As I look back on the year I ask what happened? A year where the USA became more divided over politics and agendas than I have seen in my life. But maybe I am off and things have long been this way. Political ads for candidates now run all year long, every year. Democrats go to certain churches and republicans to another with little mixing of the two in the same crowds. So which group does Jesus favor? FOX news versus everyone. More people are unemployed than I have ever seen. Things are turning around, we think. But the people do this, not the government. I saw a church I loved split and call it a plant so that the gospel was not damaged. I saw two smaller churches merge and join in the kingdom work because they knew they were better together. Now, more than ever, we need to wrestle with what the church is supposed to look and be like. How are we to be the body of Christ to a world that greatly needs the true King?
I looked up a pastor on YouTube and then followed a crazy trail. Stay with me on this, here we go: "Tony Campolo sermon" which led me to John MacArthur explaining how liberal TC was, then I saw JM explain how Roman Catholics and Billy Graham were wrong about the Bible and that BG said to Robert Schuler that there are many ways to Christ even if people don't know it, then Joyce Meyer says that we are little gods, then James David Manning says that a Joyce Meyer conference brings $60,000,000 a week into the economy, then Joel Osteen was exposed, then the NKJV was exposed and then found out Bible college was unscriptural and wrong, and then the trail went down from there. So I went on another beautiful trail starting with Mark Driscoll where he slams "The Shack" and then describes the 4 Lanes of the Emerging Church, then Rob Bell is slammed by The Way of the Master radio program with Todd Friel, followed by a bunch of other people slamming Rob Bell along with RB defending himself and his church, then Cameron Buettel slams RB some more then R.C. Sproul, Al Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias discuss post-modernism, modernism, liberalism, and the emergent church then Todd Friel exposes Rick Warren, then Rick Warren Tells Us How to Get to Heaven then Oprah is exposed then Brain McLaren "Attacks Hell and Jesus Atonement" and so on, and so on...
Who says the church is full of hypocrites? We are so full of love and get along well with each other. Right?
With all the heresy watchers out there apparently somebody or a lot of someones forgot the kindergarten lesson to play nice with each other? They will know us by our love for one another. There is so much time beating each other up that little time is left for being like Jesus to those who don't know Him. Doctrinal purity is important. But are we doing it how Jesus would? How can we make a huge difference in the world without working together?
What will it take to unify the church of Jesus and be the answer to His prayer in John 17? Can we make things different this year? It is time for those who follow Jesus to be the "00" agents that will take a stand for truth and love. Cooperation amongst the King's kids must become a priority. In 2010 we have to... You fill in the gap. What is God asking you to do as part of the Kingdom?
What makes our churches different than any group that does not have Jesus as its leader? What do we do on Sunday, or any other day, that someone who dislikes Jesus could not do? How is our love, service or power different? What is required of us? Let's do what He commands?
Love God. Love people. Make disciples...in His power and strength. Show us the way Holy Spirit.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
What is wrong with His Church?
I am. The answer is me. G.K. Chesterton responded similarly to a newspaper question asking 'what is wrong with the world.'
Tony Evans, a pastor in TX, quoted these statistics:
If these stats are true, then the church is a mess. Given the above and divorce stats, the church really is a mess. Why? Aren't all these fabulous mega-churches making a difference? Some are. Some might be. But let's all be honest, at least this once, all churches have issues. And churches are the main place attempting to address these problems. Are we helping? How do we tell? If we judge based off attendance or financial giving, does that tell us if a life is changed and there is spiritual health? What if we are measuring the wrong things?
Do you still hear people complaining about there being too many hypocrites in the church? Well, where else are they supposed to be? Where will all of us hypocrites get help? Erwin McManus from a church in L.A. says, "We are all hypocrites in transition." Now that I have your attention I am going to ask you questions you don't want to hear. Read on if you dare.
Christians have churches that focus on theology and kick out those with differing views. There are churches with awesome emotional worship that separate out those that don't have the same gifts as the majority. There are churches for people who don't like church--which means all the other churches are doing it wrong. There are seeker churches that focus on evangelism, then attempt to make disciples out of these catered to spectators. How do you turn entertained consumers into advocates? That is hard work. There are churches for the spiritual but not religious. Really? I still don't know what that means. There are post-modern churches emerging...from what? All the above? If attendance is the measure, only a few are doing church right and MANY are failing. I know of a church that kicked out someone wrestling with the sovereignty of God and if He knows all ahead of time. This same church allows homosexuals to stay while they explore Jesus. Are we doing what Jesus wants?
What if our measuring stick is inaccurate? According to the statistics above, we are off in some serious ways. Christian men are hiding there sexual struggles. Christian families are rearing their kids expecting them to fail, for a while, until they make their faith their own. The USA is sexually out of control, drunk, drugged or violent. Yet our cycles continue. Is the church making the difference for the Kingdom of God that we are supposed to? Are we able to? Do we have the power to?
If what Jesus and the Bible say are possible for followers of Jesus, why is the USA church in such a mess?
I don't know.
