Do you remember that old song, "Feelings"? It begins with "Feelings, nothing more than feelings..." and continues on about a lost love. The first line of the song actually speaks a truth that can easily be lost in all the "feelings." The "jilted" lover is saying that his "love interest" is gone and "nothing more than feelings" is all he is left with. The reality is over and all that remains are the feelings.
Friends, God built us with feelings, but we are not to live by our feelings. You ever felt like punching someone? You ever felt like telling someone off? You ever felt like quitting your job and sleeping till noon every day? We've all felt like doing these things...but we refrained from doing them...why? Because we don't live by our feelings...we live by truth. This brings me to my subject. The church is not to live by feelings, but by truth. The modern church of our day finds herself focusing on feelings over truth much of the time. Church members living in open immorality are not confronted for fear of hurting their feelings and possibly leaving the church. Certain topics in scripture are never preached on for fear of upsetting feelings and losing members (topics such as hell, giving, sacrifice, lordship, faithfulness to name a few). Biblical doctrine (truth) is cast aside and replaced with experiences that make us feel excited or "close" to God. Truth has given way to personal experience and feelings have become the gauge to determine whether something is "spiritual" or not. If I "feel" it, it must be real. If I don't "feel" it, it is unimportant and irrelevant. So....the church spends her time trying to create "experiences" for her congregants so that they will be satisfied and "feel" good about the church (and keep coming and giving!) On any given Sunday, today's church presents anything from a "Christianized" rock concert to a "free for all" with people lying in the aisles, laughing for hours on end. Even in the more doctrinally conservative churches, many have resorted to pragmatism...whatever works to get people in. Survey's are given, asking church members what they "want" in a service or what they "want" in a pastor or staff person. Wouldn't a better question be...what does God want in our services? What does God want in a pastor or staff person. Do you see the difference? The church must not operate on feelings, but on truth. Scripture says that the fear of man brings a snare...and it will every time. Don't be too quick to trust your feelings, put your trust in the truth...called the Bible!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Spin, Spin, Spin
Do you remember, as a child, getting a top out of a cereal box or purchasing one at Ben Franklins (for you older people)? You could take that top, put it between your thumb and forefinger and give it a spin. WOW...it would spin and spin and spin. The amazing thing about a top is that though it is full of energy and moves round and round, it actually makes little progress. For the most part, the top expends its tremendous energy in one location, finally giving out and falling over. This top reminds me of the plight of many modern churches of our day. They are full of activity but going nowhere.
The apostle Paul said that he forgot those things that were behind (his past - good and bad) and was pressing on (forward) to reach the goal. The mental picture is that of a runner who is not focused on where he has been, but is focusing on what is ahead...the finish line. Can you imagine the race official raising the starting gun, shouting "runners on your mark, get set...go!", firing the gun...only to watch the runners jump out of their starting positions and start spinning rapidly in one place on one foot like a ballerina? That would be a waste of time and energy...runners have a course to follow...they are going somewhere.
Friends, Jesus never established the church with an intent to expend tremendous amounts of energy going round and round, but getting nowhere. The church is not to be like a top, but a runner. Many churches in our day have concluded that much activity equals productivity. This is simply not true. They've become nothing more than spiritual "tops." A church can spend "gobs" of money on highly advertised entertaining events, "hip" sounding programs promised to lure in the most spiritually uninterested, expensive give-aways and more...only to be expending great energy, but making no spiritual progress at all. The goal of the church is not to be "busy" for the sake of busyness. It is not to lure in people with the promise of entertainment or a "good show." It is not even to "get people saved". The goals is to make true disciples who continually follow Jesus and grow in His likeness. In Jesus' last words before ascending to heaven, He told His people to go into all the world and make disciples. Certainly this begins with salvation, but that is just the beginning. Now the disciple is to be taught, trained and launched into service through the systematic preaching and teaching of the Word. When a church focuses its attention on preaching and teaching the Word of God with the intent of growing the disciple into a spiritually mature person, then launches that disciple into serving Christ...this church is making true progress. It is not acting like a top, but a runner, reaching for the prize.
The apostle Paul said that he forgot those things that were behind (his past - good and bad) and was pressing on (forward) to reach the goal. The mental picture is that of a runner who is not focused on where he has been, but is focusing on what is ahead...the finish line. Can you imagine the race official raising the starting gun, shouting "runners on your mark, get set...go!", firing the gun...only to watch the runners jump out of their starting positions and start spinning rapidly in one place on one foot like a ballerina? That would be a waste of time and energy...runners have a course to follow...they are going somewhere.
Friends, Jesus never established the church with an intent to expend tremendous amounts of energy going round and round, but getting nowhere. The church is not to be like a top, but a runner. Many churches in our day have concluded that much activity equals productivity. This is simply not true. They've become nothing more than spiritual "tops." A church can spend "gobs" of money on highly advertised entertaining events, "hip" sounding programs promised to lure in the most spiritually uninterested, expensive give-aways and more...only to be expending great energy, but making no spiritual progress at all. The goal of the church is not to be "busy" for the sake of busyness. It is not to lure in people with the promise of entertainment or a "good show." It is not even to "get people saved". The goals is to make true disciples who continually follow Jesus and grow in His likeness. In Jesus' last words before ascending to heaven, He told His people to go into all the world and make disciples. Certainly this begins with salvation, but that is just the beginning. Now the disciple is to be taught, trained and launched into service through the systematic preaching and teaching of the Word. When a church focuses its attention on preaching and teaching the Word of God with the intent of growing the disciple into a spiritually mature person, then launches that disciple into serving Christ...this church is making true progress. It is not acting like a top, but a runner, reaching for the prize.
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