5 things about the American church that make me sad!

These are simply impressions based on my own observations and experience, so don't get too outraged if you know of some exceptions to these...

1. The rush of "Christians" to twist the scriptures to make them affirm gay marriage. If someone wants to take the stand that we live in a secular culture and gay marriage is none of the church's business and inevitable, I would disagree, but I would not count it as heresy. However, to be so concerned about pleasing the world that you would actually try to take things that are incredibly clear in scriptures and say they mean something completely different is sad, dangerous, and unloving.

2. Youth group culture. I don't blame the youth, but we adults have used fleshly means to attract and keep youth involved in the church and I see nothing positive that has come from it. Once we set the precedent that exposure to the word of God must be linked with pizza, soda and games, I think we have done harm. I know we may draw a bigger crowd by using worldly means, but I see little evidence of that crowd ever making the transition to wanting the word for the word's sake. I wonder how many of the adults who attend church now, but want to do almost anything more than sit under teaching, were kept well fed and entertained during their early church experiences?

3. Preachers using the crucifixion of Jesus as an example of how to deal with our own trials and suffering. The crucifixion of Jesus was a one time event that we cannot relate to at all! We are sinners who deserve God's wrath, Jesus is the sinless Son of God who took that wrath upon Himself at the cross! The cross is about Jesus showing God's perfect holiness, justice and hatred of sin, and at the same time, displaying His love for His people by paying the price for their redemption. Can we learn about how to face suffering from Jesus, of course, but to discuss the cross without stressing the unique God glorifying redemptive purpose of it, is sadly missing the point, no matter how helpful it might seem. Unfortunately, this is not just an Easter sermon problem, the Bible is about the glory of God in redeeming His people, yet that is often completely ignored as people preach countless messages where the Bible is simply used as a moral guide for living better lives.

4. The health and prosperity gospel. In the Bible, the church is often in a state of financial poverty and faced with severe persecution. Are they told that this will change if they have enough faith? No, they are told:

Phil. 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

5. The lack of discernment in "Christian" publishing houses and bookstores. Today we find the internet and bookstore shelves overflowing with ear tickling books that multiply errors and fail to teach sound doctrine, so that these other very sad things that characterize the American church are encouraged, rather than being seen for what they are.

But, praise be to God! None of this has caught God off guard! We have full eternal hope in Him, and during these seemingly sad times, we are simply to continue doing those things He has called us to do.

2 Tim. 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at^[a] His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ 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; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Good insight regarding the book and movie "Heaven is for Real"!

I received several comments from people about their concerns regarding the best selling "Christian" book and newly released movie - Heaven is for Real.

One very good article was sent to me by Amy at Al's Voice. The article is by Nate Akin and can be found here.

You can also see a video from David Platt here and from John MacArthur here.

I think Nate Akin is spot on when he qutoes a passage from the Bible that speaks directly to the problem with this emphasis on the little boys alleged experience. When it is suggested that someone coming back form the dead might convince others to beleive and be saved, God's word speaks plainly about the suficiency and necessity of the scriptures to bing new life -

Luke 16:³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”



"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

 

Fishing with nets or bait?

I was listening to an episode of Fighting for the Faith and was struck by a comment made by the host Chris Rosbrough. This is something I may have heard before and forgotten, and it seems so simple that I am a little embarrassed that it seemed fresh to me now.

Here is a summary -

Basically, in response to an interview of  Rick Warren, where Warren was talking about using bait to attract people in evangelism, Rosebrough reminded his listeners that the apostles fished with nets not bait!

Why is this important?

If we are to use bait to get people to beleive upon Jesus, we might use whatever we think might do the job. If one thing does not work, we can keep trying different things, and of course if some are lingering around, we will likely keep the bait fresh until the day they take it. After that, I suppose we would get those people involved in baiting for more believers, so the atmosphere of the church and evangelism remains a place of bait, in hopes of catching some fish.

Or

We could proclaim the gospel and expect it to net people as God's Spirit works!

This seems to fit with what Jesus taught -

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

John 6:65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

Jesus teaches that the reason we come to believe is because it has been granted by the Father, and it is impossible that we could come any other way, even if the bait is really good, we will by no means believe! When we do believe, it is evidenced by our listening to and following Jesus' words!

So it makes sense that Jesus does not say use bait anywhere, rather He tells us how to cast a net -

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 "Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Incredibly good argument against abortion!

I found this article on bodily autonomy and abortion, by Matt Walsh, to be most excellent. It is a little graphic, but the points he makes on how our freedom to do with our bodies as we wish must be limited, are well worth a read.

Here is a sample quote:

"If my body is autonomous, my person must be autonomous, and if my person is autonomous, then my very existence is autonomous, and if my very existence is autonomous, then it is simply unacceptable and (by your logic) immoral for anyone to expect me to do anything for anyone at any point for any reason."

Wretched Radio on the book of Daniel!

I get very annoyed when people use a passage of scripture out of context and it becomes the newest fad, such as the Jabez Prayer marketing phenomenon of a few years back. People may defend these things by saying it gets people looking at the Bible, but if the end result is they are encouraged in their idolatry, and even think the Bible supports it, then surely we have done harm, not good. If we don't come away from the Bible, with the message the Bible intends, coming to see God's greatness, our sin and Jesus as our only Savior from sin, we have missed the message!

 

Wretched Radio does a good job of exposing one of these fads in the following video -

 

 

Interesting article on lying and love.

I read this article on the Liberation website. See what you think - Is Love Lying?