Sometimes as a preacher of the Gospel, we encounter what the subject matter of this thread states " A Tough Crowd". Sometimes, this leads to some preachers to compromise the Word of God in order to keep the crowd happy. Big mistake!  I have to disagree. In my opinion, for what it is worth,  the Word of God is a 'double-edged sword' (as has been said) is one that is just as capable of inflicting damage on the user as on the one it is used against. A preacher that fails to deliver the message of God in accordance to the will of God is like King Saul who made a scarfice instead of obedience.

As preachers of the Gospel we can learnt a thing or two from Prophet Malachi whose sermons were directed to a tough audience. Among those in his congregation were the diillusioned, the cynical, the callous, the dishonest, the apathetic, the doubters and skeptics and the truly wicked. Just like the same crowd I encounter on NL. What does a preacher say to this kind of Crowd?

Malachi engaged his audience rhetorically through dialogue in a series of disputations. The prophet's strong rebuke and clever anticipation of his audience's rebuttals hit the mark.

In Malachi 3:16-18 in uncompromising terms(I love this ) THe word of God states:

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said(Amen). In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the name of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.
They will be my people,"says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "On the day I will act in judgement, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God(Truthfully) and those who do not(FAKE).

Prophet Malachi's rhetorical style was a wake-up call that said, "The day of judgement is coming"(4:1).  Brethern, which category will you find yourself? The choice is yours.

God bless

Awon t'oku f'oro kristi
Awon t'o ru agbelebu re,