A great teacher always used to tell his students that their one aim as preachers must be "to speak a good word for Jesus Christ" and it was said of another great saint that wherever his conversation began it cut straight across country to Jesus Christ. (iii) To that end his aim is to set Jesus Christ before them. The ultimate note of the Christian message is joy. But after the sense of sin has been produced, men must be led to the Saviour in whom sins are all forgiven. It is quite true that often the aim of the preacher and the teacher must be to awaken a godly sorrow which will lead to a true repentance. A message whose only effect is to depress and to discourage those who hear it has stopped halfway. (ii) It is his wish to bring his people joy ( 1 John 1:4), Joy is the essence of Christianity. The Christian message can be summed up as having two great aims-love for men and love for God. Any message which is productive of division is a false message. The pastor's aim must always be to bring men closer to one another and closer to God. (i) It is his wish to produce fellowship with men and fellowship with God ( 1 John 1:3). And here at the very beginning of his letter John sets down his objects in writing to his people. He wishes to produce some effect in the minds and hearts and lives of those to whom his message is addressed. And we are writing these things to you that your joy may be completed.Įvery man, when he sits down to write a letter or rises to preach a sermon, has some object in view. It is about what we saw and heard that we are bringing the message to you, that you too may have fellowship with us, for our fellowship is with the Father and with Jesus Christ, the Son. (And the life appeared to us, and we saw it, and testify to it and we are now bringing you the message of this eternal life, which was with the Father and which appeared to us). It is about the word of life that we are telling you. 1:1-4 What we are telling you about is that which was from the beginning, that which we heard, that which we saw with our eyes, that which we gazed upon, and which our hands touched.
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