Preaching The Effects

We have seen that right thinking patterns result in healthy behavior.

Teachers want us to have right behavior. The question is: Do they teach the causes or do they teach the effects?

Said another way, “Are preachers teaching causes or effects?” Let’s look at two examples…

The Bible lists the “fruits of the spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

If a pastor spends the sermon time telling you to have peace (for instance), then he is preaching effects. How EXACTLY do you have peace? Do you just keep repeating, “I have peace”? Do you get someone to say it to you? “Have peace. Have PEACE! HAVE PEACE!!!!!” Do you get an abstract answer to let God cause you to have peace?

We now know the answer is “right thinking patterns”. Look again at the list of “fruits” and see how all of these are an effect of right thinking patterns.

Another example is with the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6:14-18.

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”

Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, word of God, and praying in the Spirit are all effects of right thinking patterns…especially if “word of God” means “correctly use the word of God”. People do use the opposite of the four principles of Modeletics™ to incorrectly use the word of God and it does not result in healthy actions and being able to defend themselves from spiritual attack.

Next time you hear a preacher, ask yourself, “What is the cause of the actions I’m being encouraged to demonstrate?”

You will already be asking yourself, “What does this pastor think are the causes?”

If the pastor doesn’t talk about the causes, then you have something completely different to consider…

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