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
