2 Timothy chapter 3 teaches:
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Christians should be living the power of the Gospel. Instead, Christians are the most manipulated people. It makes me wonder if the Gospel is even definitional of the church anymore.
I was told that at a recent youth rally well over 180 teenagers "came forward at the altar call". I have come to believe the "Altar Call" has become the replacement for the call to repentance. If the gospel itself is not able to tangibly change the heart of a man or teenager, then all the Altar Calls in the world isn't going to save anyone.
What strikes me the most is how people who favor "Altar Calls" seem to doubt their reality. They will always say, "Now among those teenagers, who will persevere?" Great question! So why put so much stock into them in the first place? Why do we judge evangelists, who have no one come forward at an Altar Call, to be poor evangelists? Do we really believe that the Gospel and the Spirit of God to produce what God desires? Do we really believe the Gospel to "be the power of God unto salvation? Do we really think Altar Calls HELP the Spirit in helping people in living the Christian life?
It would sure be nice to look to Scripture for the answers to these kinds of questions. Perhaps when Evanjellycals are willing to question their Traditions, then maybe we'll get there. For now, I hope God's Undershepherds remain faithful in their duty to preach the Word diligently and consistently. I still know a few who do. I pray that if the Lord is willing, He will send more.
1 comment:
Thank you for pointing out that article. I'm a bit stunned, really. A while back I wrote an Onion-style article about a church going too far to pull worshippers in by embracing Halloween. But most readers didn't see the sarcasm, and thought the whole thing was true. Now I understand why.
This church in Texas has topped my fictional Halloween church by a longshot. Reminds me of that dreadful film At Play in the Fields of the Lord, which depicts missionaries in South America bribing the indigenous with trinkets to get them to listen to the Gospel. I considered that rather outlandish -- but here it is happening in my own country!
Incidentally, if you haven't seen At Play in the Fields of the Lord, don't bother -- it was poorly executed. Convoluted/contrived plot, confused theme, overall disrespect toward anything spiritual in favor of the sensual.
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