One of the biggest fears in my life is being part of a local parish that is “stuck spiritually.” Have you ever been stuck at an airport over night, or has your luggage ever been stuck in another airport? It seems there is no quicker way to ruin a good vacation than to lose your belongings during a flight. It leaves you empty inside and disorientated mentally. For me, what’s worse than this feeling of disappointment is being stuck in a Church that is “stuck.”
A “stuck” church is one lacking an understanding of authentic, biblical, Christ-centered, private and corporate worship of God the father led by work of the Holy Spirit. It’s a church that feels like a religious country club. There are no godly men and women led by the Holy Spirit and committed to disciplining the next generation, in a healthy way. These kinds of churches are a spiritual desert of humanistic driven “empty worship”.Worship in this Church is filled with passionless evangelism, mundane prayer meetings and un-engaging discipleship. In this church, worship is limited to songs and lyrics that are not heartfelt by the singers. In this church, the exculsively talented proffessional music minister, or hypersentitive american eagle tight-jean-wearing worship leader, is a mere performer who is paid to entertain the morning spectators who like shareholders simple evaluate the service as though they were gods in a land of their own choosing. The worship produced is emotionally driven and style centered and magnified above the glory of the savior of the world, Jesus Christ our Master and King. This kind of worship does not include passionate humble supplication during corporate prayer, or private consecration before God in practicing the spiritual disciplines.
A church like this reminds me of the words Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day when he quoted the prophet Isaiah in Matthew 15:8. “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” God!!!! My heart cries. Deliver me from a church that is does not have a heart of God that is stuck in manmade or women affirming traditions.
Preaching in this kind of church is strictly individual-centered and has no doctrinal depth or value to the chosen of God seeking God with a pure heart. Christ is not preached from the pulpit. There are no conversions through the glorious display of the power of the Holy Spirit who is calling the Elect of God from the kingdom of darkness through the bold witness of Christ-centered believers. This church celebrates expressionless mantras with no doctrinal depth or clear specific application of biblical truth.
One of the cries of my life is for God to deliver me from a Christ-less Christianity and from men and women who would rather criticize than pray for their brothers and sisters. Christians who would rather whine and complain about the children’s ministry rather than worship God in their homes and in their place of work or assist in single father in parenting his daughter. Worship is not about music. Worship is not about me neither is it about you. It is definately not about me.
Worship is a lifetime of responding to God, reflecting His character in our daily lives so the unrighteous might repent of their sins and cling to the cross. A church that does not lift up the name of Christ, is not led by the Spirit of God and is not under the authority of word of God is "stuck in a SHAM" . Dear Pastor.....Are you stuck, Is your church stuck....?!!Repent.
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Posted by: hyptofthede | Saturday, May 04, 2013 at 03:50 AM