Tag Archives: Church

‘Just Business, When Capitalism Replaces Christ as King’

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‘Just Business, How Making Money the Priority, Can Ruin Our Witness for Christ.’

First of all, I would like to go over successful ways to grow your hotdog stand. You may indeed be needing these very helpful tips.

  1. Expand Your Menu Strategically
    Introduce seasonal or themed items like chili dogs in winter or grilled pineapple-topped dogs in summer to keep your offerings fresh.  Add complementary products such as craft sodas, gourmet chips, or vegan sides to increase average order value and attract diverse customers. 
  2. Leverage Mobility and Data-Driven Location Changes Instead of being fixed, operate as a mobile vendor—move to high-traffic areas like parks, festivals, or business districts based on time of day and season.  Track sales data to identify peak days, times, and locations, then optimize your schedule accordingly.
  3. Invest in Branding and Digital Marketing Create a memorable brand identity with a catchy name, vibrant cart design, and consistent social media presence.  Use platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase your food, share behind-the-scenes content, and run promotions such as “buy one, get one free” or loyalty punch cards.
  4. Scale Through Multiple Units or Partnerships Once profitable, launch additional carts or trucks in new locations.  Partner with local events, breweries, or schools to secure consistent sales without long-term leases. Consider franchising your concept if your model proves repeatable and scalable.
  5. Use Technology to Streamline Operations Implement a cloud-based POS system to track sales, manage inventory, and analyze performance. Use AI tools for scheduling, customer engagement, and demand forecasting—especially as you grow beyond a single location. 

If you enjoy hotdogs, then whatever you do, don’t click on this video!”

If you clicked on it, then I am sorry.

So is God’s church a hotdog stand? Let’s explore.

Throughout God’s holy word, we are warned of replacing God with idols. It was in the garden that Eve wanted to be a god.  God provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed to live forever, and it was Eve who wanted her own way.  She disobeyed and lead Adam to sin in an effort to do her ‘own thing.’  God’s way wasn’t good enough.  Adam and Eve wanted to replace God’s gift with their own efforts. That was pride to say the least.
Matthew 6:19 states: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
What are we to characterize as a treasure on earth? Anything that where moth and rust destroy and thieves can break in and steal. Below is a video a mega church that is now abandoned. When we think about the efforts to build such a structure, the ‘vision’ that was presented to gather people to congregate in such a place, then we can easily consider the damage that was done to lives when this mega church fell apart.

Characteristics of a Business Priority ‘Christian’ Organization:

1.  The bottom line is number first “Mega churches mean big business”“(CNN) — Mega churches across the United States are becoming increasingly popular which is not only bringing thousands of worshippers together, but also billions of dollars in profit.”  And there it is.  Even the secular world recognizes that the larger organizations, such as ‘mega-churches’ bring in huge profits.   And while this example is of a congregation of people who gather in what some would call a local church, there is also big business in the music scene around Christianity, 281 million in 2022. But every organization needs money right?  Of course they do. One of the most misquoted scriptures is 1 Timothy 6:10 which reads, ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.’ . So it isn’t the money that is the root of evil, but the love of it.  So what is the bottom line for Christians who run businesses?  We can look to to Colossians 3:23–24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Our bottom line as Christians is to working for the Lord.

And there it is. The building, the business is what is lost.

2. They never make amends for mistakes, errors or sins.  There may be an apology, but no real change of behavior. This is driven by pride and the concern that showing imperfections or sins will cause damage to the business.  Afterall, we as Christians are perfect right?  Some present that way for sure, especially those who want to create a following of ‘holiness.’ Sadly, though, the same story repeats itself decade after decade of perfect ‘men of God’ falling to sin.  And yet, we continue to put people on pedestals time after time only to see the same end.   We build a kingdom around these religious leaders and go to ‘church’ because they are the leader.’ We should not exalt sinners.  When we attend a local church and brag about the pastor as a way invite others, we have built an idol.  We are sinners, we all sin. Including those who proclaim to be Christian ‘leaders.’
3. People are expendable, replaceable. People are a stat. You can always get new customers when others leave.  The end result of making profit/growth a priority in Christ’s church is; Christ’s sheep are divided and when they leave, the goal of a profit/growth mindset is to replace, not repair.   The business is priority,  and those who may provide less impact to the business goals are less necessary, expendable.  If you have a customer who complains about your hot dog recipe, then you can politely explain to them that there are other restaurants out there.  But if someone has issues with how a ‘Christian’ organization runs, then what?  What does Christ’s word tell us to do? It tells us to bear each other’s burdens. We are all valuable in the sight of God.  No one is expendable.  Christ died for all, and we are to love all. Not just those who fit our ‘vision or our type of people.’
The Expendables Movie

I won’t ruin the movie for you. Solid movie though. Love Sly.

4. Tone deafness: Connie Wedel writes in the “Anatomy of Tone-Deaf Leadership”  – “Protecting Reputation at All Costs

“Fear and defensiveness are two reasons why leaders become tone-deaf. Defensiveness makes admitting a mistake or “doing the right thing” almost impossible. When our brains detect a threat, we go into protective mode. Leaders should learn the triggers that cause defensive emotional reactions to combat becoming defensive.”  It might be better to provide nods and smiles when people complain.  After all, the goal is the survival of the organized business, and maybe complaints will just go away with the people who are complaining.

