The Christians are supposed to go into the world and preach the gospel, but they can’t do so as effectively because they are starving spiritually. Pastors have by and large sold themselves out to appeal to the unsaved and the world. The bible says that being a friend to the world is being an enemy of God. Too many church leaders are following the examples of men and not the leading of the Holy Spirit. They follow men like Rick Warren, who preaches a dangerous gospel that turns out nothing but shallow rooted believers whose faith will scorch at the first test of life. The bible says we are created for God’s pleasure. Rick Warren says that as long as you are doing what you are designed to do then you are making God smile. I say WRONG rick, without the Blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses your soul from Sin you are going to HELL. Pastors are afraid of mentioning SIN, HELL, REPENTENCE, GRACE, and BLOOD of JESUS; because it might offend the delicate ears of the so called seekers that they need to come in and start tithing.
That’s all I am seeing from too many of today’s Pastors; sermons about finances, relationships, family, sex and stress. Nothing that gives people the boldness to go out into the world and proclaim that they have been Saved and redeemed and set free from sin and death and now have an eternal place in Heaven. They are instead to busy going to small group to play board games, or coming to church to have a class on Money taught on tape by Dave Ramsey. They are not out winning souls, and the church isn’t doing any better. There will be a lot of rude awakenings when people who thought they were saved die and they don’t have anything written in the Lambs book of life. There will be a lot of pastors who have that same wake up. Teachers will be held to a higher standard. I hear all the time about how the Spirit is laying stuff on my heart and so forth and so on and all it is, is the pastor building his own empire. Growth is the only thing that matters to them, but the people never ever are given a grasp of the real and genuine Jesus as their Savior.
Pastors need to stop building their empire and start training and mobilizing the army of God to go preach to the lost. They need to stop worrying about the their paychecks and the building the next phase of their 15 million dollar building complete with basketball courts, weight room, library, school, café and social gathering spot and get to work building the kingdom that never parishes or fades, because the time is short.
The emergent church is a teaching that has abandoned the true gospel. Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and others are preaching FALSE gospel. It’s plain in scripture that in the last days there will be many false teachers, and these are examples. It is also in scripture that being a friend with the world is to be an enemy of God. These men make so qualms about being friendly with the world.
I pray God will bless and you and that you will always follow the agenda of Jesus and never ever the agenda of any man. Don’t let the people starve!!!!!!
Is there not danger in church period? I appreciate the emerging churches effort to be proactive, for taking risks. Along with the many books, blogs, and speaking tours, they are actually doing things. They are engaging people who would never step into the local church on the corner. You can speak about “Sin, Hell, Repentance….” all you want, but if it is to the same group of people each week….what difference does it make?
By: bluelikeelvis on June 26, 2008
at 8:39 pm
The point is the emerging church doesnt teach those things to anyone. They disregard so they do not offend people.
the church should be equipped to reach those people who would never step foot into church by going out and reaching them
not by modulating the church to draw them in.
By: pastorofmuppets on June 26, 2008
at 8:58 pm
My point being is that the local church (long sweeping, broad brush) typically does a poor job of “going out and reaching them.” The local church seems to put a large emphasis on programs, making the church more of a social club than anything else. I appreciate the emerging church for engaging people, making them ask questions. These things spur spiritual growth. I’m a big supporter of the local church (and employed by a small neighborhood church). I just want the church to replace their inward focus with an outward focus of changing the community (advancing the gospel), no matter what that looks like.
By: bluelikeelvis on June 26, 2008
at 9:04 pm
I agree completely
the local church does a very poor job
but IMO that has a lot to do with the poor job the the leadership has done in training them to be the army of God they are supposed to be. Unsaved people need to be engaged and talked to, but without watering down the message and without compromise. I especially agree with your last statement, as long as once again the full and true and complete gospel.
By: pastorofmuppets on June 26, 2008
at 9:52 pm
I agree that the local church does need to do more to reach out in their local communities. However, not at the expense of the Truth of the Gospel. Engaging people that would never come into a local church is fine, but at what point do you start talking to them about sin, hell, repentance? It seems that these topics are not even in their vocabulary, so what they are talking about is not going to lead people to Christ. Jesus said, unless there is true repentance, there can be not salvation. The
Lord Jesus had plenty to say about REPENTANCE–
Luke 5:32 “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to REPENTANCE.”
Luke 24:47 …[Jesus said to them] that REPENTANCE and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Mark 1:15 …”The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT ye, AND BELIEVE the gospel.”
After several years of preaching a “social gospel”, Jesus, hell, repentance, sin, etc. will be totally absent from the church. At that point you no longer have a church, but a giant social club.
By: Dave Roekle on July 10, 2008
at 1:09 am