Faith
Along a different vein…since my church Kindred Community Church continues its quest for a Sr. Pastor…something that weighs heavily on my mind is making sure that the man that God brings to us is rooted and grounded in the Word of God. That he is uncompromising in acknowledging the inerrancy of scripture. That the gospel message is preached boldly as it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. That the full council of God is preached. It scares me spitless to think that we could go down that road and fall into the pit that so many churches are…being “seeker sensitive”.
Watering down or dumbing down the gospel message and the Word of God. Preaching and teaching banquet style…picking and choosing that which the congregation finds appealing. Messages and worship songs that are man centered, not God centered. Churches that are unwilling and unable to call sin, sin…but instead call it a mistake.
Preachers that are worried about how someone is going to feel when they are called a sinner, dead in their sin, in need of forgiveness through Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross. Those who are worried how intolerant Jesus sounded when he clearly stated “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Churches that don’t want to risk telling people the bad news that they are dead in their sins and unable to save themselves. How in the world can you tell someone the good news of the gospel message, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God…when they don’t even know why they need a Savior?
I know first hand the destructive influence that results from NOT preaching and teaching the full council of the Word of God. It impacts the human heart. The heart…which God declares as deceitful above all things. I guess when it comes down to it…am I going to believe what God says in his Word about me? Or am I going to choose to believe what man has to say?
One rule of thumb…if you drive up to a church…and the folks are walking in and not carrying their Bible for Sunday morning service…turn around and leave.
This subject is a passion of mine. But even so…I’m not sure how much God wants me to write on this subject? How specific does he want me to be. Obviously there is only one standard and that is the Word of God. What I say is irrelevant if it doesn’t line up with scripture. The Bible is the gold standard.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 779 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Susan Bunts Wachtel or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 779 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.
I so appreciate your heart and courage to pen this; in this day of relative truth arm wrestling with experientialism to see who will take on objective truth in the semi-finals, it seems that the Absolute Truth of His word has been left in the locker room. The double standard is crippling, as you know, and do our hearts grieve because of it? I see that yours does.
However, in all fairness, should I arrive at a church and not see a single bible I may well be told to "remain" and be the salt and light for their sake and the sake of His name. I would caution you to not tell people to "run for the hills" based on what they do or do not see; but rather on a "hearing Him" above all else. We walk by faith, not by sight, you know this. (I am never seen carrying my bible into church. Why? It's on my Palm Pilot, which is in my back pocket) With all due respect; you have wandered into a subtle form of being seeker sensitive as well. "If I don't see this or that in a church, then I will run for the hills." What if He tells you to stay but doesn't tell you why? Nevermind that THEY are seeker sensitive; rather, let's determine before the Lord to be seekers that are sensitive to Him and stay in a church where not a soul comes with bible in hand. YOU may be the bible He wants them to read.
Speaking quite forwardly; to "run for the hills" is actually a subtly selfish form of self preservation and a guarding of self interest and a preserving of a self righteousness, because "I do bring my bible to church and they don't" How rapidly you now send me a private message defending yourself may serve to show you just how alive "self" still is; it's a journey we all share and one in which compassion for others will flourish or wither; it's now up to you.