The Greatest Danger The Church Faces Today
When I write a post, I sit down with a an idea and begin to type. I do not come to the computer with an outline or anything. All I do is sit down with my idea and start typing. Each post normally takes an hour to complete, and then I do the same thing the next week. However, the next three posts will be a bit different.
I have thought long and hard about the topic I am writing about. I hope that I can pin down my thoughts clearly enough to warn everyone that reads this of this terrible danger. Next week, I will be doing a reflection on the events of the year. In two weeks, I will make predictions for the year to come.
Without a doubt, I believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe that God's hand directs the present and controls the future. Due to the truth, I do not worry about His Kingdom. God will take care of his Kingdom. He does not need me or you to help him. However, he does invite us to participate in the work of his Kingdom, and we should count it a privilege to do the work.
This danger that I am going to write about will not end the rule of God. However, it can and does affect our individual work. God will not be defeated. He is not worried in the least about what is going on. God has never once thought, "Man, I didn't realize that was going to happen." God has never once said, "What am I going to do now?" God has never had a thought dawn upon him. He has never been surprised or caught off guard by a situation. Thus we need not panic when things are bad. However, we should do all that we can to fix a danger that is causing the Christian Church to suffer.
For 21 centuries, the church has faced dangers and has come away better for it. In the first two centuries the Church faced great persecution. In the dark ages, the church faced Roman control that was anything but Biblical. In the 18th century the church faced an epidemic of lost clergy. In the 19th century the church faced the onslaught of Darwinian thought. In the first part of the 20th century the church faced Protestant Liberalism. Each danger has caused the church to change and overcome. There were times within these conflicts that many Biblical thinkers were certain the end was near. However, God is on his throne. The Church will always be, yet we face a new danger today that must be handled.
The greatest danger the church faces today is Biblical and Doctrinal ignorance? Many in the church do not know what sin is, because they do not see the need to know the Bible. Many in the Church do not know what the Church believes, because they do not see the need to know their Bible. We have Pastors who do not know the basic tenets of the faith, and we have Deacons who do not know if 2 Chronicles is in the Old Testament or New Testament. This lack of Biblical and Doctrinal knowledge is slowly hampering the work of the Church. For the Church acts and behaves no different from the world, because the church does not know how to act because they do not know their Bibles.
To illustrate such ignorance, I recently read a transcript from the June 20th episode of Larry King Live. The guest was the Pastor of the largest evangelical church in America. Larry King asked him questions of the most basic teachings of Christianity. The pastor of the church replied, "I don't know", time and time again. When King asked if people who do not believe in Jesus go to heaven, the answer was I don't know. My only response to this is, if you don't know the answer to that, then how can you call yourself a Christian? How in the world does a man like this become elevated within the ranks of the Church? Why are we celebrating ignorance? When did we come to a place where not knowing the truth brings more success than obedience to God's word?
We live in a society where the Church doesn't know beans about the Bible. My prayer is that we who care commit ourselves to educate the Church. We need to demand that our pastors study. We need to find ways to keep them accountable. We need to require our laymen to know the Bible before they begin to lead in the church. It is my fear that we are all going to stand before God some day and answer for our lack of knowledge of who we are and what we believe.
Dear reader, God is in control. The Church will survive. However, this celebration of ignorance must be stopped. Let us pray to find wisdom, and let us study to know what do about it.
I have thought long and hard about the topic I am writing about. I hope that I can pin down my thoughts clearly enough to warn everyone that reads this of this terrible danger. Next week, I will be doing a reflection on the events of the year. In two weeks, I will make predictions for the year to come.
Without a doubt, I believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe that God's hand directs the present and controls the future. Due to the truth, I do not worry about His Kingdom. God will take care of his Kingdom. He does not need me or you to help him. However, he does invite us to participate in the work of his Kingdom, and we should count it a privilege to do the work.
This danger that I am going to write about will not end the rule of God. However, it can and does affect our individual work. God will not be defeated. He is not worried in the least about what is going on. God has never once thought, "Man, I didn't realize that was going to happen." God has never once said, "What am I going to do now?" God has never had a thought dawn upon him. He has never been surprised or caught off guard by a situation. Thus we need not panic when things are bad. However, we should do all that we can to fix a danger that is causing the Christian Church to suffer.
For 21 centuries, the church has faced dangers and has come away better for it. In the first two centuries the Church faced great persecution. In the dark ages, the church faced Roman control that was anything but Biblical. In the 18th century the church faced an epidemic of lost clergy. In the 19th century the church faced the onslaught of Darwinian thought. In the first part of the 20th century the church faced Protestant Liberalism. Each danger has caused the church to change and overcome. There were times within these conflicts that many Biblical thinkers were certain the end was near. However, God is on his throne. The Church will always be, yet we face a new danger today that must be handled.
The greatest danger the church faces today is Biblical and Doctrinal ignorance? Many in the church do not know what sin is, because they do not see the need to know the Bible. Many in the Church do not know what the Church believes, because they do not see the need to know their Bible. We have Pastors who do not know the basic tenets of the faith, and we have Deacons who do not know if 2 Chronicles is in the Old Testament or New Testament. This lack of Biblical and Doctrinal knowledge is slowly hampering the work of the Church. For the Church acts and behaves no different from the world, because the church does not know how to act because they do not know their Bibles.
To illustrate such ignorance, I recently read a transcript from the June 20th episode of Larry King Live. The guest was the Pastor of the largest evangelical church in America. Larry King asked him questions of the most basic teachings of Christianity. The pastor of the church replied, "I don't know", time and time again. When King asked if people who do not believe in Jesus go to heaven, the answer was I don't know. My only response to this is, if you don't know the answer to that, then how can you call yourself a Christian? How in the world does a man like this become elevated within the ranks of the Church? Why are we celebrating ignorance? When did we come to a place where not knowing the truth brings more success than obedience to God's word?
We live in a society where the Church doesn't know beans about the Bible. My prayer is that we who care commit ourselves to educate the Church. We need to demand that our pastors study. We need to find ways to keep them accountable. We need to require our laymen to know the Bible before they begin to lead in the church. It is my fear that we are all going to stand before God some day and answer for our lack of knowledge of who we are and what we believe.
Dear reader, God is in control. The Church will survive. However, this celebration of ignorance must be stopped. Let us pray to find wisdom, and let us study to know what do about it.
posted by Foundes Community Church @ 7:05 PM
<< Home