This will be my last post on this issue, but I needed to talk about this last point. "Megachurches," as they are called here in the United States, have become the trend in Christianity lately. I see pastors who desire to have these types of churches. Never mind God's will anymore; keeping up with the spiritual Joneses has taken priority.
How have we come to this place? We have deviated so far from the original commission that we have convinced ourselves that God's priority is to make us comfortable and happy. I do agree with the statement that "Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted," but we as a country are by no means afflicted.
Let's face it - we are allowing the materialistic objectives of the world to creep into the church. The focus has become more about being trendy than about preaching the uncompromised Word of God. Come to church, get a free car wash! Come to church, relax, and have a cup of coffee! It seems totally opposite of what we as one church are called to do - go out into the world and preach. This type of marketing is what is becoming the priority in many of our congregations today.
A very good friend of mine told me a profound statement that I will never forget. He said "if you get them with a gimmick, you have to keep them with a gimmick." So, if you are lured into a church because of free coffee, soon that will not be enough. Sooner or later, you will become tired of that and want more - maybe free breakfast! We have only one thing to lure people with, and that is Jesus Christ. The moment we deviate from Christ, we lose focus. It is time for us to regain our focus.
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7 comments:
I give that a Big Amen!
Ron, you are qite correct about what seems to be the "draw" of many so-called megachurches.
However, I know the leaders of a couple of REALLY large (but not mega)churches in our area and they are very Jesus focused people.
The messages preached are Jesus oriented, salvation driven and avoid the "what God can do for me" mentality.
Since God has done it all in Christ's death and resurrection, our attitude should be (to paraphrase a great speech) "Ask not what God can do for you. Ask, rather, 'what can I do for Him."
Hi Ron, I don't know if you want my thoughts as I tend not to have the same issue's with church or mega chruch or whatever...
You see we are the church, we provide balance or lack of it. We provide Christ as the center or not. We go to worship or to cackle and complain. We go to show love or point fingers. We go to hear the truth or allow fasle teaching.
If a church is sick it is I who is sick. I would not walk away from the home I have purchased and I won't walk away from a church Christ has purchased.
Having said that do I think there needs to be change yep. In fact I think we should have to walk, with no promise of creature comforts when we get there. I think we should and I include me no soapbox, want to sit in the hot sun falling upon every word read from the Bible as if it is the last sound we will ever hear.
I think the church is in criss because we are. We want our pews, our music, our truth, our preacher, teaching the way we think it should be taught.
I think God is waiting for us to get out of His way
*sigh* being human really sucks at times.
Be loved cause you are
Hey Ron,
I'd love to comment more about this subject. Give me a couple of days (maybe even a week or so), and I will try very hard to get back to on this. i am in a huge transition and may not be able to be around the computer.
Thanks for stopping by. See ya soon
Great post. I agree with you fully. The problem is, we have allowed the world to define success for the mission that has come from God.
I came here in response to your question on KC's blog. To answer your question briefly, I would not consider myself a classic dispensationalist, but a progressive one. If you want to discuss it further, I will be happy to do so, just let me know.
God bless and keep up the good work.
If this is not the Ron Mosby that works for Wal-Mart, then I apologize for what I am about to say.
The stuff you write is nothing more than a bunch of false piety - one of the seven deadly sins - coming from a guy who works for, and makes it a part of his job to lie for such a disgusting company. How do you live with yourself knowing you are part of an organization that sends thousands of jobs overseas every year and is responsible for ruining our country? How do you justify ruining people's businesses, livelihoods, and investments in their homes and neighborhoods by shucking and jiving city councils and helping bring lawsuits to jam Giant stores into places they are not wanted?
You didn't get your Humungo-Mart in my neighborhood, and if you come back and try again, it will be an even less hospitable environment.
annonymous: You can't apologize for what you are about to say and then say it. That's impossible.
An apology is an expression of sorrow or remorse.
If you are sorry for something you said, you wish you had not said it.
If you say you're sorry before you say it, and then say it, you are not really sorry.
Not all people who work at Mega-mart do so because they either know or can do anything about its practices. They just need to feed themselves or their families and Mega-mart is the only place available.
Direct your remarks to Wal-Mart, not the people who work there for sustanance.
Otherwise you are expressing false piety, yourself.
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