Why does this teaching matter?
Ravenhill's observation cuts to the heart of modern Christianity's failure. Jesus was crucified because His message threatened the religious establishment and called for total surrender. A gospel that offends no one and demands nothing is not the gospel of Christ — it is a counterfeit that the world happily tolerates.
What did Leonard Ravenhill teach?
"If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."
Speaker: Leonard Ravenhill
Source: Why Revival Tarries, 1959
What does Scripture confirm?
John 7:7
"The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil."
— NKJV
Jesus explains why the world hated Him — He exposed their evil works. A message that never confronts sin will never provoke hatred. If modern preaching is universally popular, it has abandoned Christ's mission.
Luke 9:62
"But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"
— NKJV
Jesus demanded total, irreversible commitment. This is the kind of message that separates true disciples from casual followers — and the kind of message that got Him crucified.
Galatians 1:10
"For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
— NKJV
Paul understood that true gospel preaching is incompatible with people-pleasing. A minister who shapes his message to avoid offense has ceased to serve Christ.