Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (edited)
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord,
so gross in its impudence, that the most
shortsighted Christian can hardly fail to
notice it. During the past few years this
evil has developed at an alarming rate. It
has worked like leaven until the whole lump
ferments!
The devil has seldom done a more clever thing,
than hinting to the Church that part of their
mission is to provide entertainment for the
people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out the gospel, the Church
has gradually toned down her testimony, then
winked at and excused the frivolities of
the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders.
Now she has adopted them under the plea of
reaching the masses!
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere
spoken of in the Scriptures as a function
of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ
speak of it? "Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature,
and provide amusement for those who do not
relish the gospel." No such words, however,
are to be found.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism
to the teaching and life of Christ and all
His apostles. What was the attitude of the apostolic
Church to the world? "You are the salt
of the world," not the sugar candy;
something the world will spit out, not swallow.
Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and
pleasant elements into His teaching, He would
have been more popular. When "many of
His disciples turned back and no longer followed
Him," I do not hear Him say, "Run
after these people, Peter, and tell them
we will have a different style of service
tomorrow; something short and attractive
with little preaching. We will have a pleasant
evening for the people. Tell them they will
be sure to enjoy it! Be quick, Peter, we
must get the people somehow!" No! Jesus
pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them,
but never sought to amuse them!
In vain will the epistles be searched to
find any trace of the "gospel of amusement."
Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous
by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel
and employed no other weapon.
Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden who found peace through
the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard
to whom the dramatic entertainment had been
God's link in the chain of their conversion,
stand up! There are none to answer! The mission
of amusement produces no converts!
The need of the hour for today's ministry
is earnest spirituality joined with Biblical
doctrine, so understood and felt, that it
sets men on fire.