Several months back I visited an apostolic church. Yesterday I was directed to the website of another apostolic church. Not too long ago I visited the website of another apostolic church. Just a few days ago I was forwarded the photos of yet a fourth apostolic church.One thing was common among all four.
Without knowing beforehand, it was not apparent they were an apostolic church.
One of the growing threats to Apostolic Christianity is this movement that seeks to replace preaching with “dialogue”, and prides themselves in the ideology of “spiritual progressivism.” In other words, they feel the traditional way of doing church is outdated, and the new and effective way is their way.
They mix worldly philosophy and ideas with Christian principles and pass them off as doctrines. This is nothing new, it was the same tactic early Christians used, attempting to quench the persecutions from Greeks. They mixed Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine to show similarity and downplay differences. The result was deception, and a once apostolic church that fell away from truth for centuries.
It is quite evident that foxes are creeping into the apostolic church of the 21st century. I’m not an alarmist, and I have done my fair share of denouncing the doomsday prophets among us. However, one would have to be totally blind to not realize there are more than a few who would take us a different way if allowed to.
I know pastors and preachers who stand hard on the traditional way of doing things. They can almost be dogmatic against anything that seems new or charismatic. I have never been counted among that number, but neither will I allow myself to be grouped with those who believe the apostolic way is the emergent way. It amazes me when a person can walk into a Pentecostal Church and instead of hearing a life-changing message about repentance or the grace of God, they are fed an inspirational dissertation of self-help tips.
What’s wrong with giving advice to inspire people to be better?
Absolutely nothing at all!
However, when you only have one service on a Sunday morning – in my opinion – you should make that one service count. Yes people need to know how to balance life, career, God, and family; but, first and foremost, they need to come to a relationship with Jesus Christ and be given an opportunity to experience his power.
We help NO ONE when we water down the message and turn our one opportunity to reach lost souls into a time of discussion.
We help NO ONE when we try to hide our identity and refuse to preach or teach concrete doctrines of true holiness or salvation.
We help NO ONE when we attempt to connect with people, and fail to connect them with the one thing that will save them for eternity – God’s word!
The danger this young preacher sees rising up in our movement is the idea that I have to throw out the old ways to preach in a way that relates to those of the 21st century. While that sounds good on the surface, and I do not necessarily disagree with the idea to an extent, we must realize taking this route can quickly lead down a path where no possibility of a U-turn exists.
I am not one to harp on how a platform ought to be set up, or tie vs. no tie. People are removing pulpits from their platforms and replacing them with tall tables and stools. This is their prerogative. I do not know if that would be my modus operandi, but I’m not going to chastise someone else for it.
Why?
Because the gospel can be preached in a suit, or in jeans and a t-shirt. The gospel can be preached behind a pulpit, from a stool, or in the streets. The problem comes when people do not stop at the pulpit, but they go as far as removing the message as well.
The apostolic church of the 21st century must remember that we will not make a difference in lives of people with our cool demeanors. We are not going to change hearts with our “out of the box” sermons. We are not going to better lives with our stylish logos, websites, or buildings.
The ONLY thing that will make a difference in this world is the gospel.
“And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” – I Corinthians 2:4 –
This world does not need another Lakewood or Saddleback. This world needs a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
We err if we think this is not what this world wants. We err if we think the answer to making a difference lies within sermons that make the audience feel good about living Christian lives, but does not incite true Christian change.
This is not a new deception. For Samaria understood it well.
“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” – John 4:20 -
The Samaritans had erected a replica of Solomon’s temple and
used that temple to worship God in their own way. They resembled God’s people, but they had enough of the world in them that they separated themselves from true worship and obedience to the statutes of God. While they looked the part, and had many similar characteristics of God’s people, they were unknowingly lost.“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” – John 4:23 –
The danger of this modern way of thinking is that it can easily take us away from true worship. When we water down the doctrines of the Bible, and replace church services that bring people into a demonstration of Gods power with fellowship meetings that satisfy the conscience, we fail to exercise true worship.
When Solomon built the temple, he did so after the pattern that God instructed him. The temple of Solomon was God designed and God endorsed. Later, when Babylon invaded, the temple was destroyed. Many years later Zerubbabel led the Israelites in rebuilding desolated Judah. After many years of work, a second temple was erected.
The second temple was later remodeled by King Herod. It looked strikingly similar to the first temple. There was one major difference though. It did not contain the Ark of the Covenant.
There is a danger that comes with building God’s kingdom our own way. We do so at the expense of the presence of God himself. Embracing a laissez faire attitude towards doctrine and church will result in a temple, but no God. Introducing lost souls to a “community of worshippers” without also introducing them to the life-changing power of the Holy Ghost will create temples without a God.
Our walk with God must be after the pattern of the word. It must be filled with prayer, fasting, holiness and doctrine. If we build worshippers who will sing and praise and lift their hands, but they will not pray or fast or seek God’s face, then we have accomplished nothing.
If you want the lights and theatrics, go for it. If you want the casual setting, fine. If you want to shun the suits for something more casual – hey, I hate ties as much as the next guy.
BUT…
If you sacrifice the power of the message in an attempt to win the people, you win nothing at all and you lead men astray. We must remain apostolic in preaching, apostolic in prayer, and apostolic in worship. We must maintain the true apostolic message and preach the apostolic lifestyle.
If we don’t, we will build temples….
But, we will have no God….
