Thanks kids, and you too, Sam.
As had been so well pointed out by others, Jesus and His disciples were always kind to the nonbeliever, even to going the extra mile to heal those who did not seek Him (
Luke 7:11-15). Compassion, a rare commodity in many of today’s churches.
Now for a heaver hand:
Then, why do we think that someone can only find Jesus in church? At an alter? By the preaching of a licensed minister? Whatever happened to the ministry of the saints?
Why preach hell, damnation and
Acts 2:38 to the Spirit filled children of God? Why preach health and prosperity to these same children, who are told that if they pray enough and give enough and sacrifice enough, they will gain God’s favor and receive all these blessings from God? Why do we teach all of the blessings of Abraham upon the church and never teach on the included curses – when all blessings of God (
Revelation 14:12) are always ‘conditional’, within the context of a covenant?
Why do we always seem to hear preaching about the word of God, but seldom actually hear the word of God taught?
Why do we think that in order to get into heaven we have to scare folks in it? I would love to find the book, chapter and verse that supports that attitude. If a person confesses Jesus Christ out of fear, he is just taking out fire insurance, not acting out of faith based love. It is an action akin to getting baptized without actual repentance – ya just get wet. Does fear have a place in one’s salvation? I hope so, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a Holy God! But, if your salvation is rooted in fear, you will not have a relationship with God based on “love of your God with all of your heart, soul and strength, i.e., you will have missed out the first and greatest of the commandments.
Further, if you missed out on the second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, then you can never love God as He requires, and everything else you attempt to do is a waste of time, effort and energy.
When asked, most church leaders have no understanding of what it means to be a believer in Christ, a follower of Christ, or a disciple of Christ, and why understanding the differences may be critical to one’s salvation. While each of these terms have some shared elements of meaning, their life applications are often vastly different, as demonstrated in the Gospels and the book of Acts.
Why do we think that the Apostle’s doctrine is only what Paul wrote about? Consider, why only few preachers can tell you, with certainty, what all of the other Apostle’s taught in the churches they established and/or visited – using scripture to support their conclusions. Or, thinking that the few letters from Paul, mostly addressing particular church problems, was the sum total of the Apostle’s doctrines. What did Paul teach when he stayed a year or two in some areas? Just what he wrote about in his letters? Guess again.
Fewer still are those who know and teach the difference between biblical doctrines and spiritual instructions, and how they are to work together in a saint’s life. Today, we have preachers/teachers who cannot tell the difference between the doctrines and instructions of men and those of God, or why knowing the difference between them is important – and don’t care to learn. (
Colossians 2:20-22)
The Church of the Holy Feel Good is not where one will find the knowledge of God that is needed to live an overcoming life, rather, only a short time of happy good times. However, when the concerts and floor shows are done, and the obligatory group grope at the ‘altar’ is over, it is most frequently back to the same old same old. Where is the life-changing influence of the Spirit? And, is that experience to be expected at every service?
Then, attending the Church of the Holy Fearful will not result in believers finding piece and contentment in their calling, or being edified or prepared for a personal ministry. When will the church move beyond the milk feeding of repentance from dead works, baptisms and of resurrections, etc? (
Hebrews 6:1-3). The meeting house was design to be a place of fellowship and instruction. The Temple was destroyed, we are now that temple.
It is the saints who were ordained to preach (share) the gospel of the kingdom of God with those around them, and to influence the world, not to just hang out in a county club and listening to the same old series of lectures, dressed up in different clothes each week.
A final note: It is not we who draw the lost into the fold, it is the Spirit of God that draws, not men! We are all called to share what God has done for us (our testimony), and to give the reason for our hope (teach). No preacher, teacher, evangelist or other minister can do that for you! So, as we look around us today we can see the results of our failure as individuals and as the collective body of Christ. We no longer have an impact on our society. We have become ineffectual in our message, we are no longer salt or light to the world, we are hard and cold toward the lost and we render harsh judgments against our breathers, some with whom we will not even associate. Where do these kinds of attitudes leave us in the eyes of God?
Where do we start in correcting our faults, failures, and missteps? At home, within our own hearts.
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