Brothers, Lead Them to Repentance through Their Pleasure | John Piper

Deep Dive into Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry by John Piper - Brothers, Lead Them to Repentance through Their PleasureDavid Brainerd, an eighteenth-century missionary, made remarkable and counter-intuitive observations about the nature of repentance and contrition during his ministry to American Indian tribes. He found that true remorse was not primarily produced by words of terror or fear-mongering, but rather paradoxically, it grew "in the soil of pleasure."Brainerd observed that his listeners were "much more affected with the comfortable than the dreadful truths of God’s Word." For instance, discoursing on the blessedness of Lazarus in "Abraham's bosom" moved them significantly more than descriptions of the rich man's misery. When he preached about "the fullness and all-sufficiency of Christ’s merits, and his willingness to save all that come to him," many cried out in "anguish of soul" despite "not a word of terror" being spoken. His "tender and melting invitations of the Gospel" deeply pierced their hearts.He concluded that the distress and brokenheartedness many experienced came from realizing they "wanted, and could not obtain, the happiness of the godly." Their grief stemmed from a deep desire for the joy and blessedness associated with God, highlighting that true remorse for sin is a "brokenhearted feeling" for "lacking a life of joy in God," rather than a mere fear of punishment or consequences.In essence, Brainerd's experience demonstrated that genuine evangelical contrition is born from an awakened taste for pleasure in God and His holiness. It is produced when people perceive the "attractive and satisfying nature of God in Christ," leading to a longing for what they perceive as good and joyful, and subsequently, sorrow over their own incongruence with such a treasure. This perspective suggests that effective preaching for repentance should focus on making God and His holiness look alluringly attractive and supremely satisfying.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730