Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
It's not the church they hate but the leaders
There has been a lot of speculation about why people won't go to church these days. One book claims that it is the church people hate, and the author wants to get out the wrecking ball and take down the church as we know it.
I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.
The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.
The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.
One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".
Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.
I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.
The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.
The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.
One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".
Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Four Pillars of the Church
In a day when people are trying to "rediscover" church, or as I say reinvent church, we really need to turn back to the teachings of the book of Acts.
You see it all around, the emerging church, the emergent church, the growth movement, the purpose driven movement. What is a Christian to do, let alone someone exploring Christianity. I think we need to revisit the book of Acts. This passage of Acts gives us insight to what the church should look like, even today. I like to refer to them as the four pillars of the church, the Word, prayer, communion, and fellowship. With these four pillars in place, I feel a church cannot deviate from the paths God has outlined for us. We must mature at Christians, and that can be accomplished when we make sure these four pillars are secure.
In addition, to the church, this is true for our own lives. We must stay in the Word daily as the early church did. Even if it is to meditate on a few verses a day. We must pray daily if not hourly seeking God and his will for our lives. We must fellowship by interacting with other Christians so that we can develop relationships that hold us accountable. Finally, we must participate in communion so we never forget the sacrifice Jesus made for us on that rugged cross.
Please take time to meditate on these four pillars and how they are in your own life and the life of your church.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
You see it all around, the emerging church, the emergent church, the growth movement, the purpose driven movement. What is a Christian to do, let alone someone exploring Christianity. I think we need to revisit the book of Acts. This passage of Acts gives us insight to what the church should look like, even today. I like to refer to them as the four pillars of the church, the Word, prayer, communion, and fellowship. With these four pillars in place, I feel a church cannot deviate from the paths God has outlined for us. We must mature at Christians, and that can be accomplished when we make sure these four pillars are secure.
In addition, to the church, this is true for our own lives. We must stay in the Word daily as the early church did. Even if it is to meditate on a few verses a day. We must pray daily if not hourly seeking God and his will for our lives. We must fellowship by interacting with other Christians so that we can develop relationships that hold us accountable. Finally, we must participate in communion so we never forget the sacrifice Jesus made for us on that rugged cross.
Please take time to meditate on these four pillars and how they are in your own life and the life of your church.
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