Prayer

Pragmatism Rules?

/ Christopher Terry / 1 Comment

Pragmatism has become the god of this age.  If it works, do it.  Regardless of right and wrong, we live in an age dominated with the belief that the end justifies the means.  There is an entire section in Christian bookstores dedicated to church growth.  Rarely, do any of these books deal with prayer and preaching straight biblical truth.  These books deal with discovering what unregenerate people want and then giving it to them so they will come to your church building.  If they find preaching boring…shorten the sermon.  If they find hell offensive…leave it out.  If they want to be inspired …leave out the parts about sin.  We have studied and learned what lost people want and as a result we cater to the lusts of their flesh.  But, they come to churches around the country listening to watered-down preaching and an un-offensive gospel.  If only the apostle Paul knew as much as we do (1 Cor. 1:17).  He said the gospel he preached was offensive to unbelievers and that GOd Himself had to enable lost people to believe it (1 Cor. 1:18-25, 30-31).

I have been sucked into the lie of being more concerned about not offending people than being concerned with not offending God.  I have feared man more than I have feared God.  This is not right.  I have repented of this and asked God to help me to fear Him more than man.  I have asked Him to help me to preach all of His Word and to do it without apology.  Prayer, biblical preaching, and biblical worship are not in style currently.  The truth is that throughout time Satan has attacked these things and believers have been seeking the respect and approval of this world.  Scripture says that we are citizens of heaven.  Christ said that the world would hate us because we belong to Him.  The apostle John said that if you love this world you don’t love God (1 John 2:15-17).  James said that friendship with this world makes one an enemy of God (Jas. 4:4-5).  Scripture says that the world is under the authority and influence of Satan (1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:1-3; 6:10-12).

We have believed the lie that we can convince spiritually dead people who are enemies of God and offended by the gospel to believe in Jesus Christ by speaking our wisdom to them and by entertaining them.  God has chosen the method of believers verbally preaching the gospel to unbelievers and He alone is the one who enables them to believe an offensive gospel message.  We gather as a church to pray, worship, and to sit under the preaching of the Word of God.  As God’s Word is preached to us without apology, it will convict us, anger us, and break us.  It will be uncomfortable at times as God speaks truth into our lives.  God’s Word is essential for evangelizing lost people and for discipling saved people to Christ-likeness.  There is no substitute.

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Disciple or Disinterested?

/ Christopher Terry / Leave a comment

– Are we prepared for the life altering path that Almighty God has prepared for us? For those that have placed their trust in the cross-work of Christ they have been adopted into the family of God. Those individuals together make up the body of Christ. This is a unique privilege for those known as Christ-followers to be a part of the universal body of Christ. But the question remains, are we prepared for the life altering path that Almighty God has prepared for us?
Those Christ followers in Acts 2 lived out the instructions of Jesus through the enablement of the Holy Spirit. The community of believers garnered a great deal of attentioni, though none of them pursued it. The body as a whole prioritized: learning God’s teaching through the apostles, fellowship (mutual encouragement), communion (Christ’s command being honored), and prayer (communication, which is the life line between God’s people and Himself). They continually devoted themselves to these very important matters. The social classes faded away (or at least poverty did for the time) because of the love of God being shared among the Christ followers. They maintained the unity of the Spirit (with one mind). They practiced hospitality (from house to house). They worshiped (praising God). They also multiplied because these believers exemplified Christ and shared the good news about Him (day by day).
– Do we desire Acts 2 living? It sounds pretty simplistic! Will we “buy in” if we can complicate it? It also sounds very outwardly focused. Will we want to “emulate it” if we can benefit more from it personally? It also sounds very successful. This we want to have. We want the numbers and the attention without all the other stuff that actually made it happen.
1) We don’t want God’s teaching – At least not if it will take a lot of time or effort on my part. Oh, and I don’t want to have to adjust my life to it. Give me something that will make me feel good (not something that will make me holy).
2) We don’t want fellowship – At least not the biblical kind. It takes a lot of timeand walking in the Spirit to fellowship. Also it really takes away from my time to gossip and criticize others (if I am practicing biblical fellowship).
3) We don’t want communion – It isn’t that exciting and to tell you the truth it kind of makes me fell bad. So why would I want to be a part of that, when it doesn’t help me? Oh, and another thing, usually they do it on Sunday night and I am too tired to go to church at that time of night.

4) We don’t want prayer – Prayer really takes a lot of time and I don’t really like anyone at church anway (at least not enough to pray for them). And the pastor is always asking us to pray for lost people! I don’t know any lost people and why should I care anyway, I’m going to heaven. And the pastor usually asks us to pray for spiritual growth. Are you kidding? That stuff usually hurts and I’m happy where I am at anyway.

This is the usual sentiment of most people claiming to be Christ followers. Anyone who is acquainted with the biblical text recognizes that this is not a biblical mindset. The church in America is possibly affected more by its culture, than the church has been affected since the Day of Pentecost. This is not for its benefit that this has happened. How can a church be separate from the world in its doctrinal statement, and yet be a clone in practice?

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