MARK JOHNSTON DROPS THE BOMB....The Aftermath
 

Still pondering the message given by Mark Johnston on Saturday night at GC Tampa and I can’t help wonder about all of this…

Here we have an organization that is over 60 years old and God speaks to the constituency through this man of God:

An the underlying message is:

1- You are seeking the best seats at GC in order to be noticed…

2- Stop seeking celebrity status (your attitude is wrong and focus is misplaced)

3- You care too much about your image and the cars you are driving in

In summary, you are carnal-minded.

After 60 years should this type of message still be preached? Is this reflective of its spiritual maturity? After 60 yrs, it still needs to be fed milk as babes and be told to grow up spiritually? After 60 yrs, shouldn’t meat be on its plates…but no, instead, God speaks to the constituency through the mouth of this preacher telling it to grow up.

Does this turn on the light bulb for anyone? What is this? Why is it necessary to be hearing this type of message if it is not reflective of a poor state?


Just wondering….

ummm this is like the 3rd thread on this J rock


but okay i'm okay with it post away

A church is made of people. People are full of problems. At all ages and times.

Jesus had a message to the seven churches in Asia in which he commended them for their faithfulness and good works etc., and yet in the same breath rebuked them for their negligence and errors.

We all need our jaws jacked every once in a while.

Sounds like he is preaching humility.
If the shoe fits.....

Otherwise it sounds like a good message.

When you think you don't need a message like this, it's probably more of an indication that you do need it...

Agreed.

MJ probably would have rather preached any other message on the "grandest stage of them all" but chose to preach what God told him to preach. Having been there in person...and experiencing the aftermath of his sermon....no music, no fanfare, no words...just ministers by the thousands coming down and burying their face on the ground.

There are people within this organization that are more focused on appealing to the "brethren" than making an impact on their community and in their church. How many ministers are out there are neglecting their churches so that they could be known in the UPC?

Typical OP sackcloth and ashes preaching, that has been the stable for 60 years. It is easier to rant and rave at the saints than it is to set a true definitive vision. That is one reason I left the OP fellowship, no true direction, no continuing training or practical training just continual general rant and rave about how no one is doing anything right. It fills the alters with the saints but leaves them empty, general shotgun preaching that produces absolutely nothing. JMHO

How about a systematic teaching that has some real goals of discipleship, where after a few years the pew actually matures into full grown image of Jesus. This rant and raving raises the emotions but afterward leaves the hearers worse off than before.

To listen to this kind of preaching that I guess was directed at the ministry, you would think they were a bunch of heathen and reprobates!

But this message was aimed at ministers, those in leadership roles not the church...and they (leaders) should not be having these kind of problems as a whole, as a group. God put this on his heart to speak because of something he must be observing as a problem within the leadership, no? After 60 years, should leadership be dealing with this immature problem?


Hebrews 5 said it best: "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness."

When you think it is fine for leadership to be getting this kind of message, it's probably indicative of someone trivializing the matter and sweeping it underneath the rug and pretending it does not exist.

Well, that's a positive response. I wonder how effective this all is in creating lasting change. Or is it business as usual after the tears dry up?