The Church's New God

I find it interesting that Jesus did not say that his house shall be called a house of great singing, a house of great preaching, a house of architectural magnificence, a house of large crowds or a house of fun and fanfare. Rather, our Lord simply said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Let's be honest! It would be remarkable indeed if your church is identified in your community as a praying church above and beyond anything else.  Both members of your church and non-members alike say things like, "You should hear our music!" Or, "We have a pastor that can preach the paint off the wall!" Or, "We have the most wonderful programs for your family!" But, isn't it true that you never hear anyone say as they leave your church after their first time attending services, "Oh my, what a praying church!"

     I became so convicted as a pastor about this prayer issue that I determined that any churches that I served as pastor must become houses of prayer. At First Baptist Church of Etowah, TN, we built an upper room where people prayed on bended knees seven days a week and during the times that I was preaching in the sanctuary. Later, as pastor of North Jacksonville Baptist Church, annually we had a service called "A God's Kind Of Healing Service," an idea given to me by the legendary Dr W A Criswell, and the entire service was about prayer. And, I made sure every service and  every activity was literally saturated in prayer. Any good accomplished by me at these two churches, the last two I served as pastor, is directly attributable to the power of prayer.

     So, the overriding question is this: why are churches  not known first of all as places of prayer? Please note. Good music, good preaching and good weekday activities are assets to a church fellowship, but remember, Jesus said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer...."  There are two shocking reasons:

     (1) WE HAVE CHOSEN THE GOD CALLED "FAMILY" OVER THE GOD CALLED "JESUS."  Go to the average church staff meetings. They are dominated by suggestions of church activities that will make families want to attend their church. Upcoming plans are made for outings, ball leagues, pizza blasts, ocean cruises, hot dog roasts, special guests performers, etc. Very very seldom will you hear a staff member or pastor say, "What does God want?" Look at your Sunday bulletin at the average church and you will be almost overwhelmed with the multitude of flashy announcements of activities....so much so you would think your church has turned into a glorified YMCA.  And, if you look closely enough, you might find a prayer service mentioned in small print. Why? Because the modern church has a new God....the family.

     (2) WE HAVE CHOSEN THE SUPERFICIAL OVER THE SUPERNATURAL.  Because we have chosen to first of all, perhaps unwittingly, install the family as our new God and relegate the importance of prayer to the realm of a traditional "add-on" at each worship service, Jesus is no longer the center of worship and adoration; no, he is now outside and sadly knocking. When that happens, the church with its well-oiled organization, eloquent preacher and awesome music becomes a church of influence but is no longer a church of power.....power that makes the supernatural so real that the world cannot ignore it. Most sinners have seen all the religious dog and pony shows at the modern church and they are thoroughly unimpressed. What your community needs, and the world at large needs, is to to be confronted by the undeniable and unexplainable supernatural acts of God that only come about as a result of real prayer.

     

     

Plain Talk On Current Issues

This is an introduction to my new blog.  I believe it will be unique. I intend to deal exclusively with current issues with which evangelical believers should have an interest and, in many cases, be very concerned. I will duck no issues be they moral, political, educational, societal or ecclesiastical,  Each topic's answer from me will have my understanding of what the Bible says in relation to the subject. While I may quote other individuals or cite other written material, the Bible is my bedrock authority.  Because of the rapid deterioration of the moral fabric worldwide, it seems to me the proliferation of extreme anti-biblical answers emanating from "churches" is evidence that mainstream Christianity is now increasingly more concerned with being politically correct  than standing firm on "thus saith the Lord" and letting the chips fall where they may. Simply put, there must be soon a spiritual awakening that Washington and Hollywood will not be able to ignore and that clergymen  on the left and on  the right must honor or else the judgment of God will surely fall upon this nation.

Let's admit the obvious truth.  No Democrat or Republican can change the perilous slide downward upon which we find ourselves.  That is not to say that the church should not be involved in political discourse. The loudest voice for that which is right should be from the pulpits of America. Unfortunately, just because a preacher bellows as loud as a bullhorn and entertains with the motivational delivery of a late-night comedian does not mean he is "loud" in the marketplace of ideas. For example, I was preaching recently in Alabama during the week of controversy concerning the ruling by a federal judge that in spite of the state's 87% vote in a referendum affirming marriage as being between a man and a woman, the probate judges would nevertheless be required to grant same-sex marriage licenses.  Almost immediately Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama State Supreme Court disallowed that ruling. As expected, an uproar from the gay community erupted.  A television reporter along with a news video photographer visited the church where I preached, listened to my sermon in which I mentioned that though we should love the homosexual person, we should in biblical clarity call homosexuality a sin because the Bible says it is a sin. The reporter also interviewed the pastor who took a similar biblical stance as mine. That night on that station's telecast I was stunned after watching a clip of my sermon and an interview with the pastor to hear the reporter say that they had contacted fifty-two pastors of various evangelical churches and only one pastor had agreed to an interview.  The others did not return a request for comments, or wanted to talk but requested anonymity or were afraid a statement could be divisive in their particular churches. Some of these cowardly pastors were conservative; some were liberal. Please note, that incident took place in the buckle of the Bible belt, the State of Alabama, not in California or New York.

Not only is the church silent, schools are silent. During a 15-year period, I spoke to over 1.1 million teenagers in high school assembly programs in hundreds of schools across the nation. I have the utmost respect for public school teachers who are unfairly paid, work under enormously difficult circumstances and are constantly trying to teach children without parental support. When I spoke in gymnasiums or auditoriums full of teens, I could not mention the Bible, church, prayer or God. It would have been perfectly acceptable in most schools for me to hand out condoms in the hallway but I would have been ejected from the campuses of those same schools  if I had been distributing copies of the New Testament. Even the most godly of teachers in the most rural communities know there is a line they cannot cross in speaking of religious issues because, if they do, their jobs are at risk.  As a result, I can tell you from my personal experiences with high schoolers that it seems to me that a majority of them could not be classified as either moral or immoral but rather, amoral;  that is, they have no core value built upon clear teachings of the Word of God as to whether certain actions are right or wrong. I am convinced we are less than a generation away from sheer paganism without a nationwide revival.

So, for the remaining years God gives me, I intend to use every tool accessible to me to address the grievous day-to-day events and try to give you some sort of biblical perspective that you may use when discussing current issues with friends, family and associates. I have purposed in my heart to avoid no television, newspaper or radio interview on any subject, regardless how sensitive, but to make myself readily available. I will accept any invitation without regards to money for myself or my ministry to address any civic organization, church or school. And, I will use this blog to that same end.

I only ask one favor. If you believe what I am saying on this blog needs to be heard, share it anyway you can.  Share it on Facebook, on Twitter, print copies and hand them out. If you do that, this blog will not just be mine, it will also be yours......let's make a difference... especially as we one-by-one leave this world and go home to our Heavenly Father, let's leave our imprint for Christ here on earth for our children and our children's children.