"Megashift" is just more regurgitated drivel like the "Purpose Driven" series. The real 'megashift' is the churning of memberships, who leave one congregation and join another, over simple differences such as vision and/or direction.
It's such a blessing to know that particularly overseas
you are just incredibly wrong.
Hmmmmm? My Pastor always said, "Never worry about a wild fire in the church - there will always be a wet blanket to put it out.
And .. "Purpose Driven" isn't a series - it's one book. The series is called: "Left Behind".
And .. I don't worry about people coming or going in a church. That's nothing new and sometimes those who leave your church are really a blessing in disguise.
GOD is preparing the church for the final harvest. People can either get in .. get out .. or get run over.
Could you expound on that? Why are these small differences? I agree that people do choose to leave churches over trivial reasons, but I wonder if vision and direction are one of them.
I can't find my copy, so I still haven't read it.
What do you think about the seeker-friendly model of ministry?
Many in the church today believe that the only way to reach the world is to give the unchurched multitudes what they want. Hundreds of churches have followed precisely that theory, actually surveying unbelievers to learn what it would take to get them to attend.
Subtly the overriding goal is church attendance and worldly acceptability rather than a transformed life. Preaching the Word and boldly confronting sin are seen as archaic, ineffectual means of winning the world. After all, those things actually drive most people away. Why not entice people into the fold by offering what they want, creating a friendly, comfortable environment, and catering to the very desires that constitute their strongest urges? As if we might get them to accept Jesus by somehow making Him more likable or making His message less offensive.
That kind of thinking badly skews the mission of the church. The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto. Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets. It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). We gain nothing but God's displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross.
My complaint is with a philosophy that relegates God and His Word to a subordinate role in the church. I believe it is unbiblical to elevate entertainment over biblical preaching and worship in the church service. And I stand in opposition to those who believe salesmanship can bring people into the kingdom more effectively than a sovereign God. That philosophy has opened the door to worldliness in the church.
For futher study, check out these resources:
Ashamed of the Gospelsoftcover book
The Gospel According to Jesus—softcover book
What is "lordship salvation"? Does it contradict the gospel?
"Jesus is Lord" was the core of the early church's confession of faith, the primary nucleus of truth affirmed by every true Christian (1 Cor. 12:3). "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31, emphasis added). "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9, emphasis added). The lordship of Christ is clearly at the heart of true saving faith.
Nevertheless, many influential voices in contemporary evangelicalism are preaching with great fervor that we should not tell unbelievers they must yield to Christ as Lord. His lordship has nothing to do with the gospel, they claim. They make the preposterous allegation that calling the unsaved to surrender to Christ is tantamount to preaching salvation by works.
The Bible is clear. This is the gospel our Lord sends us forth to proclaim: That Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled himself to die on our behalf. Thus he became the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that he is Lord over all, and he offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to him in humble, repentant faith. This gospel promises nothing to the haughty rebel, but for broken, penitent sinners, it graciously offers everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
For further study on this vital topic, check out these resources:
The Gospel According to Jesus—softcover book
The Gospel According to the Apostles—book (currently out of print)
Hard to Believe—hardcover book or audio series