Why I CAN Learn from Simple Gospel Preachers by Michael Brown for Ask Dr Brown
In the 1980s, my wife Nancy and I were sitting next to each other listening to a well-known Bible teacher. He said, “If people ask you if God is good, show them Nahum 1:7!”
The verse reads, “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” (Nahum 1:7) And it confirms the point the speaker was making: Some people portray God as angry and vengeful. Not true! He is good and only good.
I turned to Nancy and whispered, “Look at Nahum 1:6 and 8.”
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Those verses, which sandwich verse 7, speak of God’s fiery wrath on His enemies. This is an aspect of the Lord’s goodness this speaker wanted to ignore.
Nancy looked at the verses with me and whispered, “It’s no fun sitting next to you.”
I can learn a lot from someone who understands and knows God, whether that person has multiple advanced degrees or whether he or she never made it through high school.
Another time, a guest preacher with a healing ministry was speaking at our home congregation.
At one point in his message, he said, “Turn to the person next to you, and say this Greek word with me.”
Nancy looked at me and I just smiled and shook my head. This dear brother had butchered the Greek.
Again, it wasn’t fun sitting next to me.
Always Encouraging: Testimonies, Fundamental Truths About God and the Gospel
Yet, the truth to be told, I can receive and learn from the simplest gospel preacher, provided that he majors on the majors and doesn’t drift outside of his lane.
Put another way, I can receive from him as he shares what he knows about God and the Word, the things he has lived through and experienced, the things He can affirm as a witness, the fundamental truths of the gospel.