So what about Christ’s church?  Should our ‘leadership’ be tone deaf?  Of course not.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 – “Two are better than one… a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Romans 15:1–2 – “We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak.”
James 2:8 – “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.”
1 Peter 4:8–9 – “Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without complaining.”

These are just a few scriptures that tell us how we should relate to each other as Christian brothers and sisters. We should listen with humility and consider the difficulty each other deal with. This applies to a Christian organization such as a church body, Christian service, or other organization that claims to develop disciples for Christ. We are to be different. And those who choose to serve as ‘leaders’ should listen as scripture says to.

Sadly though, especially in many local churches, “leadership” has turned Christ’s sheep into consumers, customers.   In my post about “It’s time to boot leaders out of Christ’s church” I explore what Christ says about ruling over others, in that people who follow Christ should serve, not lead.  Which makes the term ‘Servant Leadership’ an oxymoron.  The church growth movement was one of the most destructive modern movements to the witness of Christ. The idea that people are viewed as commodities is not Biblical.  Marketing strategies put a price on people, as if we really are selling hotdogs.

Then why do ‘Christian’ businesses keep growing in number at the expense of hurting others?   Why doesn’t anyone else speak up?  Because what matters to most, is the success of the ‘Christian’ business.  It is the collective that needs to survive, and if people are hurt by the business process, well, they weren’t part of the vision after all, right?  But what does Christ say about his sheep, everyone of them matters. But are these businesses really Christian?  Jesus tells us that bad fruit can not come from a good tree. If the fruit is behavior that is contrary to Christ’s word, then we have to judge that they are not. If those charged with the organization are tone deaf, have no empathy, use their positions to hurt others, cover up wrong doing, do not have empathy to others who are hurt by the organization, then we have to question the root of that organization.

One of the enablers of covering up abuse in church are those who practice ‘toxic positivity.‘  Those who don’t want to confront wrong, those who always are positive and believe that speaking of wrongs in Christ’s church, is always negative.  This leads to covering up wrong doing, something that is contrary to how we as brothers and sisters in Christ are supposed to behave.  When a brother and sister expresses hurt, and those around them don’t empathize instead focus on the goal of the ‘Christian’ organization or collective, then that becomes a cover up of sin.  The term today is ‘Coverup Culture.‘  In abuse situations, those who are silent, enable the abuse, and enable a ‘Christian’ business to ‘get past’ sins without being held accountable as God’s word tells us to do.

The Solution: What is a key to reforming a church body from a business to a body that resembles the Acts church?

  • Number 1:  Find every copy of Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Church” and throw them in the garbage heap.
  • Number 2: Concentrate on our witness for Christ, and not how non-believers or consumer friendly Christians seek value. Our capitalistic Christianity in church has made us the king of many Christian businesses.   This is why pastors give their congregations surveys.   It’s a business first.
  • Number 3: Depart from the key desire to grow numbers. After all, if we are in God’s will, then we will have faith that He will grow what He wants.  We don’t need the latest marketing strategy that aggregates the marketing ratios of populations.

The Wrap

The damage is done, people have been discarded over the goal of the collective, the business.  Accountability goes unchecked and now there are factions within this Christian business.  Folks on both sides are hurt.  People are leaving.  Friendships have fallen apart or been strained because of the division. And if the business is not careful, they may not be able to fiscally stay afloat.   In that scenario, the bottom line has become the end of the line.  And for what, what is gained by pushing out hurt people?

“Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” Colossians 3:14
And while there is value in having the best hotdog stand as a Christian, there is no value in having a ‘Christian’ organization that defers to the bottom line as the primary goal and leaves unchecked abuse and mistreatment in its wake.  And this is the problem.  When an organization, just like a single person, claims to be Christian, and then doesn’t follow Christ’s basic commands of love, accountability, humility, and compassion, are they really participating in Christ’s commission? Or, are they building kingdoms on earth where moth and rust destroy.  When business becomes a divisive process in Christ’s body, are we then following what 1 Corinthians 12 says we should do? Are we making idol’s for ourselves, or we building a permanent kingdom.  Good question.  For those of us in business as Christians, we should examine what is important.  Christ’s kingdom, or our own.

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Steven Davis is a well-cooked preacher’s kid, musician, media producer, learning apologetics writer.

#apologetics #blogging #Christianblogger #saltlight #churchgrowth

My People – Christian Cliques and Segregation in Church – Picking our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

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We can’t pick Christ’s church.

I’ve mentioned this story before, but for the purpose of this subject, I’ll repeat it.   As I sat listening to my sister in Christ, who was almost in tears, lament that she was asked to leave her church ‘small group’ and find one that fit her age, I honestly was at a loss for words but didn’t find it unbelievable. My mind became numb because I found it so shocking that a phenomenon that should die in elementary school with the ‘cool kids’ had survived and been used to exclude some members of Christ’s church for other because someone else though they didn’t fit.   My people.

James 2:1

“ESV My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. “

We should be able to put a bow on this subject with scripture, but that would logically pre suppose that people in church follow, know or care what God’s Word says.  That’s a leap based on current research.
Christians discriminate?  And yet we do.  We find people who look like us, talk like us, and we hang out with those people.  After all, isn’t that Christian unity?  Is it?  If it excludes some less desirable Christian folk for the inclusion of others based on some arbitrary wish list to be a part of ‘my people,’ then no.  It’s favoritism.  It’s a clique.
We should be able to stop there, but we are a selfish people.  We like security, and yet cliques in Christ’s church do not offer it.  Instead, ‘cliques’ are an echo chamber, it’s a like minded, like talking, and like walking type of people who may exclude others because cliques are comfortable with spiritual apathy.   It’s like the group of ‘cool’ kids in the 3rd grade who exclude those that don’t fit, the weird kids.

