On Sunday we went to a baptism for a good friend and her daughter to support our friend in her public profession of faith. It was a beautiful time and we’re glad we had the opportunity to be there. When she was asked if she trusted in Christ alone for her salvation, she enthusiastically replied “absolutely.”
And then we sat through the rest of the church service …
This particular church is a large, well-known Christian church that is active in the community. The sermon was about growing a church.
First of all, let me say, that I don’t think it’s wrong to want your church to grow and be a vibrant, strong body of believers. But I do think it’s interesting that some churches make growing in numbers such a major focus. After all, don’t the scriptures teach that it’s Christ Himself who builds the church? (Matt. 16:18) While we can be loving and welcoming of new people, and we certainly should share our faith with others and invite them to church, it’s not our primary responsibility to grow our church. That belongs to God.
Anyway … the most amazing thing about the sermon was that the pastor only referenced ONE verse out of the bible, somewhere in the middle of his talk. And then, to top it off, the verse was quoted incorrectly! (Kevin happened to have the verse memorized and later pointed this out to me. I guess that’s why it’s important to memorize scripture – in case your pastor gets it wrong??)
This experience made us extremely grateful that we go to a solid, bible-teaching church where, every week, we feel we are immersed in the Word. There is no “perfect church” here on earth – I don’t believe we’ll experience that until heaven – but at least we have a church that values God’s Word and actually USES it in their worship service!
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2 comments:
And to think they even call that place a church. You are very lucky to go to a church that values God's Word, because the church you visited clearly does not.
We visited a couple of churches like that in our initial hunt for a church. Very frustrating.
Then there was the bulletin for the next day's service we read at a vow renewal ceremony last Saturday. Topic: Having a Successful Family. Verse: John 17:1 "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:" Huh?
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