I mean, I have some ideas and am looking for answers. Let's look for Jesus together as we seek to find where He wants us to go as He leads His church. This will require great utility, oops, I mean humility. Maybe the church like the culture has become too utilitarian. Is usefulness or love the key? Other ideas? Let's talk and I'll pontificate more later...
Tony Evans, a pastor in TX, quoted these statistics:
- 50% - 60% of Christian men are addicted to pornography; 85% of men 18-30 years old have this addiction
- 90% of teens raised in the church leave the church upon graduating from high school
- 26% of teenage girls 14-19 have at least one sexually transmitted disease
- 1 in 3 adolescent girls is a victim of interpersonal violence
If these stats are true, then the church is a mess. Given the above and divorce stats, the church really is a mess. Why? Aren't all these fabulous mega-churches making a difference? Some are. Some might be. But let's all be honest, at least this once, all churches have issues. And churches are the main place attempting to address these problems. Are we helping? How do we tell? If we judge based off attendance or financial giving, does that tell us if a life is changed and there is spiritual health? What if we are measuring the wrong things?
Do you still hear people complaining about there being too many hypocrites in the church? Well, where else are they supposed to be? Where will all of us hypocrites get help? Erwin McManus from a church in L.A. says, "We are all hypocrites in transition." Now that I have your attention I am going to ask you questions you don't want to hear. Read on if you dare.
Christians have churches that focus on theology and kick out those with differing views. There are churches with awesome emotional worship that separate out those that don't have the same gifts as the majority. There are churches for people who don't like church--which means all the other churches are doing it wrong. There are seeker churches that focus on evangelism, then attempt to make disciples out of these catered to spectators. How do you turn entertained consumers into advocates? That is hard work. There are churches for the spiritual but not religious. Really? I still don't know what that means. There are post-modern churches emerging...from what? All the above? If attendance is the measure, only a few are doing church right and MANY are failing. I know of a church that kicked out someone wrestling with the sovereignty of God and if He knows all ahead of time. This same church allows homosexuals to stay while they explore Jesus. Are we doing what Jesus wants?
What if our measuring stick is inaccurate? According to the statistics above, we are off in some serious ways. Christian men are hiding there sexual struggles. Christian families are rearing their kids expecting them to fail, for a while, until they make their faith their own. The USA is sexually out of control, drunk, drugged or violent. Yet our cycles continue. Is the church making the difference for the Kingdom of God that we are supposed to? Are we able to? Do we have the power to?
If what Jesus and the Bible say are possible for followers of Jesus, why is the USA church in such a mess?
I don't know.
I mean, I have some ideas and am looking for answers. Let's look for Jesus together as we seek to find where He wants us to go as He leads His church. This will require great utility, oops, I mean humility. Maybe the church like the culture has become too utilitarian. Is usefulness or love the key? Other ideas? Let's talk and I'll pontificate more later...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Questions for friends
Why so many with so little and so few with so much?
Why are so many 'artists' heterophobes and marriageophobes and pregnancyophobes?
Why is it a 'right' to kill the unborn and the elderly?
Why does the weather change so much every few hundred years and we think our 3.5% CO2 emissions from all our technology makes a gigantic difference?
Is there such a thing as humility in the USA?
Why is there so little difference between toddlers and teens?
Why do priests do marriage counseling?
Why do people believe in ghosts, use a green light to locate them, but don't seek Jesus?
Why are reality shows popular, when they are just people behaving badly?
Why are public servants not servants?
Why does the government think it can create jobs when their health care plan will eliminate hundreds of thousands and their bailout just prolongs the inevitable for failing car companies?
If socialism prevails with financial redistribution, how long will it take for things to return to the 8% having 80% of the wealth?
Who is really running the government: people or other forces?
What if being politically correct is wrong?
Why does the KKK think Christianity is white and Jews are bad when Jesus was a brown skinned and eyed, black haired Jew?
Why is the evil we do God's fault?
Why is Christmas about stuff other than God becoming man to rescue us from our brokenness?
Why are so many 'artists' heterophobes and marriageophobes and pregnancyophobes?
Why is it a 'right' to kill the unborn and the elderly?
Why does the weather change so much every few hundred years and we think our 3.5% CO2 emissions from all our technology makes a gigantic difference?
Is there such a thing as humility in the USA?
Why is there so little difference between toddlers and teens?
Why do priests do marriage counseling?
Why do people believe in ghosts, use a green light to locate them, but don't seek Jesus?
Why are reality shows popular, when they are just people behaving badly?
Why are public servants not servants?
Why does the government think it can create jobs when their health care plan will eliminate hundreds of thousands and their bailout just prolongs the inevitable for failing car companies?
If socialism prevails with financial redistribution, how long will it take for things to return to the 8% having 80% of the wealth?
Who is really running the government: people or other forces?
What if being politically correct is wrong?
Why does the KKK think Christianity is white and Jews are bad when Jesus was a brown skinned and eyed, black haired Jew?
Why is the evil we do God's fault?
Why is Christmas about stuff other than God becoming man to rescue us from our brokenness?
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