God’s Judgment and the Law

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

So why do we group up in to cliques?  We are all sinners under the law and receive the same Grace from God?  We are equal.

Should we look to a pastor to address church cliques?  Yes and no.

Does that pastor practice cliques as a way of pastoring the local congregation?  What would that look like?  Does the pastor have a specific group with in the church that they spend the most time with to the detriment of the congregation as a whole?  If the church is so large that the pastor doesn’t even know the families that make up the whole, then that’s another issue all together.   Then the answer is ‘life groups’ formerly identifying as ‘small groups.’  Then that brings us back to my sister in Christ who was asked to leave a group for another one that would fit her better according to their arbitrary opinion.

“You don’t want dads going to a group discussion for moms do you!?  Do you!?”  That’s not arbitrary, that is a group that is tied to God’s creation.  So, no, I am not talking about that.   There is Biblical support for men teaching me, and women teaching women.

So, yes, if the pastor sees or practices clique behavior in the local congregation, that pastor should repent and walk in a way where he doesn’t show favoritism amongst the flock.

So, no, because cliques also live outside the weekly meeting.   Which unchecked, cliques can grow into discord and even church splits. It is up to each one of us to avoid the appearance of favoritism as we move throughout the body of Christ.   It is a counter ‘My People’ mindset, and behaving in a way that is more global, a Christ’s church mindset.

 

So how does this look in life?

Well we know what it looks like in the third grade.  It’s dodgeball day and the coach chooses two captains, and so it goes that each captain gets a turn to choose ‘their team.’  Their people.   Thus comes the judgement by the nine year old captains, the best first and then the least desirable.  And while it could be argued that this is just the way kids are, they see what they see without valuing each kid beyond what they can use them for, (winning).  What we can say is that type of thinking doesn’t belong in Christ’s church, especially with us who are adulting.  (20pts for using cool modern lingo)

We have to figure out who are truly “my people.”   In Matthew 12:48-50, Jesus is very clear that who ever does the will of his father are his brothers and sisters, his family.  His people if you will.    We to expand our biases past who we think are Christians. And without going through the historic church, even the past fifty years in America, the sin of preference or prejudice has crept into Christ’s church.  With the atrocities of racism to something much more innocent like picking ‘my people’ because of age, fluctuating cultural likeness, socio economic status and so on.  We still do it today.

 

So what is a good test?  Do we find ourselves unwilling to see other Christians as important as people we have identified as ‘my people?’

Group of people taking a selfie

1 Corinthians 12 gives us insight into unity within Christ’s church.

“… 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

And finally

 

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

So then we see from scripture how we all are one in Christ and should have concern for each other, not just those we have chosen as ‘my people.’  All followers of Christ have become ‘my people.’  So let us consider how we invest in the lives of those in Christ’s church.  Our lives are to be spent here in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ’s church, all of the church.  We have a huge family in Christ, let’s open our arms for all the people of Christ, not just the ones we choose.

 

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Steven Davis is a toasted preacher’s kid, media producer, practicing apologist, and musician.

 

Church should not be fun – It should be more than fun.

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RIGHT!?

I go to church because my kids have fun.

Hearing a parent say, ‘We go to our church because my kids have fun there.  They get to play and run all their energy out.’  And I’d agree, it is important for children to run around, get their energy out.  But what I didn’t hear was any thing related to Bible teaching for her children.  What I didn’t hear was a reason to go a local church versus just heading over to the local park.  Now to be fair, at a local park, you still have to watch your kids.   And I get it, for sure, it’s nice when someone else watches your children, and you can take a break.  No doubt that is a type of support a local church provides.  100 as those nifty cool kids say.

James River Church, which is the location for the title picture is well known for the fun style experience they have.  And granted, his local congregation is quite large.  And many, including himself, point to the size of the congregation and say that proves his methods work.  But what does scripture say?

The Bible doesn’t explicitly come out and say that the goal of a local group of believers, the church, is to have large numbers, like the mega-church movement. What scripture does say is that many will turn away from following Christ because they love the world.  Matthew 24

So what then about ‘Fun?’  What is so wrong with fun at church?   As one pastor puts it, what ever you draw people to the local church with, you have to continue it.  And if it is ‘fun’ filled with excited dopamine saturated fun, then guess what.  You have to top what you did in the past, otherwise people will be disappointed.

So then people are trained to expect to have fun.  People and their fun filled experiences become the focal point.  Sort of like having a monster truck or a male stripper at a men’s conference.  It is the flesh that is the bait, and somewhere hopefully the spiritual will be addressed.

So what is the purpose of the local church. Let’s see what the Bible says:

Unity and Diversity in the Body

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

In this scripture, we find one goal of the church is to suffer with those who suffer, and rejoice when someone is honored.  We are to be a community of people who know each other, a family.  Well, doesn’t entertainment bring people together?  Yes, but it would be no different than a football game, baseball game, or community fair. The churches job is to teach what Christ taught and make disciples. You don’t see Christ managing the 12 disciples against the Pharisees in a pickup game of pickleball.  What is the focus of coming together as a local church?

Well, church shouldn’t be miserable?

