| If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. | |
My goal as a senior pastor is not to have a big church; it is to have a strong church—and even more to the point, a biblical church. Having said that, there should be church growth, and I think the best kind of growth is through the addition of new believers.
A trend in a lot of churches today is to be relevant to the culture, so they are trying to do everything they can to connect. I am all for relevance. However, I do not believe in relevance at the expense of reverence. This is still the church. And when I stand up to speak, I am not there to entertain or to give my personal philosophy or political views. I am there to teach the Word of God and to call people to Jesus Christ.
I think sometimes we are trying so hard to be cool that we have forgotten how to be biblical. Let’s keep the integrity of our message intact.
Greg Laurie
I read this devotional today and thought that truer words have not been spoken. My next thought was related to Greg Laurie’s statement in this devotional that,
“A trend in a lot of churches today is to be relevant to the culture, so they are trying to do everything they can to connect.”
Now while I am all for connecting with people in whatever ways we can as a church body, that does not include doing things that are clearly un-biblical!
For one, teaching that God wants you to “have it all baby”, insert prosperity gospel teaching here, that is wrong. God does not want to give you all things! If you had everything your heart desired, what would you want God for? God promised the Christian life would be a hard act to follow, but but well worth it. God promised to bless us…He did not promise to give us gazillions of dollars, nice cars, and big houses. Yes some of us will have those things, not all.
Another one that gets me…the use of foul language from the pulpit! It helps people to “relate” Really??? Are you serious here? How about Paul’s teaching on not using foul language, only saying what is useful to build people up and edify them(the church)?
When Paul said that he became like whatever people group he was trying to reach, he did not mean to completely turn yourself into those people. Paul tried to reach the Pharisees with the Gospel. Paul used to be a legalistic person, so he could relate to them on that level, it does not mean that he himself became legalistic. I used to drink…a lot. So I can relate to the people who do so, I can talk their language, that does not mean I’m going to go get drunk with them!
Today’s church goes to far in trying to blend in…if the church itself blends in so well with the world that people can’t see a big difference between the “church” and the “world”…is the church all that much different from the world that is not to be a part of?
The church needs to relate any way possible to today’s world and the people in it, but it cannot do so to the point of compromising the Gospel. A church needs to be a church, and stand on the same biblical values the original church did. It is one thing to offer to help people that are lost in their sins, while making it clear they won’t be judged, but helped…it is a whole different thing to modify the teachings of the bible so as not to “offend” anyone.
When I go to church, I don’t want some “feel good phony baloney”, I want to hear the truth!
Related articles Faith Child – No Reverence or Relevance
Cite Simon – http://citesimon.com/2012/04/16/why-church-inc-is-a-bad-idea/
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Bless you zillions of times over for your stance here about what churches should in today’s world.
You ended so brilliantly with these words:
“A church needs to be a church, and stand on the same biblical values the original church did. It is one thing to offer to help people that are lost in their sins, while making it clear they won’t be judged, but helped…it is a whole different thing to modify the teachings of the bible so as not to “offend” anyone.”
This is exactly what our own church is rediscovering for our own identity in this town.
We MUST be truth-tellers, not entertainers.
Just doing what we all should! Thank you granbee.
It is good your church is rediscovering this, it is essential as you know. 🙂
Pingback: Rediscover the Church | ChristianBlessings | churchgrowthissues.com
Repulsive – the use of magic in church to draw the unbelieving…pharaohs trying to bring spiritually blind into deeper spiritual captivity so blatantly in deception in His name, and it is happening in churches in Singapore, I do not know about elsewhere. It must grieve the great heart of the Father. So sad.
Yes many things are used to draw people, and many of them are false and some downright disgusting. New Christians are especially vulnerable to wolves in sheeps clothing, and people who have been deeply hurt.
I would pray that people’s eyes are opened to the Truth. Thank God for sound teaching, and people who care.
Blessings to you as you work to minister to so many here and elsewhere.
Greg