"What is hellfire preaching? Is hellfire preaching biblical?"

Absolutely NOT!

The message of the kingdom is Good News.

We attach fear unto the message to make it legitimate and it also helps control converts.

The message was, "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand", NOT, "Repent, or your going to hell".

What I have come to see it as is a demonstration of the flesh making it look like it has the anointing, as if yelling means it's anointed.

It's like the music in Churches today, it's geared to get the emotions all charged up. They go up and up and up until no one can reach those chords and they attribute that to some anointing because everyone is all fired up.

I have a Pentecostal background and I am all for emotions, but there is a balance and I do think that people need to discern more when it comes to some preacher shooting off his mouth. Is it God? it could be, but nine times out of ten, it's probably just him with a chip on his shoulder and thinking that he is doing God a favour.

I get your point, Approved. Yet I wouldn't speak so against a preacher; as David said, no matter what's wrong with him, he's still the Lord's anointed. There isn't always a one-preacher-fits-all kind of man, and I know that God has really used them to awaken some hardened sinners. Of course, appealing to the emotions isn't right, but that's NOT how they all are--I've been under the preaching of many such who simply preached the word, no frills. Exceptions excepted, I've seen the zeal of the Lord consume these men, not a fleshly carnality. Kind of like how the folks used to come to hear Wesley preach and "watch him burn" and then some of them would catch that fire and go off and others would watch them burn... If you catch what I'm saying, I'm only trying to express that there is a Biblical balance which I've seen preached out in an extraordinary way, to GOD'S glory. God be with you!

savedtoserve

Do you think Noah was mild and soft spoken about the coming judgment? John the Baptist was not a soft spoken preacher. He preached it hot

Some preachers preach hell-fire with tears, like they do not want anyone to go there. I believe this is the biblical way. I forget who it was, but one great preacher said he did not ever want to preach on hell without tears for lost souls.
Then there are those who preach hell-fire like they are glad you are going there. This way is not biblical. On another note, it seems many today do not fear hell and the judgment. It is like a deadness has settled in. Nothing moves some people.

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James

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Oracio

hi, hell preaching and fear has been used on me adnausium. this mindset has never worked in my or anyone elses life. fear hath torment and it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance.love is the power of God on the earth.where do we get the idea that our preaching saves people?unless the Holy Spirit shows up on the scene all you have is a religeous dog and pony show. the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life thru Jesus Christ who conquered sin on the cross for all that believe on Him.repentance is giving the rule of your life to Christ.jimp

IMHO, hellfire and brimstone is a mindset that relies on how “hard” a man preaches, how “loud” a man can be because if not enough people come to the altar, do they ask why God didn’t show up? No, they blame themselves because “they” didn’t do something right. That mindset is so wrong! It’s God who gives the increase. I submit that men have had to come up with these tactics because God left the building.

I have an acquaintance who preaches in the schools (before school) and his main objective is “getting them saved” and seeing those hands raised to ask Christ into their life. He’ll text how many “got saved” that day or week. I used to ask him, “Do you do ANY follow up with them? Do you even know their names so that someone can disciple them? Have you EVER gone back five years later to see how many was walking the walk and still talking the talk?” The answer is no.

I KNOW that he has a burden for the lost but getting the names to check on them later doesn’t seem to be his number one priority (because of that once saved always saved mentality – say a prayer today and be saved tomorrow); his interest is in immediate gratification of those hands being raised so he can tack those numbers on his wall; kind of like notches in his belt.

But friends, I stand as a witness that you do not need altar calls or see hands raised to know people are being converted. If the preacher stops relying on himself and “his” tactics and the let the Holy Spirit do the work, I think we’d have a LOT more died in the wool, changed Christians and lives out there.

But all this is just one mere woman’s opinion!!!

God bless you,
Lisa

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Lisa

sister Lysa, your last comments prove the point that some of us have different understandings on what "hellfire preaching" is and isn't. I would venture to say that many of us who believe it is biblical do not believe there is any need for altar calls when preaching the gospel. The kind of evangelism you described is a huge part of the problem in our churches.
What some of us are advocating is simply preaching the whole counsel of God, both the severity and kindness of God(Rom.11:22), as all the prophets and apostles preached, in the anointing of the Spirit. We simply want to be faithful to God and His Word without sugarcoating or watering down the hard truths or sayings of His Word.

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Oracio

Exactly, Oracio.

Lysa, what you've described is the mindset and methods of the modern church. Perhaps what we're talking about could be termed the "old school, old time" hellfire preaching that is not as prevalent as the modern kind, but is real nonetheless. Also, remember that this is not condemning other preachers, it is just realizing that the Spirit of God convicts and convinces of sin in many different ways. (Bro Allen's preaching really pinned me down, even when I tried to convince myself I was saved. Some time later, I was gloriously converted and I can't forget the influence of his preaching.)

jimp wrote:

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Oracio

... WITH ALL HUMILITY,

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN NEEDED LOVE TO BE SAVED, AND SO DID MARY OUT OF WHOM JESUS CAST OUT SEVEN DEVILS,

BUT, NINEVEH NEEDED A PROCLAMATION OF DOOM, FROM A RUN-AWAY PROPHET LIKE JONAH. THEY NEEDED TO HEAR SOMETHING LIKE "YET FOURTHY DAYS, AND NINEVEH SHALL BE OVERTHROWN."

THE DOCTRINE OF HELL REMAINS AS BIBLICAL AS EVER. IF THERE WAS EVER ANY GENERATION THAT NEEDED TO HEAR IT SERMONIZED TO THEM DAILY, I THINK ITS THIS GENERATION.

WHATEVER, AS THE SCRIPTURES SAY, "WISDOM IS PROFITABLE TO DIRECT" AND WE NEED TO KNOW THE RIGHT MESSAGE FOR THE RIGHT CONGREGATION.THAT'S WHY WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT.

MAY GOD TEACH US TO BE WISE.

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John Ogunjimi