Of course not.  If the focus of the local coming together is on Christ, following his teachings and making disciples, then the local coming together will transcend ‘fun’ and become a time that builds up the body focusing on the enduring the temporal struggles of bearing Christ’s cross secure in an eternal hope.

— The church should be feeding the sheep, not entertaining the goats:  Charles Haddon Spurgeon—

Well, shouldn’t we have fun as Christ followers?

Ultimately the end result of prioritizing the flesh, ‘fun’ at a local church is we become very self centered, focused on ourselves.  We are the priority.  We show up in anticipating ‘how will I be entertained at church today?’  #summeratthemovies.  As for children having fun at church, there is a line between children having fun for fun sake and discipling children on their level.  Because if children come to church with the expectation that it is all about fun they grow up and you end up like this;

Should church be boring?  Of course not, but it should be Christ centered, Biblically sound and in the process of making disciples.  Feeding the flesh is contrary to feeding the spirit.  What is the focus of coming together?  Is it to have fun?  Is it to have fun with some Bible sprinkled in?   Or is it to come together in a manner that creates disciples for Christ.  I had a ‘pastor’ once tell me that short of sinning, he would do anything and everything to have people come to his local congregation.  But anything and everything is not what he is called to do.

We have ample opportunities to have fun in the community.   Tomorrow is not promised to anyone.  It could be a person’s last Sunday alive.  And shouldn’t we stay focused on the message of Christ, on a sacrifice of our fleshly desires, on our drive for fun to focus on Christ and Christ alone?  Maybe we don’t want to share.  Maybe we have made an idol out of fun.

Maybe we are addicted to our flesh, the dopamine that comes with church entertainment.  This is what I put my bet on.  Maybe we should remember the Christians in other countries that are dying for their faith as we sit in our stadium seating with fake church lobby coffee.   And ultimately, we should remember that our Savior died a horrible death for our sins and we should at least be able to give him an hour or two. #crucifytheflesh

What is the focus of our local church? Do they focus on me having fun? Do they focus in all parts teaching the Gospel and making disciples? If they do, then we are no longer the focus but Christ becomes the center of everything and others become our service of worship.

Hebrews 12:1-2

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

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Steven Davis is a burnt preachers kid, musician, media producer and Bible college drop out.

What’s Our Brand? – What Do We Want People to Know First?

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What’s Our Brand? – What Do We Want People to Know First?

brand logo

Growing up without the money to buy the latest ‘trending’ this or that was a blessing.  Although, growing up without the internet understanding ‘trending’ was also a blessing.  Many of us have a brand whether we want one or not.  But some in our culture push a brand on us.  Think about Amazon, that’s a brand we are all familiar with.  But what about our own brand?  How do we promote our brand?  What is our brand from?  I know people who constantly promote this sports team to the point that’s all they talk about.  One way to find someone’s brand is to look at their social media, if they have one.   We know that employers look at our social media to see what we promote.  That’s our brand.

In the 80’s or so we called this -brand- a reputation.  But today Western Christianity culture has incorporated so much corporate/social media lingo into local churches, it makes more sense to call it your ‘brand.’

When children grow up, what brand do we give them?  Do we push Starwars, Marvel, Barbie as their brand?   As a side note, one side effect of pushing a brand on a child as they grow is, it might limit their own imagination, or affect their personality in a way that mimics the brand, and not something they learn on their own. But that’s a squirrel topic and not the thrust of this post.

And you don’t even have to claim ‘Christianity’ to have a brand.  Atheists have a brand, Agnostics have a brand, Buddhists have a brand, we all have a brand.

What is our brand?  Is it drinking alcohol, partying, YOLO, or is our brand something else?   Good question.  We can change brands as we grow as well.  Maybe in our teen years our brand is ‘x’ and now it’s ‘z’.  Then we look back at our early year brand and shake our heads.  We grow up, our brand changes. Do fans of the University of Alabama have a brand… nope, I’d say they are a cult. Just kidding you lovely rabid Roll Tide people.  Jesus loves you.

As Christ followers, what should our brand be?

Well, an easy answer our brand should be Christ.  But is it really?  What is a good test?  Here is one to think about. – Having been in conversations about Christian topics, I’m often intrigued as to the hero of the Christian conversations.  Or when someone asks us if we are a Christian, is our response true to our brand or do we go off brand in our response.

Question:  Are you a Christian.

Answer:  Yes, I go to ‘X’ church. 

Or is our answer, ‘yes’, I’m a Christian and I’d love to tell you why.  I often see shirts, sunglasses, bumper stickers promoting a local church.   That is their brand.  That’s what they promote.  That church is promoting itself.   But is that what the church should be primarily first?   Of course not.

So what about t-shirts with scripture? Well, that is also a brand.  That promotes God’s word.  What about our speech, that’s a brand as well.  Does our speech promote Christ as followers of Christ, or is our speech ‘off-brand’ of Christ?

So what does it mean to be ‘on brand’?  Well, it means that the message we are trying to convey is consistent with our outward efforts.   Being on-brand means we are true to what we believe. You wouldn’t find a hamburger joint putting, time, money and effort into a commercial about lawn care.  They would put money, time and effort into a message about hamburgers and why they have the best.

