Aaron Berry

Do I tell them what they want to hear or do I tell them the truth?

Sadly, in our culture today, these two options are often mutually exclusive. The truth is hard to hear, so we prefer to hear what we like, even if it’s not what we need. A Pastor is often faced with tension of either preaching the uncomfortable truth of God’s Word or watering it down to make it more agreeable to the listener. 

As it says in 2 Timothy 2:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” The “sound teaching” of God’s Word will almost always run crossgrain to our passions. But if a pastor is to be a faithful minister of the Word, there are many uncomfortable topics that he must be willing to preach.

Before I dive into this list, I need to preface it by establishing two foundational personal commitments: I am committed to the inspiration and the authority of God’s Word. The words written in the Bible are the very words of God (1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim 3:16); therefore, those words carry with it an absolute authority over my life. If you disagree with either of those commitments, you will most likely disagree with my list. 

If you do disagree, let me challenge you with a thought: do you disagree because it isn’t true or because you just don’t like it? I know that’s a temptation in my own heart — reinterpreting the plain meaning of Scripture to make it suit my own desires. There are some really uncomfortable topics in the Bible. But if we believe the Bible truly is God’s Word, we must be ready and willing to submit to it. Here are 10 uncomfortable topics pastors should still preach about:

Photo courtesy: ©Unsplash/Thiago Barletta

Being “poor in spirit” does not mean having a spirit of abjection or wallowing in misery. While it is appropriate for us to have no misconceptions about our own spiritual depravity apart from Jesus, it is inappropriate to elevate self-pity or misery as a virtue.

Prayer is a beautiful and undeserved privilege. What an honor to come to God, bringing our petitions to him. But let us beware of asking “wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”