Posted on 12/03/2014 2:35:51 PM PST by Maudeen
Contrasts between the confessing church and the compromising church.
1. In the confessing church, Christ is over culture. The compromising church accommodates Christ to culture. The confessing church believes Jesus is Lord over all creation.
2. The confessing church holds fast to the Word of God in spite of opposition. The compromising church alters the Word of God because of opposition.
3. The confessing church puts the kingdom of God above their culture and ethnicity. The compromising church puts their ethnicity before the kingdom of God.
4. The confessing church alters their methods of preaching. The compromising church alters the message they preach.
5. The confessing church is a remnant in the minority of church and state. The compromising church wants to be in the mainstream of both church and state. The confessing church endures long seasons of feeling like aliens and strangers in their own communities. The compromising church wants to be in the mainstream of culture more than living in the divine flow of God's favor and presence.
6. The confessing church is penalized by the state government. The compromising church is applauded by the state government.
7. The confessing church prophetically speaks truth to power. The compromising church conforms to those in power. The confessing church knows that at various seasons in their existence they will not gain a lot of converts and/or experience societal transformation.
8. The confessing church desires the praise of God. The compromising church desires the praise of men. Ultimately at the end of the day it boils down to this: Are we living for the praise of men or the praise of God?
(Excerpt) Read more at prophecynewswatch.com ...
Had to cut out some good stuff to make the excerpt fit. Hope you will go to the link. I think it offers a good read for all involved in the leadership of a church as well as members to know if the church is confessing or compromising.
Are you a convicted Christian?
Or asked another way, is there enough evidence that you are a Christian to convict you in a court of law (if being a Christian was illegal)?
Many good points here, but in all honesty, most of the so-called "Churches" do not believe Jesus is "Lord" over all. They believe in free will and self-determination. So, which side is your "church" on?
Your assumption suggests that if your church or denomination “fits” the “compromising” model (and all do to some extent) you should leave it and join a “confessing” church which stands by the orthodoxy of its theology. It, to my mind, is better to stay with the content of your personal faith in a compromising church than to change the nature of your faith to accommodate the orthodoxy of a confessing church.
Very good article!
5 and 7 are double, so a total of 10 signs given here. Ultimately the Holy Spirit builds the Church when and where it pleases God. There is no Christian Church apart from the merits and righteousness of the crucified and risen Christ applied to those who believe on His Name. To be sure, there are other churches of all kinds, but those will fade away.
If...
At this point we might be in the middle which is a dangerous thing. I thought the article was good in that it causes people to personally assess their respective situation.
http://www.persecution.com/idop Only one minute and 7 seconds long.
You might show this to your congregation like I did during persecuted Christian week. You could hear a pin drop in the sanctuary.
I just posted the article because I thought the points were thought provoking and that most people in my opinion are not thinking what “kind” of church/Christian they are sitting in the pews Sunday after Sunday or Saturday after Saturday.
The late D. James Kennedy preached an excellent sermon on that very topic.
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