In the same way as Christ followers, what brand do we put time, money and effort into?   Is our brand clear to folks as Christ followers?  Or is our brand hidden as Christ followers.  Again, one way to test what our brand is, is to look at someone’s social media.  But we can also look at their lifestyle.  Jesus calls this fruit.  He also called this light and salt.   As Christ followers, our brand is to be akin to Christ.  The Christ found in God’s Word, not the Christ of our making, or even the Christ that our preacher talks about.  We are to understand who Christ is from his Word.

What will we not do without?

A good self test is to examine our lives and see what we are willing to do without and what we are willing to give up.  What’s left in that ultimate decision is our brand.  Jesus requires us to forsake the world for him.  That is the brand he wants us to walk out. I have seen people become quite vitriol in defending Disney, Halloween, even Starbucks, they’ve even included the ‘!’ mark.  Is that their brand?  Or are they just ‘off-brand’ for the moment.

What is our first foot forward?

“I. You are the Salt of the Earth. Matt. 5:13 Jesus in these verse sums up the collected truth of the eight principles of the B-attitudes.
A. What are the properties of salt? The Lord compares true believers with the properties of salt.
1. Salt is used to add favor to food. It has a taste all its own, utterly unlike anything else.
a. When mingled with foods it makes them taste good.
b. It brings out the natural favor of food.
2. It is also a preservative. When added to other substances it preserves them from corruption.”

When asked if we are Christian, what is our first foot forward.  Do we respond with what church we go to?  Do we change the subject?  Does our brand even represent Christ in a way that someone would ask the question?   What is our brand?    Are we honest with ourselves about our brand?  Are we on or off brand?  How close is our brand to Christ?  That takes prayer and examination, and understanding who Christ is in his Word.  Because their are so many brands of Christianity, some on Brand with Christ and some not.  Our brand in Christ has to be founded in his unchanging Word.  So again, what is our brand?

If we are asking that question, we might have a problem already.  The Bible teaches that our lives are not our own as Christ followers.  It should never be our brand.  We don’t develop or own our own brand, just as we don’t own our own lives as Christ followers.  That’s for those who hate Christ, they ‘control’ their lives.  A better question to ask is, “how do I get closer and closer to what Christ teaches?”  How can his brand become mine?

For it was Jesus who gives us hope, who died on a cross for our sins, saved us from an eternal Hell.  Making his brand our brand should be easy.  However we struggle with our greed, our selfishness, life gets busy and we forget about Christ, having a sinful nature warring against our desire.  We should pray to God that he will help us put to death our desire for ourselves and in that we make his brand our brand.  We become salt, we become light because he shines, he seasons our life and encounters with other.  I pray that we all stay on His brand.

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Steven Davis is a well done preacher’s kid, musician, media producer, learning apologetic writer.

 

 

#apologetics #experiencegod #experiencepurpose #theheightschurch #experiencefreedom #makingadifference #blogging #Christianblogger #saltlight

Experiencing God in a Corporate Setting ? Messaging Matters

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Driving by this sign day after day which read “Experience God”, I thought to my self, ‘self, what does that mean?’  I mean it’s a sign that is in front of a building with the word ‘church’ in the name.  It’s a good size building being built and so I looked at some of the other messages of what I could find out about this church based on the messages and marketing signs.  And that will be the subject of this blog post. Messaging Matters.  And before I’m accused of nitpicking, message matters in our Christian testimony.  Words matter.  So I would like to explore this messaging.

At some point in this post, someone might say, well have you been to this church?  How can you judge it based on a few signs?  And of course I can’t.  It doesn’t matter if I go there or not. But if I did go there, it would not change what we will discuss during this time together.  So let’s discuss messaging, and we’ll start first with the big one that was the -rock in my shoe-.  “Experience God”

Experience God

Experiencing God Graphic

I’m guessing this is a rock concert, I actually purchased this off an image subscription. I have no idea what is from. :}

So using the Bible Gateway’s search feature and the phrase, ‘Experience God’, I couldn’t find any scriptures that talk about how to ‘experience God.’  What does that mean?

In Holy Scripture we do find a lot of examples of those who had experiences with God.  For example; the Egyptians experienced God as they drowned in the Red Sea.   Elijah experienced God as he was carried off in a chariot to the sky.   Adam and Eve experienced God’s judgement when He expelled them from the garden.  Balaam’s donkey experienced God when his mouth was opened and started to talk.  If a donkey can experience God, do I need a donkey experience?  What does it mean to ‘experience God’ and how is measured?  What is the proof?  What is the method?

If people are raising their hands, is that how you experience God?  What do we then say about this image at a rock concert?

So what about experience?  What are we to say?  To be honest, we are emotional creatures.  We love our experiences. Some people love roller coasters, some don’t.  Some love watching romance movies, some don’t.   Some people love to watch Rambo circa 1982 over and over and over again, some don’t.

This was a first for me, most churches show their service times. If we follow the logic of the marketing, then we have to assume that people will only experience God, whatever that means, on these three times. Do I sound snippy, nope, messaging matters. Words matter.

So let’s answer question #1:  What does it mean to experience God.

Answer: No idea. If we say our experience is based on us, then we have experienced us.  If we get goosebumps with the music at church, is that how we experience God?  When I wrote Emotion Doesn’t Validate Corporate Worship,  I still get goosebumps thinking about the title song from Moulin Rouge, ‘Come What May.’ In fact, I’m listening to it as I write.  :}  My goosebumps are an emotional reaction. 

A friend of mine told me how awesome their church is.  When I asked what was awesome about it, they said the music is just amazing.  I wonder if that is how one experiences God. Is it good music.

