Churches continue to disband, merge

Springfield News-Sun ^ | September 18, 2012 | Mark Fahey

[Lera]

This works. I moved from Presbyterian to a very conservative SBC church because of the social Gospel cant from the pulpit. It was a good move but I have found that the SBC is out and about in the community doing things for people every day, much more so than in my old church. The difference is that we do it to bring more people to Jesus rather than believing that Salvation is through social action (the heart and soul of the Social Gospel movement).
It works.


On the first Sunday following the tragedy of September 11, 2001 Carter Conlon delivered this soul stirring message at Times Square Church in Manhattan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A6lWl_XzKA

Listen to me like you’ve never listened to me ever in your life.

We have got to lay our lives down for the purposes of God.
This is not a Sunday School picnic, the church of Jesus Christ.
This is not an invitation to have continuous good times. This is a war for the souls of men.

Come out from among them.
Run for your life. Because this is about your life.
This is not just about an opposing theology or conflicting viewpoint on Jesus, this is about your life.

My mind is forever branded with the stories that I heard of police officers from the city of New York.
As people were fleeing from a crumbling building there were police officers and firemen and others that were running towards the buildings saying “Run for your life,” at their own peril. And in some cases I believe they knew they were going to die but there was a sense of duty.

I was crying out to God, I said “God, oh Jesus, don’t let my sense of duty be less for Your Kingdom than these beloved firemen and policemen were for those that are perishing in a falling tower. We’re living in a generation when Truth is falling into the streets. I want to be among those that are not running away from the conflict but running into the conflict and saying, “Run for your life.”
Run from gospels that focus only on success and prosperity. Run!
Run from those who use the name of Christ only for personal gain.
Run from those that are picking your pocket in the name of Jesus. Run!

Run from gospels that only focus on self improvement. Run!
Run from churches where men and not Christ are glorified. Run!

Run Body of Christ, Run! Get out! Don’t touch the unclean thing.
Run from churches in America and Canada where there is no Bible ,there’s no cross in the theology ,there’s no soul-searching word ,there’s no repentance from sin ,there’s no mention of the blood of Jesus.
Run! It’s unclean. Run!

Run from churches where you’re comfortable in your sins.
If you come into the house of God and you’ve got sin in your life and you’re not convicted of it, you’re at a table of devils.

Run from pulpits that are filled with political men, who are using the pulpit of God for a personal political agenda. Run!
Run from those who preach division between races and cultures. Run!

Run! Get out! Turn it off! Get away from it!
They know nothing of God.

Run from ungodly spasmodic movements and aimless empty prophesying. Beloved Church, run for your life.
Run from preachers that stand and tell stories and jokes. Run like you’ve never run before!
RUN!RUN!RUN!