First, my apologies for taking a hiatus from writing the past two weeks. I have priorities, and must meet them...I went fishing at Lake Erie last Monday and was picnicking and fishing this past Memorial Day, but I will do my best to 'catch' up.
Having studied church practices and church preaching, let us now turn towards church pretenders.
What I mean by 'church pretenders' are organizations that say they are a church, but fail to meet our Lord's guidelines in actually being a church. There are many (too many) religious organizations that claim to be a church, but being a church is more than steeples, stain glassed windows, and a sign. There are many places claiming to be a place that 'changes lives and sets people free,
but few that hold to doctrine and the Truths of God's Word. Recently, a church member asked me "How to deal with and speak to someone from a non-denominational church." They gave me the name of the 'church' they attended and I began to pray, study, and research that organization. I would tell you to visit their website, but really don't want to promote them in any way, so 'W'hat 'W'ould 'W'e be looking at if we visited that site? We would be at a 'crossroads' that traps many people in their 'net.' There you could read about a typical non/interdenominational pretend to be church. You can find Jesus' name if you really look hard, but will easily find 100 references to their free coffee! You will realize you can be saved if you believe 'in this stuff.' and that a church is anyone saved who has conversations about 'real stuff.' I hope I have made myself clear, I can't make this stuff up!
You can (but I seriously do not recommend you do) listen to the 'pastors' last sermon on living "Lavishly." That God created us to enjoy pleasure and the reason people have secret addictions and affairs is because they feel guilty openly enjoying pleasure. He preaches to drink (he prefers beer), buy things for your pleasure, and make yourself happy! His four 'points' to his sermon are
1. Do What Feels Good
2. Do things that allow you to lose track of time
3. Do things that renew energy
4. Pleasing yourself with pleasure reminds you how good God is.
AMEN?
This is blasphemy! I do not write this is a spirit of arrogance or vice, but rather of warning; this is what constitutes many 'churches' today. This is not to take us by surprise though. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2, "But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bough them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4, "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; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." We must mark them and avoid them! Warn of them! They have alot of 'stuff' to share and say, but that all it is-stuff.
A church is rather to be the pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim. 3:15). We will examine our Lord's true churches and do our best to expose the Devil's false ones.
4 comments:
Its getting worse everyday Br. Burke. Churches have become self help centers and not a place where God is worshipped and lives are changed for the sake of Jesus Christ.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
(Proverbs 14:12, KJV)
I am interested in how you counselled the lady in question.
Respectfully Submitted
Br Steve
Gal. 2.20
Bro. Steve,
I truly was sickened after reading and listening to the webpage and 'sermon' from that assembly. I knew it was bad, but I had never heard such blasphemy from 'a pastor' as that.
My counsel to the lady was Romans 15:14, "And I myself also am persauded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."
I told her to guard her life and fill it with true godliness and then to get knowledge.
Knowledge of what they believe
Knowledge of what the Bible teaches
Knowledge that it will take time of planting watering, and letting God give the increase.
The thing about those 'churches' I have found is that they will listen to you give Scriptures from our Bible (in their eyes all of them are 'Bibles' including ours), but they then will look it up in other perversions. That is where a Godly life backing things up is important. Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and patience and enduring are the keys I believe.
If you have further counsel, I would value it greatly. Thanks Bro. Steve!
Many places take the name church, just as some people take the name Christian, but they are not. It is not possible for a follower of Jesus Christ to grow in such places. There are too many verses in the Bible to quote here as good references to stay away from such. My suggestion to your member's friend would be the Roman Road, first.
However, there is one universal church, for Christ has but one bride.
Grammy,
I would agree that there is usually in such a case needed first a true salvation. Thanks for checking in...
I must disagree respectfully, yet strongly to your statement that "there is one universal church." This belief is Catholic in its origin and catholic/protestant in its teaching. The only type of churches in exhistence are local, visibly bodies. This is the only type found in Scripture. There is the family of God (all saved past and present and those who will be saved in the days ahead), the kingdom of God (all those saved presently on earth today), and the church-local, visible bodies.
It is those bodies (individual churches) that will one day make up the bride of Christ. That is why it is of such great importance that one be a member of a true Scriptural church. For though one can be saved (part of the family of God) now (part of the Kingdom of God), that one may not be a member of a Scriptural church therefore making him not part of the bride. I agree that Christ has but one bride, but that bride is made up of true Sciptural churches, just as a church is made up of saved, Scripturally baptized believers.
Your statement falls into line with the Catholic (the word means universal) teaching, protestant teaching, and what will be key in one day unifying the world's religions into one ecumenical body. There is no Scripture teaching an universal church. Please take the time to study this topic once again from the Word of God.
I promise before this study on 'church pretenders' is over, I will attempt to show from Scripture these things.
Please take the time to study and pray, and with patience and an open heart read and consider the thoughts I will share.
Thank you Grammy.
Thank you for your thoughts.
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