If you are profusely angry at me by now, I’ll understand. And while some of this writing is a bit tongue and cheek, the question remains, what does it mean to experience God at these three Sunday experiences (see sign)?  I have no idea.  Is everyone’s experience the same, is it different, are they experiencing God the same, or is it even the same god?  Unsure.  How is it all measured?

Is this guy experiencing God?

Within the mega-church movement, the building decor has become less religious, more secular, more secular visitor friendly. And let’s be honest, if the word church wasn’t on the bottom of this sign, you’d think this was some type of convention hall. May a new hotel. This trend is on purpose. If there were to have religious symbols, then there is a good chance someone might hold you to your presentation. For the sake of argument, if there was a statue of Mary, then someone might ask you if this church is Catholic.  But without any symbols, any historic church symbols, there is nothing to identify this setting as anything other than a non religious venue.  Something you might see in the the business world.  A type of corporate feel if you will.

Let’s talk about the corporate experience.  We know that experience is very important in today’s corporate environments. After all, you have to keep people happy.  We know that happy people are better workers. We’ve all been to corporate events, they have marketing inside and outside the events, giveaways, maybe live music, door freebies, have greeters who are assigned to different portions of the visitors experience, then you hit the coffee bar, maybe eat a danish, from there it’s off to learn about —insert theme here —.  All of this experience is to make your time memorable.  It’s important that you have a good time.

For good measure, here are – 4 Tips for Planning Corporate Event Entertainment

1. Focus on Creating Memorable Event Experiences

2. Keep an Eye on the Budget

3. Choose Thoughtful Corporate Entertainment

4. Prioritize Your Audience

Let’s move on.

Experience Purpose

Using that pesky Bible Gateway tool again, I couldn’t find the phrase ‘Experience Purpose’ in the Bible.  I know, I know, it’s a modern term.  So let’s chew on the hypothetical. For people who go to these experiences, does someone tell them what their purpose is?  Is it like Elevation Church that has massive volunteer recruiting for the purpose of doing tasks at the church?  Or is it like that false teaching of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life?  I hope not.

Does one have to go to this church to experience purpose?  Or could it be as simple as loving our neighbor which Jesus tells us to do.   What if the purpose I get during this experiential-church conflicts with some other purposes I have already? Which do I choose?  Yes, I’ve gone into silly mode.  And that’s ok, because again, messaging matters, and according to this sign, I can ‘experience purpose’ if I go there. What about the people down at the Baptist church, do they have a purpose?…ok, ok.  I’ll stop.

Experience Making a Difference

Now this message is great! Anyone who sees this, understands that these people are making a difference for the environment.  They are planting stuff and that definitely is making a difference. No plants, no breath ya know.  I know a lot of church organizations have become very environmentally aware.  And since the millennials generation (who by number is surpassing the Boomer generation) is concerned about making a difference in society; this sign about -making a difference- and it’s push for environmental issues is pretty good messaging. #bravo

Experience Freedom

Freedom?  From what?  Unsure.  What does that mean? If I were to infer from thin air, I’d say it has something to do with the freedom found in Christ, freedom from sin.  At least that’s what I’m hoping.  But that requires someone to repent.  So freedom through repentance?  And yes, I know my implications are running on fumes.  I’m just trying to understand this sign. I do wonder if you call the church office if they know what this sign means.  Either way, the king in this sign again is ‘experience.’  That word is pretty important as it is repeated over and over.

The Wrap

So what?  So what’s the big deal?  I’m glad you asked.

No where in Holy Scripture are we taught to ‘experience God.’  And if you go for the experience, you’ll have to go back for it time and time again.  Possibly, you’ll start to equate being a Christian with your experience.  And that’s narcissism and not Christianity.   If we are driven by experience, then anything less than our last experience will just not do.  The dopamine highways in our brain always want more, something new , just like video games, porn and other visual experiences that bombard our brains.

-What you win folks with you have to do and more to keep them.- So if people are coming to a building for an experience, then you’ll have to keep switching it up to keep the dopamine rolling on different highways in our brainage. (yes, I know that’s not a word)

But the bigger question is, ‘why is experience the king here?’  Why isn’t Jesus the hero of this marketing?  Maybe Jesus is taught here, maybe it’s an ‘almost Jesus’ -experience-.  Unsure.  And yes, I could attend, but why, the folks at this church seem to think ‘experience’ is the most important if we judge by the marketing.  I’m supposed to come for the experience. That’s emotionalism, that’s hype.

Finally, God is everywhere, omnipresent.  My purpose is given to me to love on others because of God’s grace to me. My freedom is found in Christ.  And making a difference, well we can do that anywhere.  No secret sauce can be found on the other side of these road signs, but I’m sure the experience is something else for sure.

So what? What’s your beef?  Because message matters.  Words matter.  With so many ‘churches’ moving away from orthodoxy to experienced based church, it should be a warning to us when a church bases so much on ‘experience’, something so subjective, something that is so focused on us. We should want Christ more than experience.  It is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we have all we need.   It is the Gospel that we can hope through good experiences and bad experiences in life.  It is also in the Gospel that we can judge any experience we have.

Does this church preach the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ, one of repentance through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross for all of our sins?  I dunno.  All I know is that based on this marketing, it’s Experience that is the most important message they want us to know.  And that’s no reason to go, not when there is so many theme parks around an hour away.

