The first three chapters of the book of Ezekiel make a very convincing case for the impossibility of pleasing God with seeker-centered preaching.
In a nut shell, Ezekiel is told by God to speak the exact words that God gives him to speak, to a rebellious people. No sooner does God tell Ezekiel this, than He informs him of this one critical bit of foresight: "It wont work"!
Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries, reports on a new DVD called "Baptism Central", designed to help children overcome any hesitations about being baptized. Along the way, the DVD ends up making a circus out of this important ordinance of Christ.
It almost seems too far out of the Christian mainstream to comment on.
That is, until you consider the fact that it's coming from (what Forbes 2003 called) the second-largest mega-church in America.
Sometimes it's just easy to loose sight of the forest through the trees, and so it is with the teachings of the bible as well.
It's that modern synergistic mindset again, but maybe a little more bold.
Here's a ministry that's so confident in their crusades and evangelism campaigns that they are convinced of their ability to predict how many souls will be saved through their efforts. What's more, they've also done the math to determine how many donation-dollars will be required for each soul saved.
On their website, the leader of the ministry states: "I was [visiting a church] and made the statement that for every $48.00 given to [our ministry] someone will get saved. A couple after the service said to me, 'Why don't you start a Soul-A-Month club. We would like to send you $48.00 a month.' Ministry born!"
One of the most inspiring stories of Christianity being lived-out in the home, is told by . In her presentation entitled "Sarah Edwards: Jonathan's Home and Haven", we are introduced to the homelife of one of America's most noteworthy pastors and theologians.
A recipient of the Purpose Driven "" says the award confirms that his church (which he calls "historically Christian in doctrine but culturally relevant") is on the right path.
It was Easter week several years ago, in the Seeker Sensitive church that I used to attend. I decided to stop in at the mid-week youth outreach event that our church was offering. Our youth pastor called it "Ugly Easter", and if we were to determine the success of an evangelism method by a head-count, then this popular event seemed to be fruitful.
I wont soon forget the time I was driving home from the store, listening to the local Christian radio station. A pastor was speaking about the importance of using proper rules for interpreting the bible.
Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much.
Nearly two hundred years ago, declared: "For we know that the unrenewed will is set against the Gospel; it is enmity to God and His truth. ~ It is the Gospel that the unbeliever hates; and the more clearly it is set before him, the more he hates it."
2 August, 2005 comments: (0) Wonderful Plan?
Does God Have a Wonderful Plan For Them?
We hear it all of the time in America. Modern evangelism's universal mantra: "God has a wonderful plan for your life". It's often part of an appeal to unbelievers to surrender their life to Christ, in order to enjoy the earthly benefits of being a Christian.