Saw this post by Perry Noble and had to paste it...you can click on the title and read it on his blog or here :)
Four Problems The Church Has GOT To Deal With! April 19, 2012
#1 – We are answering questions that no one else is asking.
I’m glad that we can debate theology and know terms that make us seem intelligent and cause other people to scratch their heads; however, at the end of the day people are not asking about the five points of Calvinism, the trichotomy or dichotomy of the Spirit or the peccability/impeccability of Christ! They are asking “why is my life falling apart?” Or, “how do I get past the fact that I was sexually molested when I was eight?” Or, “how do I, as a single mom, lead and provide for my family?”
Too many people are so obsessed with their theological labels, I believe, so that they don’t actually have to do real ministry!
#2 – We call laziness “authenticity!”
The church is the bride of Christ–established by Him, purchased by Him and pursued by Him! We have the promises of God and have been empowered by HIS HOLY SPIRIT! We should be doing things BETTER than Apple, BETTER than Disney and BETTER than Google! There is WAY more at stake with what God has called us to! And “Spirit Filled” should not equal poorly planned, thrown together and poorly executed! And…no one should say, “I’m doing this for Jesus” and then follow it up with a half-hearted, piss poor effort. When it came to redeeming mankind Jesus did not search the back corners of heaven to find some under-challenged angel who had nothing to do…HE came, HE did it, HE paid for the sin of the world!!! HE GAVE HIS BEST…His followers should do the same!
#3 – We use “discipleship” as an excuse to not do evangelism.
I’ve heard too many churches say that they are not reaching people because they are too busy making disciples. A few things to consider here…
ONE – EVERY disciple in the Bible was an evangelist!!! There is not one example of one of the original disciples that formed some sort of holy huddle and gave the rest of the world the middle finger! It is IMPOSSIBLE to become a DISCIPLE if EVANGELISM isn’t a part of the process!
TWO – I have found that every time people in a church says something like what was mentioned above it is simply because they do not know anyone that is lost!!
#4 – We are becoming political and neglecting the prophetic.
Let me be very clear…Christians can and should have political opinions! (Have you ever noticed that those who criticize Christians for having a political opinion always seem to have their own political opinion?) We should vote (and if you don’t then keep your mouth shut when it comes to our country and how it is led!) We should pray for our leaders as the Scriptures clearly teach.
However, the churches main goal should be to declare the Gospel, NOT advance an agenda of a particular political party!!! We should declare God’s message, God’s Word, God’s truth and in God’s way (see John 13:34-35!) Churches than get in bed with politics always wake up the next morning to find their lover gone!!! We should NEVER use the platform God has given us for an agenda other than HIS!!!
