Originally posted by godrulz
I concur with much of your assessment and share the same concerns. We need to rethink how we do church. I just do not think we need to swing the pendulum to another extreme and think it more spiritual to not have buildings, etc. This is not the root problem. It is a heart and leadership issue. Let us respond to the principles of the Word and not react against the foibles of the modern church.
We don't need to swing the pendulum or whatever term you want to use to continue to allow this "experimental christianity". We don't need to rethink anything. We just need to follow the guidebook.
Meet with other believers at your homes, inns and public places.
Pray, Fellowship, Break Bread and study the Word of God in groups that are intimate enough so that you can actually get to really know eachother, instead of superficial nonsense.
Spread the gospel here and in other countries by starting more next to zero-overhead home churches instead of big building projects that require huge amounts of funds to be raised before anyone ever hears the word of God.
Of course you are not going to hear this from Johnny Pulpit anytime soon. They won't admit it, but they love being the "head pastor" at the top of a top-down hierarchy where they are essentially the CEO of a church-corporation (whatever that is) and have underlings to rule over not to mention a huge flock of brainwashed well intentioned but mislead "sheep" that won't dare question anything they say or do, until of course they have done something so obviously pagan that their eyes open.
Even when these guys get caught sleeping with the church secretary, some of their flocks still won't wake up. The sheep analogy is almost universally projected as what and how believers should behave, if they are "good" Christians. Dumb and compliant, ready and willing to go and do anything the shepherd says.
There are some problems with this. First of all, where do we get the idea that a human preacher is a shepherd over the persons who come to hear him preach? The bible says we are all priests with one High Priest, Jesus. So of course man cannot have that, that would mean we are all equally valid and all can read the Word on our own and hear from the High Priest directly.
Can't have that, we have to create a top-down hierarchy. Where do we get this idea that their are "senior" or "head" pastors? Where do we get this rank structure from? True bishops and deacons are mentioned, but no where does it say that they are better or more priveleged than the other believers. What we have today is clergy elitiism over the stupid "sheep".
If the sheep analogy was correct, why do we assume that the sheep are all to be baby ewe-lambs? Some sheep are rambunctious, RAMS with horns that will attack predators to protect the flock. Usually rams get alienated by these "shepherds" who cannot deal with them objecting to the fleecing they conduct.
The other problem with the sheep analogy is that I haven't heard of too many warrior sheep. On the one hand we are to be these sheep (re: easily manipulated) like humans, but on the other hand we are to put on the armor of God and do battle with the enemy. This "be a sheep" thing is so ingrained into christians that they truly have become sheepish. They can't fulfill the great commission because they have no ability to defend themselves. So they hide in the santuary planning potluck dinners. I know this because I have tried to get some of these sheople to come street witness and very few will. They just don't have it in them. What "it" is has been excused as a lack of "an extroverted personality" but I contend it is a lack of the Holy Spirit.
I have to say it.
Most of these churches today are NOT CHURCHES AT ALL.
They are glorified social clubs for hypocrites and thieves that have figured out how to have a good standard of living without producing anything. They stage one or two productions a week that they call "services" where they deliver sugar coated mindless drivel in a condescending "this is what it means because we say so" manner that is designed to avert any questions because they use the one way sermon approach. They say "come forward if you have questions" afterwards but they know full well that that puts the onus on the "sheep" to either challenge the shepherd (rather unsheep like behavior, that will cause people to question your salvation if done to much or at all in some "churches") or admit that they couldn't understand something because they are too dumb. In other words it is one way communication for an hour or two, that these guys deliver after spending a few minutes looking up some other guys sermons and commentaries that they then have the audacity to call "work". How come when the rest of the church studies the bible it isn't work? How come it is considered work if a staff member does it? BECAUSE THEY WANT YOU TO PAY THEM! It is mostly about the money.
I could go on about this for hours. Wake up, open your eyes and be a Berean.
