If you Had to Explain Church to someone, not from your Own Experiences, but by what The Bible says – What would You Say?’ asks Francis Chan
When we look at the Church in America it seems that it has moved away from the Church that we see in the Bible. According to George Barna, the Church presently spends $1.3 million per baptized believer. While at the same time we are spending hundreds of dollars on floral arrangements to be placed in front of pulpits for messages to be spoken to people that most likely are not going to do anything about it. We will be held accountable for this! The larger the Church gatherings less people will do something for God and the smaller the gatherings more people are activated into the ways of God. As staggering as this sounds, it lines up with an encounter that Bob Jones during a death experience and He went to the Lord. In this encounter, he saw a line made up of 98% of the world’s population that was going to spend eternity with their gods while the line that Bob Jones was in, only had 2% in it. We must rethink what Church is all about and get back to the scriptures again! George also reveals that ‘81% of self-professing Christians don’t read the Bible; and of the 19% that do, only 3% make life decisions based on what the Bible says.’
Francis Chan, a man who is direct with the truth of God asks a revealing question about this very matter. “If someone asked you to describe Church, just using the Bible, like you’re not allowed to use any of your experiences, just use the Bible and explain Church to them, what would you say?” If we are not basing our understanding of what the Church is based on what the Bible says, are we doing what God calls us to do? After asking this question to people, he’s confronted with the additional question of are we experiencing what the Bible says in our own lives?
When we look at the scriptures, we see a gathering of individuals that have such a love for one another, it is strange and rare to the eyes of the world. But this is how we are called to live our lives for one another in the Body of Christ. Francis continues to highlight, “Man, that was the Holy Spirit. That’s something that God has done in us. But, when have you seen that?” There is supposed to be an urgency to get the Good News of Jesus Christ out into the world and into the hearts of those who do not yet know this truth. “It doesn’t seem that there is that type of participation in the Church. It seems more like going to the movies rather than going to the gym…it’s sit back and let them do it versus no, I’m gonna give to this and I’m gonna leave feeling great because I put effort into this.” We should be training believers in the ways and teachings of the Lord so that they can go out and do the same. “It feels like we’re trying to recruit leaders rather than develop them and send them out.”
When we look at Scriptures, we see an explosive growth rate when the Church gathers. People simply share the Gospel in obedience to the Holy Spirit and amazing testimonies begin to happen. Presently, we carry a handful of assumptions that we think must take place in order to grow. “When we start a Church, we usually assume, that means we need a preacher…we need a building, we need a guy that leads a few songs, we need a youth pastor, we need a children’s pastor…I don’t see that in here [Scripture]. What do we need to start with? We need to start with followers of Jesus who will love one another like a family. And we will focus on this mission of Jesus Christ and spreading His love to people who don’t know it…we are going to gather to train one another up, build one another up so that we can go out and really obey this Word.”
Regardless of who we are or where we are, God has the same expectation for all of us: to become His disciple and to make disciples who will ultimately go into all the world and repeat the same process. Be challenged and encouraged in your understanding of what the Church is and what you are called to do before the eyes of the Lord. We want to hear from you! You can write to us at [email protected]. Greg and Steve shared in this segment.
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#WisdomMoments Wicked Men Consistently Fleeing, Why?
In this wisdom moment we answer the question as to why some people are always fleeing.
“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1
Many wicked men and women can never stay in one place. They are always shifting, moving, changing jobs and run whenever they are in the presence of real authority. It’s time to stop acting cowardly in sin and repent. Are you ready to settle down in your life and repent of the sin that has been causing you to flee certain situations? You can repent today and live a righteous life and become as bold as a lion! You can read our stories of how we made the decision for Jesus to be the Lord of our lives at Meet My Father. We want to hear from you! You can write to us at [email protected]. Greg, Pat and John shared in this segment.
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