Bonnie Alba
God, please shake the worldly churches!
By Bonnie Alba
God, Please Shake the worldly Churches!
"The Church has sprung a leak and the world is leaking into the Church." A.W. Tozer, 50 years ago
Much has been written about how people go church hopping to find one which meets their "needs." In the attempt to fill their own needs, they forget that the church belongs to Christ and He has set the church among us for Himself and His purpose.
Over the last few decades, many protestant denominations have forsaken their first love and focused on new church buildings, bigger churches and loads of programs. They judge how successful they are by how many people attend. Yet when we walk into most churches these days, we have to note that grey hairs sit in half-empty pews.
There's an old evangelical philosophy which is the "notion that as times change the church must change with them" (A.W. Tozer).
We see the results of that church philosophy over the last 50 years in America. We can even look to Europe, once considered a group of Christian nations under the encompassing umbrella of Western Civilization. Secular, humanist philosophies entered into the churches and now we can tour the empty great Cathedrals of old. Hasn't God abandoned them? You could say America is following in their footsteps and it's only a matter of time before America catches up.
Many of America's mainline protestant churches turned and dipped their ladles into the worldly culture choosing a little bit of this and that to attract people. We have observed this with our own eyes and ears. There are churches based on entertainment and jolly skits-plays, rock bands, programs and all kinds of other attractions to bring people into their midst.
Where is God? Where is Jesus Christ? Pastors often tell cute stories to amuse their congregations with a sprinkling of scripture verses which takes the place of teaching from the Scriptures. Who are they worshipping?
We must always ask the question: Who do all these things point to? Man's desires, needs? Or, to the Owner of the church? I often think of Jesus' response to Peter that "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). Aren't the churches accountable to their Owner for failing to "Follow Him"?
The cultural leakage into the Body of Christ has increased over the last two decades and with it a blurring of the line between the church and the world. Surveys have shown that it's now difficult to tell believing christians and nonbelievers apart. But we must call it what it is – postmodern religious Christianity. Claiming to be Christian doesn't make a church Christian, especially not when many churches now accept worldliness so readily. We must wonder how they can call themselves churches.
Another facet creeping its satanic tentacles into the churches is the humanistic spiritual philosophy. This idea encompasses false gods and idols and even claims that man is a god.
Many christians have been influenced by Oprah Winfrey's support of the deceiving notion that there are many paths to God, implying we can bypass Jesus Christ and the Cross.
Christians must always ask "Where does God say that?"
Without preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and expositional teaching of all the Scriptures, they can't even claim to be a Christian church.
In the 1990s, we attended a charismatic church for a short time which arises right out of the occult, spiritist philosophy of the 19th century. The objective being "feelings and experiences" combined with entertainment magic and spiritualism which reaches from Hollywood into many churches of today. We had to depart for lack of God in the church.
Just as the Israelites of old allowed themselves to partake of the culture they lived in, Christians also have partaken of the culture-society in which we live.
There is still a remnant of the Body of Christ in America. This is the hope we must keep in our hearts. Stand up for Jesus Christ and walk in obedience to His commands – the remnant will continue to do those things which please God.
Many churches have chosen to pursue the secular route by denying the truth of God's Book about Himself. We have to ask "are the churches dying?" or just on the wane from too much worldliness and not enough Godliness?
Is it time for God to shake the churches? R. Albert Mohler, Jr. thinks so. In his small book, "The Disappearance of God," he says "We are now in a time of shaking, and there is more shaking yet to come." (Hebrews 12)
(Dr. Mohler is President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
© Bonnie Alba
October 30, 2013
God, Please Shake the worldly Churches!
"The Church has sprung a leak and the world is leaking into the Church." A.W. Tozer, 50 years ago
Much has been written about how people go church hopping to find one which meets their "needs." In the attempt to fill their own needs, they forget that the church belongs to Christ and He has set the church among us for Himself and His purpose.
Over the last few decades, many protestant denominations have forsaken their first love and focused on new church buildings, bigger churches and loads of programs. They judge how successful they are by how many people attend. Yet when we walk into most churches these days, we have to note that grey hairs sit in half-empty pews.
There's an old evangelical philosophy which is the "notion that as times change the church must change with them" (A.W. Tozer).
We see the results of that church philosophy over the last 50 years in America. We can even look to Europe, once considered a group of Christian nations under the encompassing umbrella of Western Civilization. Secular, humanist philosophies entered into the churches and now we can tour the empty great Cathedrals of old. Hasn't God abandoned them? You could say America is following in their footsteps and it's only a matter of time before America catches up.
Many of America's mainline protestant churches turned and dipped their ladles into the worldly culture choosing a little bit of this and that to attract people. We have observed this with our own eyes and ears. There are churches based on entertainment and jolly skits-plays, rock bands, programs and all kinds of other attractions to bring people into their midst.
Where is God? Where is Jesus Christ? Pastors often tell cute stories to amuse their congregations with a sprinkling of scripture verses which takes the place of teaching from the Scriptures. Who are they worshipping?
We must always ask the question: Who do all these things point to? Man's desires, needs? Or, to the Owner of the church? I often think of Jesus' response to Peter that "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). Aren't the churches accountable to their Owner for failing to "Follow Him"?
The cultural leakage into the Body of Christ has increased over the last two decades and with it a blurring of the line between the church and the world. Surveys have shown that it's now difficult to tell believing christians and nonbelievers apart. But we must call it what it is – postmodern religious Christianity. Claiming to be Christian doesn't make a church Christian, especially not when many churches now accept worldliness so readily. We must wonder how they can call themselves churches.
Another facet creeping its satanic tentacles into the churches is the humanistic spiritual philosophy. This idea encompasses false gods and idols and even claims that man is a god.
Many christians have been influenced by Oprah Winfrey's support of the deceiving notion that there are many paths to God, implying we can bypass Jesus Christ and the Cross.
Christians must always ask "Where does God say that?"
Without preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and expositional teaching of all the Scriptures, they can't even claim to be a Christian church.
In the 1990s, we attended a charismatic church for a short time which arises right out of the occult, spiritist philosophy of the 19th century. The objective being "feelings and experiences" combined with entertainment magic and spiritualism which reaches from Hollywood into many churches of today. We had to depart for lack of God in the church.
Just as the Israelites of old allowed themselves to partake of the culture they lived in, Christians also have partaken of the culture-society in which we live.
There is still a remnant of the Body of Christ in America. This is the hope we must keep in our hearts. Stand up for Jesus Christ and walk in obedience to His commands – the remnant will continue to do those things which please God.
Many churches have chosen to pursue the secular route by denying the truth of God's Book about Himself. We have to ask "are the churches dying?" or just on the wane from too much worldliness and not enough Godliness?
Is it time for God to shake the churches? R. Albert Mohler, Jr. thinks so. In his small book, "The Disappearance of God," he says "We are now in a time of shaking, and there is more shaking yet to come." (Hebrews 12)
(Dr. Mohler is President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
© Bonnie Alba
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