Biblical Model of the Church: Part 1
I have seen this great “debate” in the media about how large, seeker-friendly mega churches were closed for Christmas, which happened to fall on a Sunday this year. This is not a post about Sabbath-keeping, but my thoughts on the Seeker-friendly model.
The way I see it, there is a sense of real irony in these kinds of churches, because in trying so hard to influence the unchurched (which I am not against in principle), they neglect the 2 kinds of legitimate "Seekers" in the audience of their shows.
First, they neglect the very Seeker of His lost sheep - For God searches out the hearts of men, looking for broken spirits and contrite hearts. But these Churches have turned worship into a circus show, being more interested in entertainment, than spirit and truth. The emphasis is more glory to the worship team and less grace in the heart; more sacrilegious joking and less sound preaching; more drama and less doctrine.
Who is to be the main audience of Worship? God, not man. Worship belongs to the one who is worthy - WorthShip. Notice what the Confession of Faith says about worship to God...
WCF 21.1 - The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.[1] But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.[2]
[1] ROM 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
ACT 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
PSA 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
JER 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
PSA 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
PSA 18:3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
ROM 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
PSA 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
JOS 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
MAR 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
[2] DEU 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
MAT 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
ACT 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.
MAT 4:9-10 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (see also DEU 15:-19)
EXO 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Second, they neglect the regenerate Christian – seeking to hear the very Word of God. Instead they offer to him psychobabble, or health and wealth monologues. There are the occasional visits of the Holy Spirit. He always seems to disrupt the preaching part of the service.
But there is 1 thing that is always consistent at these events - he/she will hear the same Arminian false gospel preached every Sunday (or Saturday, which ever day is more convenient for him and the "Fam"), and never move beyond "Get Saved" in his Christian Walk.
The Gospel isn't simply watered down, but many times a false gospel is presented. There are no real doctrinal distinctions, except most of the statements found in the Apostles Creed. All are welcome, yet there is no real oversight. The hope of any oversight is given to the most promising novice who can lead a home small group. And they measure their success by the number of heads that come through the doors. It reminds me of that illustration Christ offers about the gate:
Mat 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
What I find amazing about this passage is the next verse:
vs. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Christ goes on to say that you can judge the prophet/teacher by their fruit.
So what kind of tree produces false gospels, no doctrinal distinctions, will worship, Sabbath-breaking, and wide gates?
Bad fruit, stripped of any real nutrition, produces malnourished Christians, and a fat Church feeding on empty calories.
I do plan on writing about what I think the Biblical model of the Church is - so feel free to come back.
The way I see it, there is a sense of real irony in these kinds of churches, because in trying so hard to influence the unchurched (which I am not against in principle), they neglect the 2 kinds of legitimate "Seekers" in the audience of their shows.First, they neglect the very Seeker of His lost sheep - For God searches out the hearts of men, looking for broken spirits and contrite hearts. But these Churches have turned worship into a circus show, being more interested in entertainment, than spirit and truth. The emphasis is more glory to the worship team and less grace in the heart; more sacrilegious joking and less sound preaching; more drama and less doctrine.
Who is to be the main audience of Worship? God, not man. Worship belongs to the one who is worthy - WorthShip. Notice what the Confession of Faith says about worship to God...
WCF 21.1 - The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.[1] But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.[2]
[1] ROM 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
ACT 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
PSA 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
JER 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
PSA 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
PSA 18:3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
ROM 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
PSA 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
JOS 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
MAR 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
[2] DEU 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
MAT 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
ACT 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.
MAT 4:9-10 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (see also DEU 15:-19)
EXO 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Second, they neglect the regenerate Christian – seeking to hear the very Word of God. Instead they offer to him psychobabble, or health and wealth monologues. There are the occasional visits of the Holy Spirit. He always seems to disrupt the preaching part of the service.
But there is 1 thing that is always consistent at these events - he/she will hear the same Arminian false gospel preached every Sunday (or Saturday, which ever day is more convenient for him and the "Fam"), and never move beyond "Get Saved" in his Christian Walk.
The Gospel isn't simply watered down, but many times a false gospel is presented. There are no real doctrinal distinctions, except most of the statements found in the Apostles Creed. All are welcome, yet there is no real oversight. The hope of any oversight is given to the most promising novice who can lead a home small group. And they measure their success by the number of heads that come through the doors. It reminds me of that illustration Christ offers about the gate:
Mat 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
What I find amazing about this passage is the next verse:
vs. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Christ goes on to say that you can judge the prophet/teacher by their fruit.So what kind of tree produces false gospels, no doctrinal distinctions, will worship, Sabbath-breaking, and wide gates?
Bad fruit, stripped of any real nutrition, produces malnourished Christians, and a fat Church feeding on empty calories.
I do plan on writing about what I think the Biblical model of the Church is - so feel free to come back.
posted by shawn at Saturday, December 31, 2005
1 Comments:
Shawn this is good. The model for church is so difficult. Our Puritan forefathers fought this out hand over fist to the glory of God!
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