 

Steven Davis is a well done preacher’s kid, musician, media producer, learning apologetic writer.

 

 

#apologetics #experiencegod #experiencepurpose #theheightschurch #experiencefreedom #makingadifference

Time to boot Leaders out of Christ’s Church – Mark 10:42-45

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Time to Boot Leaders out of Christ’s Church

I like to insert humor in my writing so people will calm down, here’s a cartoon from one of my favorite cartoonists.

Full disclosure.  I was going to use the ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ from the Minions, but I don’t find them very funny. Maybe if I wanted to be more relevant, I should have used them.

Now breathe a bit, one one thousand, two two thousand…  Now that everyone’s heads aren’t exploding, let’s take a minute to explore God’s word about what it means to serve in Christ’s church.

Matthew 23:1-12

23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and [a]comply with it all, but do not do [b]as they do; for they say things and do not do them. 4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. 5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their [c]phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, 7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called [d]Rabbi by the people. 8 But as for you, do not be called [e]Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called [f]leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

We should be able to stop at the words of Jesus and move away from ‘leaders’ in Christ’s church.  But I have personally watched a pastor trump the words of Jesus with his own opinion.  So Christ’s words don’t really matter at times.

Mark-10:42-45

The Request of James and John

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[d] 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave[e] of all.45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Source:  BibleGateway. 

And while I want to explore what Jesus means specifically in terms of lording of others, let’s take a look at what it means to be a leader in contemporary society.

What is a Leader?

What are some aspects of a Leader.

  1. Leaders have employees.
  2. Leaders control the narrative, even individual speech.
  3. Leaders direct their followers in the way of the Leaders’ vision.
  4. Leaders can lead according to how they want, they are only bound to what is important to the leadership power structure.
  5. Leaders are concerned for the bottom line.  Whatever that may be, it could be anything.
  6. Leaders are not bound to Scripture. There is no reason for them to be since the leadership model is not prescribed in Scripture.

A ‘leader’ can be anything, do anything, and get away with anything including calling themselves a ‘vision caster.’ A title that is 100 corporate and found in secular business.

One of the common mechanisms in modern evangelicalism is something called “Vision Casting” a title of “Vision Casting Leaders” Well, neither are biblical. If you’re in one of these churches, ask your Vision Casting Leader to justify his title in the Bible. It’s not possible.

So let’s look at what the Bible prescribes as a leader in Christ’s church…

Here is one scripture (CLICK HERE), here’s another (CLICK HERE) and another is here (CLICK HERE)… If you weren’t able to click on any links is because there are none.  When the bible talks about how we serve in Christ’s church, they are as follows.

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[a] and teachers,[b] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[c] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

These gifts are for the building up the body, not controlling it. The gifts are actionable and chained to Christ’s loving instruction for his church. Ephesians 4:11-16

Biblical Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.

2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect.
5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. 1 Timothy 3:1-7

Back to the secular definition of a leader. Well, it can be anything, it can be a position of authority for good, it can be a position of authority for bad. Leaders can perform how ever they way. In corporate America, for the sake of argument, leaders can be fired by their leader, stake holders, quit and go find another leadership position somewhere else. Again, leaders can be anything.

The pushback, and the reason some use the word leader in Christ’s church is because it connects to our consumer American culture and that a term like pastor is an old term. At least this is the argument of why Andy Stanley of North Point Church says churches need to move away from the term shepherd. People can’t connect with the term shepherd. Silly. Given that Andy Stanley has diminished the status of the Word of God in his own teaching, let’s avoid him as well as this false teaching as well.

There have always been ‘religious’ people that want to create terms, laws, and practices that are contrary to God’s written word. They do it for greed, personal gain. This was why Jesus rebuked the pharisees, they added to God’s law for their own personal gain, for control of God’s people.

What if a ‘leader’ sins against Christ’s church, maybe a group of ‘leaders.’ What then? Does the supreme leader do then? Who knows, after all, leaders can be anything. Is there a board of accountability? What are the qualifications of a leader in Christ’s church. Maybe they are qualified, maybe not. How do we know? Who knows. After all, a ‘leader’ can be anything. Has any ‘leader’ sinned in your church?  Would anyone tell you?  Good question.

Why unhitch a local church from the commands of God in Christ’s church? That speculation can go on for ever. But sadly we do have examples. Take for example Mark Driscoll and his abusive behavior at Mars Hill church.  Numerous articles in recent history highlighting his others abuse in Christ’s church should be a retina blinding warning to Christians that when ‘leaders’ rule in Christ’s church, abuse increases as a real possibility.

Regarding abuse in Christ’s Church.

Christ’s local church should be the safest place on this planet. So why is it not?

Why does abuse in church happen?    At the root of abuse of most types is control.  One or more people controlling another or group of others. Take for example; A leadership group that has authority over another group in Christ’s church.

  • Leaders don’t care what their subordinates think.  Why would they, the leaders have the best ideas.
  • Leaders lead, everyone else follows.
  • Leaders Rule with or without accountability

It is very easy for a leadership team to abuse their authority since they are the leaders after all.  When faith or authority from the masses is placed into a group of leaders and that group abuses their authority against those subordinate to them, then what?  Is there a recourse?   Sadly, for many churches mega or wanna-be-mega, the only recourse is to leave since the response from those in leadership is; -well this may not be the right church for you.-   “Right church?”  I thought Christ’s church was the right church for everyone?  Right? (redundancy on purpose)

Even the secular world gets it.  This from Psychology Today

“The perhaps best known unsuccessful leadership styles are the authoritarian (or “autocratic”) and the laissez-faire leadership styles. Whereas a person with an authoritarian leadership style will tend to lead by assuming control over all decisions while not soliciting input from or taking the advice of others in the organization”  It seems that much of Christ’s church, especially in Evangelicalism, is operating on a 80’s Wall Street model.  Top down.

