The Revival the Church Doesn’t Know About
I ran across a snippet of an article the other day. A lady on my blogroll had posted it. It said some things that I often find myself feeling. I immediately went and read the entire article and it was well worth my time. I have posted just a portion of the article here and would encourage you to go and read the rest. The warning below is from the actual article. So be warned, you will be challenged, you must decide what will you do with that challenge.
Warning: Offensive post to Sunday-only Christians ahead. Proceed with cautionWe struggle with discussing the issue of sound Biblical doctrine, multi-generational vision, family worship, Biblical gender roles and the like because we know it easily offends those who also claim Christ but for some reason or another do not hold to these teachings in scripture. We struggle with how to discuss these things without being perceived as prideful or “holier than thou”, or haughty. But in all honesty, we can’t cease speaking what the Bible says just so we don’t offend. Truth offends, it cuts, it bruises. If we speak the truth in love, we still offend, and that’s hard to endure. There IS a problem in the church today, it is a big, giant, trumpeting elephant in the room that everyone sees, but no one will discuss, because it will rock the boat. There ARE a vast group of people who come to church every Sunday but sit there stone faced and un-saved. There ARE preachers who do not preach the Word of God in all its convicting and edifying strength, because they want to attract unbelievers to their churches and fill new plush theater seats and build stage shows. There ARE youth pastors who honestly believe that they are more qualified to train your children in righteousness than you are, and there ARE people who love it this way. When we hear stats and results that decades of the modern church have produced, we pat ourselves on the back even though it is obvious and clear that the church looks no different than the world from which it is supposed to be distinct. We console ourselves with excuses like “Oh well, that’s the way kids are, they have to sow their wild oats, but they were raised in the church and they will come back”. Where is that in scripture? What about the good fruit / bad fruit thing? “We need to be relevant to a lost and seeking world”. The world doesn’t seek God, it hates him, but we can’t say these things today. We can’t even discuss basic doctrine without offending. Why? Or how about this one: “Oh, its so sad ol’ Joe here was killed in a drug raid, but he’s with the Lord now because he was saved in Sunday school when he was 12, I saw it written in his Bible”. What!? How does one have a new nature yet live according to an old nature because some Sunday school teacher Popishly proclaimed a kid to be saved because he was coerced into saying a cute little prayer? Did ol’ Joe ever read the tests of salvation in 1 John? Was his drug house on the narrow path or was it in the broad way? These are the things we cannot discuss among “Christians”, because “Christians” can’t handle God’s truth.
Posted in Christianity, Family
February 12th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Thank you for posting this article and the link to it. How sad, but very true. I don’t have many people in my life who agree with me on these things, I think they are mostly the ones who get their spiritual nourishment on that one service a week. But, I have some close friends who will be encouraged!
Annie
February 12th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Annie-
Thank you for your comment! I am glad that this can be an encouragement to others. It is always refreshing to know that the Lord is working in the lives of others and revealing the same truths.
February 12th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I’m right there with you MamaArcher! On my way to read the whole article.
February 12th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Amen, sister! I also have refrained from speaking up about certain issues to Christian women, because I knew it would offend.
Another reason, is that as much as I believe in Biblical gender roles for example, I know how far I fall at times from living up to Biblical instructions, so I think – “Who am I to tell them how they should live?” I always have that log in my own eye
Thanks for jogging my thoughts on this.
February 12th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Even though we all fall short, we must not stop speaking out the truth.
February 12th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
That is an absolutely incredible article. Thank you. My Dh and I have been working together to try and articulate this very thing. I’m saving this for those times when we feel discouraged. I really feel that God is calling out the church. We must be ready!
February 13th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Yes. Very true. Well, I’m just stopping by to say hello and to remind everyone that tomorrow is Weblink Wednesday. I’m glad I stopped by… great article! No special links needed – just whatever educational link that you find helpful. I’m going back to posting Weblink Wednesday every week.
Have a great rest-of-the-day.
Valerie
February 13th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Glad you posted this.
It’s all pretty familiar to me since we listen to a lot of Paul Washer (I could recognize the author was familiar with his preaching even before he was quoted!) and Voddie Baucham and thankfully, we have been blessed with a church that takes all these issues seriously and has been able to help us along the way as we learned things that has long been entirely foreign to us like how to have family worship.
It truly saddens me to tears that there are many who call themselves Christians and yet will quickly ascribe false titles to you and accuse you of self righteousness for these things (we here are all too familiar with it – and from people we used to call family) but the truths being spoken of here have revolutionized our lives individually, as husband and wife, and as a family.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Alicia-
thank you so much for your comments! I am glad that you have been blessed with a church that teaches these doctrines rather than avoiding them!
February 15th, 2008 at 1:34 am
There ARE Children’s Pastors who believe they can teach our children better than we can! The last church where we were members, the children’s pastor, while making the announcement that children 5 and younger could not come into the worship service anymore – they interupt God’s work, ya know – literally said, “we can disciple your children better than you.” And that was LITERALLY our last Sunday at that church. It’s really sad. :-/
February 15th, 2008 at 3:54 am
Becca- that is so sad! It is the cultures mentality though (crept into the church) anyone can do it better than the parents!! Like God doesn’t know what He is doing when He places children in families! I am sorry you had to experience that.