All posts filed under: Church & Culture

What is the single most Important need in the American Church?

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Caution: This is tough read! For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 A few prominent church leaders were asked the following question in this short video clip:  “What is the single most important need in the American Church?” After the third pastor said discipleship, I was hoping that the last one will say something different. Here is what I think and I’ll tell you why. We are generally skeptical to anything supernatural. We’re encapsulated in a worldview that is materialistic. In other words, if I can’t feel it, touch it or wrap my brain around it, than I don’t want to come anywhere close to it. We usually write it off and condemn. Even some of our brothers and sisters in Christ, have a difficult time accepting what the bible teaches about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Healing, prophecy etc… God is Supernatural. Everything He does is supernatural: The creation The New Birth of Salvation Regeneration Everything God does is supernatural. So it’s not very strange to me that He wants …

Church Dropouts

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A Bunch of Lazy Excuses According to researchers, Christian young adults are leaving church at an alarming rate. 38 percent of Christians ages 18 to 25 doubt their faith. At the age of 15, 57 percent said they were less active in church and 59 percent have dropped out all together. There are different reasons for the drift according to David Kinnaman, who writes extensively on the subject. What I want to do here is list six of the arguments young adults have made for leaving the church. This is a critique of the reasons young adults have given for leaving the Church. After each reason, I will share candidly what I think about it. This is not a critique of the book nor its author, but the reasons given to him by these young people. 1. The Church is too Overprotective. The church’s impulses toward creativity and cultural engagement are some of the defining characteristics of the Mosaic generation that are most obvious. They want to re-imagine, re-create, re-think, and they want to be entrepreneurs, …

What good is the local Church?

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The Church is universal, the Church is local. The Church is the joyful assembly of the redeemed of all ages. The Church is the body of Christ extended through time and space. The holy church has two lives: one in time and the other in eternity. – Gregory the Great The Church is the bride of Christ, even though it sometimes acts like a wayward bride The local church is where believers are discipled, commissioned to be light of the world. The local church is where the broken is mended, the sick healed, and where friends become friends forever. The local church cares for the poor and fights for justice in our world. The local church is the body of Christ, the hands and feet of the master. The local church is where spiritual gifts are used for the common good, where believers learn to use their talents to serve others. The local church is where the gospel is preached, sinners are saved, prayers are offered, ministers ordained, the sacraments celebrated, and a cup of …

Oh how I hate small groups!

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A few years ago I preached a message at a thriving church where I served on staff. It was at the time small groups were gaining momentum. Every church around the world and especially here in the USA was all about getting people of the same interest, same profession connected in the same group. Unfortunately, I began to notice that all the cool people were joining groups with  other cool people – you know, like some did in high school. And the not so cool people we being left out. So I preached on a passage from Romans 12:16: Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. After my message I was sent into the office of the big man on campus (senior pastor) where I was grilled for a few minutes. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting to hang with like-minded folks, but if we really want to live in authentic community, we need to understand what community really …

Five marks of revived churches

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Five marks of revived churches J. I. Packer, writing in God in our Midst (Ann Arbor, 1987), pages 24-35, proposes that, among the variety of God’s ways, five constants appear in all biblical revivals: 1. Awareness of God’s presence: “The first and fundamental feature in renewal is the sense that God has drawn awesomely near in his holiness, mercy and might.” 2. Responsiveness to God’s Word: “The message of Scripture which previously was making only a superficial impact, if that, now searches its hearers and readers to the depth of their being.” 3. Sensitiveness to sin: “Consciences become tender and a profound humbling takes place.” 4. Liveliness in community: “Love and generosity, unity and joy, assurance and boldness, a spirit of praise and prayer, and a passion to reach out to win others, are recurring marks of renewed communities.” 5. Fruitfulness in testimony: “Christians proclaim by word and deed the power of the new life, souls are won, and a community conscience informed by Christian values emerges.” via Five marks of revived churches – Ray …