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The simplicity of the activities pattern in Acts 2.41-42 is the best to stick to...The biggest problem with churches in the US is that the focus is on numbers (i.e., how many folks can we get in the seats) vice focusing on Christ and the Gospel. A couple of months ago, I read Francis Chan's Letters To The Church, and it was quite eye-opening. I felt like he was describing my former church to a tee.
My former church is the biggest one in my county. There is a "main campus" and 6 smaller "campuses" in various parts of the county. The "campuses" meet at junior high or high schools except for the "main campus", which got a building 2 years ago. The pastor at the main campus in the sermon right before the new building opened compared the opening of the new building to him being like Moses leading people to the promised land. I was so offended by that sermon that I almost left for good at that point. This new building is what caused my former church to shift focus on numbers and money. The pressure is on for the other "campuses" to find buildings as well, and the elders won't do it unless they have X amount of people attending on a regular basis. Their cure for more numbers? Let's get rid of the cross so as not to offend newcomers. Let's jazz up the worship band. Prayer requests are responded to with scripted answers by email or text, and they are now phasing out prayer in favor of small groups, with the mentality being why have prayer when we can plug people into small groups? Let me give an example - there is a lady at my former church who is dealing with stage 3 cancer. She put in a prayer request for healing and instead of being prayed for, was given the option of joining a small group instead!
We finally left that church about a month ago, and are now attending a church that is very Christ-centered. It's like a breath of fresh air after seeing how my former church has changed in the last couple of years.
The simplicity of the activities pattern in Acts 2.41-42 is the best to stick to...
Hebrews is a wonderful Epistle which shows so clearly in so many ways how the New Testament order centred on the Person and Work of Christ is better - a keyword - than the Old.And that's a very fair point, @farouk. From my experience, and I realize that some of you here have been going to church and believed longer than me (15 years), but I see the simplicity of church being overanalyzed and made complicated by humans. The temple laws that were in place when Jesus was on Earth are proof of that. Today's church isn't that different from the days of Jesus' time on Earth, except we're obviously not sacrificing animals at an altar.
First comes a believing in His existence and then on toward Him?How do you "believe", if you do not consciously CHOOSE to believe?
The biggest problem with churches in the US is that the focus is on numbers (i.e., how many folks can we get in the seats) vice focusing on Christ and the Gospel.
Same issue in Canada and other countries as well. It's not limited to here, although some would like to look at it this way. The reason Canada is run amok with socialism is due to the failure of the church there.
I lived in Canada for a time. There was very little conservatism noted there, they were sold out to liberalism. As for your argument that warmer climates allow for people to fend for themselves? Venezuela? South America? Cuba? China which is like here? Your argument falls short as these are socialist countries. There are more.Church people here are like American church people. Very conservative. But because we live in a harsher climate the tendency is towards a common health care system...like countries in Scandinavia. Very similar. Warmer countries tend to let people fend for themselves.
Who would decide who can and who cannot get on TV to teach/preach? It is not much different than this forum, except for the money...It's a shame they're allowed on TV to mislead. It reminds me of the verse "the blind leading the blind."
Thank you,but I meant the verse about giving pearls to swine x
Who would decide who can and who cannot get on TV to teach/preach? It is not much different than this forum, except for the money...
In the 19th century Americans started moving west and three institutions went with them. There was vaudeville, traveling entertainment. There was lyceum, traveling education and culture. And there was the itinerant preacher, offering a new style of preaching called "hell fire and brim stone". It was very entertaining, only loosely based on scripture, and pastors didn't even try to compete. Instead they switched to preaching public morality and philosophy. Eventually an entire generation grew up not knowing the first thing about the religion they claimed to believe. That is why most Christian churches don't teach doctrines, and most members don't know what they are supposed to believe.
2 Timothy 4:
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.