What is a neglected doctrine in the preaching of American churches today?
Kevin Swanson explains in this video that a missionary recently explained to him that in Uganda, the emphasis of much of the preaching centered around repentance. What needs to happen in America is to prioritize the preaching of a message of repentance.
Churches in America understand the grace of God, but they don’t understand the doctrine of repentance. The Great Commission calls us to preach a Gospel message that includes repentance. We have an imbalance when it comes to preaching a message of repentance.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV) - "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
An American missionary just came back to Uganda and shared a little bit about the ministry in Uganda versus the ministry here in America. He said in Uganda the emphasis is repentance versus faith. In America the emphasis is faith versus repentance. So what really needs to happen in America is a message of repentance. Americans understand a little bit about faith.
They understand the grace of God, but they don't understand the doctrine of repentance. The Great Commission requires us to teach repentance and the remission of sins. This we find in Luke chapter 24. So Jesus commands us to preach the forgiveness of sins, yes, and faith in God's grace in forgiving us these sins, but he also commands us to preach the message of repentance. And if repentance isn't preached effectively equally to the message of the grace of God and the faith that is required of us to embrace Jesus Christ as he's offered to us in the Gospel, then we have an imbalance in the message in American churches.
And I believe there is a serious imbalance, especially when it comes to preaching the message of repentance. You