A Little More Calvary

More Calvary and Less Theology

“If our pulpits had a little less theology and a little more of the Gospel, a little more Calvary - with Holy Spirit passion and fire - can you imagine the results?”

The basis of this quote came from a speaker at a FGBMFI meeting some 30 years ago. I still have the cassette tape recording of it even though I have limited access to the means on which to play it. The speaker was an evangelist, Dr Tony Stone, and I have never forgotten the message from which this little quote came.

I have been in so many churches where the preacher has expounded scripture quite brilliantly but with no lasting effect whatsoever on the audience other than impressing the speaker’s thorough grasp of Greek, ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, and theological doctrine. This is not a bad thing but it is not particularly good either as, in all truth, it does little to edify, enrich, or even teach the listener anything other than the extent of the speaker’s education and brain capacity. The only time I have been really stirred up and inspired by preaching is when the Gospel story is somehow involved or by testimony. Sometimes I think it must be the little boy in me. I crave the excitement of Gospel times – but not at the expense of missing the audience altogether. William Booth once advised his trainees, “When preaching to Mary and her mother, preach to Mary lest you go over the heads of both of them.”

So it remains today. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

There is my mandate, your mandate, the church’s mandate – “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Theology is man’s invention to translate God’s Word  and the principles set out therein into doctrines and dogma. Please can we get as far away as possible from dogmatic theology that divides us. Can we not concentrate on that which unites us. The new born church at Pentecost had NO theology – they only had Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

That, and that alone, won them 3000 souls to the Lord in one day!! Last Pentecost we probably had thousands of sermons on all sorts of aspects of the day, but very few salvations – if any at all.

Does that say nothing to you at all? Does that fly straight over your head too? Wake up Church – before it’s too late.