In my journal to day I spent time in several passages dealing with the difficulty of teaching or imparting truth during the “last days”. Namely, 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 John 4:6; 2 Timothy 3:1 – 5; Isaiah 29:13 (Matthew 15:8 – 9; Mark 7:6 – 9). All these have in common – well you can see what they have in common…
Bottom line as we get closer and closer to our Lord’s return, the resistance to the truth will grow, to the point of censor and persecution. Already military chaplains are being forbidden to share Christ. The Bible is being labeled, “hate speech” by those with the “tolerant” and “coexist” bumper stickers on their cars. Our current administration is more interested in Islam than Christianity.
But the Church is not immune. Individuals and denominations are taking positions in alignment with the culture rather than the Bible. I have asked this before, but if we continue to accept what the culture says about sin, what is our message? How are we different – other than we choose to gather in the same place one to three times each week?
There seems to be an abandonment of the Bible underway. In most churches we do not instruct people on the importance of studying the Word of God, we certainly do not equip them to do so. In 40 years I have never been in a class in a church that was focused on equipping people to study their Bibles that I was not leading.
Hard times are coming. A couple of years ago I was asked to come to a country and help equip the people in underground churches to study the Bible. The stated purpose was so that they could feed themselves when their pastor was arrested. Some will say that can’t happen in the USA, the mayor of Houston has already tried to censor pastor’s sermons. That was just the first of many salvos to come.
As a Body we have created several generations of consumers. Pastors and leaders have focused on teaching and preaching rather than equipping. In so doing, creating dependency on their study and teaching. What happens when they are no longer available to preach and teach? Exhorting people to read and study without instruction as to how, is not equipping.
The number of times I have been told that a guy did not study the Bible for himself because he simply did not know how – well frankly I have lost count. It is much easier to get a book by a great Christian author or read a commentary or look at the notes in a study Bible, none of which are inspired, than it is to dig in for oneself, especially when one does not know how or where to start.
Things need to change. Things need to change now.
But the Church is not immune. Individuals and denominations are taking positions in alignment with the culture rather than the Bible. I have asked this before, but if we continue to accept what the culture says about sin, what is our message? How are we different – other than we choose to gather in the same place one to three times each week?
There seems to be an abandonment of the Bible underway. In most churches we do not instruct people on the importance of studying the Word of God, we certainly do not equip them to do so. In 40 years I have never been in a class in a church that was focused on equipping people to study their Bibles that I was not leading.
Hard times are coming. A couple of years ago I was asked to come to a country and help equip the people in underground churches to study the Bible. The stated purpose was so that they could feed themselves when their pastor was arrested. Some will say that can’t happen in the USA, the mayor of Houston has already tried to censor pastor’s sermons. That was just the first of many salvos to come.
As a Body we have created several generations of consumers. Pastors and leaders have focused on teaching and preaching rather than equipping. In so doing, creating dependency on their study and teaching. What happens when they are no longer available to preach and teach? Exhorting people to read and study without instruction as to how, is not equipping.
The number of times I have been told that a guy did not study the Bible for himself because he simply did not know how – well frankly I have lost count. It is much easier to get a book by a great Christian author or read a commentary or look at the notes in a study Bible, none of which are inspired, than it is to dig in for oneself, especially when one does not know how or where to start.
Things need to change. Things need to change now.
I agree with you 200%! Too many churches today are all fluff and no substance. Teaching is meaningless if we do not put our knowledge into action. I have found myself run off from churches back in my own past just because I insisted on being a doer and not just a follower. Like the apostle James wrote, "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word and does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." [James 1;22-23]
ReplyDeleteI am curious about your statement, "I have found myself run off from churches back in my own past just because I insisted on being a doer and not just a follower". You were asked to leave because you were obeying Christ?
DeleteI expect it, sooner rather than later unless the Lord returns very quickly. A former pastor of ours said publicly that he expects to be jailed. There are at least two issues that he has take an open stand on that could cause it.
ReplyDeleteWe need to pray for our pastors and leaders; just another area I'm not very good at.
My guess would be abortion and homosexuality... But come to think of it there is at least one other option...
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