Posted on 10/21/2013 7:46:32 PM PDT by ReformationFan
“It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out.” That stunningly clear sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary Christianity: an impatience with the Word of God.
The sentence above comes from Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today in an essay entitled, “Yawning at the Word.” In just a few hundred words, he captures the tragedy of a church increasingly impatient with and resistant to the reading and preaching of the Bible. We may wince when we read him relate his recent experiences, but we also recognize the ring of truth. Galli was told to cut down on the biblical references in his sermon. “You’ll lose people,” the staff member warned. In a Bible study session on creation, the teacher was requested to come back the next Sunday prepared to take questions at the expense of reading the relevant scriptural texts on the doctrine. Cutting down on the number of Bible verses “would save time and, it was strongly implied, would better hold people’s interest.” As Galli reflected, “Anyone who’s been in the preaching and teaching business knows these are not isolated examples but represent the larger reality.”
(Excerpt) Read more at albertmohler.com ...
Middle aged former hippies, who couldn't carry a tune in a milk pail, standing in front of the congregation banging on tambourines and trying to sing something to the tune of Kumbaya are the key to restoring spirituality in our churches.
My own test is to listen to the presentation and ask who is the main focus of their service.
If it is the Jehovah God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ, they are probably on the right track.
If it is on anything else, it’s not the right place for me. I’ve been to mainstream churches where the focus is squarely on men, not God. Their solutions are of this world.
It is good that churches come together and attempt to solve the needs of this world but they will go astray if they are not focused on teaching and studying God’s word and our relationship with God first and foremost. He is able to meet my needs and He is able to be sufficient in what I lack if I continue to focus on Him and relate with Him.
I was reminded this Sunday that almost all the Ivy League universities began as Christian institutions and they’ve all pretty much shoved God out the door today, producing mostly god-hating liberals who believe first and foremost in socialism and collectivism. They may be great colleges of learning but they have lost their way in terms of their original intent. Likewise, too, our country is headed the same direction.
MANY newer versions omit words, rearrange words that completely change what the scripture is. KJV was the Bible extant for centuries prior to new versions cropping up this century.
Look in newer versions for Acts 8:37 and ponder the differences/omissions.
No disagreement there. Ultimately, it is leading to repentance, forgiveness and trusting in Christ that matters more than what translation is preached.
I’d kill for “a good mix of both”.
Satan has done an effective job of distracting all with the economy and material goods so that the Church of Acts is very tough to attain in most eyes. After all the singing....everyone goes home and snaps back into the ho hum.......
Many just want a social occasion, not a service.
The pastor in the comment #6 isn’t merely “observing.” He’s condemning. And I reject that casual condemnation.
The pastor asked, “Did you notice anything wrong with that church?”
The man replied, “No, what was wrong?”
The pastor stated, “No-one had their Bible with them.”
The pastor passed judgment on the church based on the observation that there were no physical paper-and-ink Bibles in the back of the pews or the hands of the congregants. My point was that fewer and fewer people use printed Bibles; many more are using their iPhones and iPads and Kindles and Nooks and Androids and so on.
Let’s be a bit slower to condemn others. Let’s be a bit slower to condemn an entire church based on a 2-hour cursory observation, that may be misinformed.
I’ve recently learned that the KJV was written in response to the publication of the Geneva Bible. It’s really got a fascinating history. Click to http://genevabible.com/ and scroll to the bottom for background on the Bible that the Pilgrims/Puritans read, that was brought over on the Mayflower.
2 Tim 4:3
Do you know and are able to judge this pastor's heart, his concerns for that congregation, and his gift of discernment based on a few lines in a post on a blog on the internet?
Be very careful my FRiend.
I am not judging, FRiend.
I am advocating *against* that spirit of dismissive judgmentalism.
Indeed, let us both be careful not to damn an entire church based on a 2-hour interaction.
"Were you there that night?"
"Do you know and are able to judge this pastor's heart, his concerns for that congregation, and his gift of discernment based on a few lines in a post on a blog on the internet?"
And let me add another:
What night of the four day(preached 5X) speaking engagement that the pastor had with that church did I attend?
....everyone goes home and snaps back into the ho hum.......
You will find the remnant.
Let’s be a bit slower to condemn others. Let’s be a bit slower to condemn an entire church based on a 2-hour cursory observation, that may be misinformed.
Do you really understand judgment? He is not saying they are going to hell. He is saying “we can do better than this” which is correction.
Read Revelations chapter two and three. See what Jesus says about the church. It is so bad, He is telling us that if we don’t repent and change, He is going to walk away...........
I think you may have meant your comment for someone else ...
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