened to the preacher

He had come with great acclaim,

Long before he reached our church

Everyone knew his name.

 

His fame had preceded him,

He was recognized worldwide

And the fact of his oratorical skills

Could never be denied.

 

It was clear he knew the Bible

Which he quoted very well

And the intermittent hand-clapping

Swelled and swelled and swelled.

 

He was good, I tell you no lie

And pretty humourous too,

And his anecdotes were all in place;

These were more than a few.

 

I listened with rapt attention

To all he had to say

And I can tell you, with this audience

He definitely had his way.

 

An inspiring motivational speaker

I had no doubt he was

And this was decisively borne out

By the almost incessant buzz.

 

But don’t forget my opening line,

Most of this audience forgot,

Remember I said, I listened to a preacher

But afterwards, I thought not.

 

 

 I said he quoted from the Bible

And that indeed he did

But from the ears of his listeners

The Gospel message he hid.

 

He talked of his many exploits

And the powerful way God had used him

But at no time in his lengthy sermon

Had he mention a word about sin.

 

He told them how they could escape

The poverty they were in

And how by sowing a financial seed

They could God’s favour win.

 

He told them it worked for him

  And God could also do it for them

But they must step out on their faith

And watch God solve their problem.

 

It mattered not the challenge

The nature, the source or trouble,

There are some things man cannot do

But with God all things are possible.

 

And he quoted appropriate texts

To substantiate what he said

But at no point had he told his audience

Without Christ we are spiritually dead.

 

 

So, you’ve read this far in the poem

And perhaps you are still wondering

As to the relevance of the title

I have chosen for this poem.

 

I knew the end from the beginning,

That is, where I intended to go

And so, I chose “The Acid Test”

Because there is something we need to know.

 

Beware of so-called preachers

Whose sermons lack the Gospel,

Test the substance of their preach-word

In the light of the Holy Bible.

 

The preacher’s mandate is the Gospel

The Gospel of Jesus Christ:

That is, Jesus being the only Saviour

On account of his sacrifice.

 

 

The fact that we were born in sin

Spells out the need for the Saviour,

It is the indwelling Holy Spirit

That changes one’s heart and behavior.

  

How much of the Saviour, Christ Jesus

Is seen in any sermon?

Whether from lip or life or sign

The acid test is God’s Son.

 

The Bible’s focus is about Jesus

The expression of God’s infinite love

And the Gospel message is the account

Of God coming down from above.

 

So, when preachers vaunt themselves

And the exploits that they have done,

Remember God does not share his glory

With any but His Son.

 

Stewart Russell © January 30, 2021