Posted on 04/23/2022 3:08:57 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
[T]oday’s churches are increasingly offering the same get-out-of-hell-free cards the culture offers; whatever you do is good because you are being "true to yourself" and are "following your heart" and "your truth."
That is not Christianity; that is enhanced 60’s hedonism. Want to be gay? Why not? Want to be a woman, just shave, grow long hair, take hormones, dress up, wear padded bras, and join the Navy and the women's curling team. Want to mess with little kids? Have at it, but make sure parents don’t find out. Want to be an anti-white racist, a cop-hater, a Marxist, or a corrupt pro-Russia politician with a job that pays hundreds of thousands of dollars a month because daddy lives in the White House? Go for it. Want to make personal happiness your priority? Why not? After all, what is more important than being happy? Want to avoid being insulted or suffering any form of anxiety? We will move heaven and earth to give you that safe space. Want to shut people up you disagree with? Great, happy to close down our business or website because your delicate sensibilities are offended. Want to deny that Satan exists? Better still. In fact, best.
Too many of our churches have watered down Christianity into a church of cowards, too cowed to speak up. They are told that "Jesus would never behave that way." Jesus behaved exactly that way. He was strong, not wimpy. He got angry, He didn’t slink away when confronted with disbelief and evil. He challenged His followers to give up everything for Him, to be strong and courageous, not to wuss out. He went to the cross for fallen, sinful human beings and never shrank from His mission like many of today’s churches are doing.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I agree that all of the indiscretions of the catholic church driving people away. However, if the leaders of those churches are guilting people to do what the government says to do, even if it against our will. They are no longer religious organizations, they are merely mouthpieces for the government. My relationship with Jesus Christ remains wonderful. my relationship with the church is gone,
Amen
Very instructive. Thanks.
I agree with every word you wrote. Spot on.
How does a pastor balance the need for people to be able to hear the word so that the holy spirit can change them without causing them to close their ears
The job description is to find His sheep by speaking God’s word which is offensive to many.
Sounds a whole lot like our government...
What we need is a national movement to get the Ten Commandments put back into our schools.. It's a small thing, but it would be a good start...
“..Here is real event: couple comes to church and is met by church member at the entrance who knows they are unmarried and living together. The member scolds them for their lifestyle and the couple leave never having heard a sermon or prayer...”
Yep. Seen it many times too.
Not our job to remove the speck from someone else’s eye when there is a log in ours. That’s the Lord’s job.
We greet them at the door, fully and sincerely welcome em, help em get seated, feel at home, etc....and let the Holy Ghost do the rest. I can practically assure you by the end of one of our services, they are gonna 1) Repent right then and there 2)Leave, and possibly come back after the Lord works on em awhile or 3)Never come back. The point is: no one has to accuse anyone of anything...just let God, be God.
The Lord will never impose Himself on the freewill of mankind, but He will definitely show em the Way if the heart is willing.
Jesus placed his teachings. To the scribes and pharisees who should know better he was very direct. To his inner circle he explained parables and revealed deeper things. To sinners he would join them in dinner, listen and gently tell them they were loved and to go and and sin no more.
Even Paul would meet people where they were, establish a relationship and build from there.
Even Paul would meet people where they were, establish a relationship and build from there.
Our job is to speak the truth and shake the dust from those that don’t want to hear. Camp with those that have ears.
The mission is FIND HIS SHEEP.
Noticing that someone is living openly in sin is not legalism.
My dentist puts me in a comfortable chair, explains the procedure and gives me novocaine before doing the root canal.
People who dont understand sin and its eternal effect also need preparation before doing a root canal on their souls.
My dentist puts me in a comfortable chair, explains the procedure and gives me novocaine before doing the root canal.
People who dont understand sin and its eternal effect also need preparation before doing a root canal on their souls.
God’s word offensive to many.
Don’t sugar coat things. speak the truth. sugar coating is the problem and the point of the article.
If you are offending people, you are over the target. The point is not to offend but if you Are speaking the truth they will be offended. ARE YOU OFFENDING ANYONE BY SPEAKING THE TRUTH?
Find the sheep, shake the dust from those that don’t have ears.
This has probably offended you.........................
No, I am not offended.
I am a new minister who at 67 is assuming a role I never expected to be assuming. God has told me to lead the people in our church and certain events since then have placed me in that position. Very unexpected and very much like how God works.
I am not ashamed of anything in the bible and believe it is imperative on me to tell what it says, not what I wish it said or what the people want to hear.
However, I know that Satan does not want unchurched to hear the Word and uses any device to keep the sheep away including condemnation.
This thread has been one device for me to process my own thoughts and feelings about how to reach others who the world is telling that they are not sinners and still be true to God’s word.
I think it is first a heart issue that balances two aspects of sin. The first is that I (and the rest of the church) have to have the same compassion and love that God reveals in John 3:16 and at the same time teach what Jesus taught on the sermon on the mount that we are all sinners who need a savior no matter how good we think we are.
When I was a nonchristian attending church services, I was trying to find out what the teaching was, what it was based on, how to figure out its truthfulness with respect to other teachings, basically get at the facts.
I asked an usher what the purpose of all this singing and other stuff was. He said, joyfully, “Worship!” The thing is, I wasn’t there to worship. I was there to find out. It took a lot of digging and very little of what I ran into at church was helpful. But the books on apo-logos helped me a lot, as well as simple books on historicity.
And then, when I was a regular worshipper I ran into [and continue to run into] people who worship but never answered any of those questions about Jesus, Who He is, why He was put to death, almost none of it examined. In many ways an embracing of ignorance, accompanied with plenty of arrogance & misplaced judgementalism towards those who do investigate. It’s almost like these people never read what the Bereans did when Paul preached to them.
I went to quite a few of his concerts, years ago.
No, I am not offended.
But think of your mission as to find the sheep. They will hear Gods word; they know His voice. Don’t think you need to find a strategy. Speak God’s word, not your word.
Now, I will attempt to follow my own advice.............
I’m not so much looking for a strategy as I am a mindset and a foundation to stand on. Thanks for your input, it helps me to center my thoughts.
Some of what you describe is left/right brain stuff. There are many ways the Holy Spirit works on us.
My wife “just knows” while I on the other hand think doubting Thomas was too quick to accept the evidence. We eventually both end up in the same place, she eventually learns the “why” and I eventually “just know”.
I don’t see it as left brain/right brain. I see it as simple common sense.
If it IS left brain/right brain then where are the ministers of the gospel for catering to left brainers? After all, Jesus didn’t deny Thomas nor the 500 from seeing Him after He resurrected.
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