If a church leader sins against the flock, how do you know? What happens?

Well if the Catholic Church (no link needed), Hillsong/AOG and as of late the SBC is any indication, covering up that sin seems to be a common practice within Christ’s church.  If only a few people in a local church, the board, leadership group know about the abuse, it can be covered up without any accountability outside those small governing groups.  Disaster to the flock.

So why the title leader?

Ego? (probably)  Relevance? (misguided)

Let’s revisit the common push back from those who use the term ‘leader’ in Christ’s church, “We use the term leader because it is a term people relate to.”  Umm, ok.  Well yes, we do relate to it.  But we also relate to the term Banana.  Why not call those in who serve in Christ’s church ‘Bananas?’  Well, it would be confusing for sure.  Can you imagine, “Hi, my name is Banana John Smith and I’m going to speak to you on the book of John 2:1-11” We all relate to the term banana, but let’s not use that as a label for servants in Christ’s church.  Why not call them, what they do?  This is how the bible prescribes gifts in Christ’s church. Hi I’m John Smith, your servant in Christ’s church and today I’ll be teaching.  I’m a teacher. So the relevance defense is just silly. The term leader is on purpose.  Again, why?  Ego? Control?  Both?

Some want to combine the words into a new term Servant Leadership.  Well that’s an oxymoron.  Can one person serve, be the least in Christ’s verbiage, and be the greatest at the same time?  Silly.

This article and it’s critique of the term leaders and why the mechanism or role of ‘leader’ is wrong for Christ’s church, could go on for days.  There are so many stories of ‘leaders’ falling spectacularly in Christ’s church:

Brian Houston
Most of Hillsong
Jim Bakker
Douglas Goodman
Tony Alamo
Bob Coy
Dave Reynolds
Mike Hintz
Robert Tilton
Mark Driscoll
and so on.

The point of this list is to draw attention to how far off the modern church has gone off course. So much is invested into following ‘leaders’ that we as Christ’s church had created idols for ourselves. And God, true to his word humbles the proud. So why taunt God with continuing with the ‘leader’ model.  Because we won’t learn, we don’t read and/or follow God’s word.  We are proud ourselves and want someone to be proud of. We want to boast about our leaders, our local church.  Proverbs 16:18 in full effect.

The solution? We should instead return to the Biblical model of serving and not ruling. Is this a matter of semantics, the answer is no.

The term, phraseology, or roll of leader is too easily detached from God’s word and open for abuse.  We have leaders at work, we have leaders in kids scout teams, we have leaders in the military, we have leaders in sports. But leaders can be anything and act anyway that they can get away with.  I once had a leader who couldn’t lead a pack of rats in a cheese factory.  We are absolutely used to the term leader and know that we should follow a leader, right? Not because of any intrinsic value of that leader in Christ’s church, but solely because said leader or leaders were voted on or placed in front of us as someone we are told to follow. They lead we follow? And without qualifying according to God’s word.

Everyone, including this writer is subject to God’s Word which includes God’s biblical discipline, God’s structure for his church.   If someone, like Mark Driscoll thinks they are beyond the Bible and have the authority to abuse others in Christ’s church, those people should be booted right out the door. They are no longer qualified to oversee anyone in Christ’s church. There has to come a time when we get tired of seeing these ‘leaders’ abuse people in Christ’s church and say ‘enough is enough.’  The leader paradigm is dead.

So it’s time. It’s time to boot leaders out of Christ’s church.    Christ’s church has no room for leaders only servants.  Christ’s church doesn’t need Lords of Leaders lording over others. If your pastor still uses the term, ask him why when Jesus doesn’t support it.

If people want to lead, Apple is hiring.

#apologetics #churchreform #leadership #churchleaders #churchleadership #christianity #reformation

Steven Davis is a burned out preacher’s kid, unpeeling evangelical, media producer, musician, and practicing apologist.

Carl and Wally – Wally visits Carl’s church

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Wally visits Carl’s church and has lots of questions about the experience at his mega-multi-site church.  Wally has a lot of questions of what is going on.  These are some of those conversations.

Carl and Wally are fictional characters visiting a fictional church, maybe yours.

About the Author:  Steven Davis is a musician, practicing apologist, media producer and burned out preachers kid.

#christianapologetics #apologetics #christianity #christian #bible #jesus #theology#jesuschrist #christ #apologist #faith #gospel #god #christians  #christianapologist #atheism #philosophy #standtoreason #bibleverses #truth #bibleverse #reasonablefaith #christianliving #biblestudy #apologeticsquotes #evangelism #jesusisking #intellectualfaith

Dear Brothers and Sisters: Please Stop Boasting about a local Church/Pastor.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters: Please Stop Boasting about a local Church/Pastor.

***Insert cute cartoon so you’ll start breathing regularly.***

As many read this, it is already possible to see the smoke coming out of many ear canals spelling “How Dare You!” “You’re harming the church!” “You have a spirit of criticism!” and so on. Speaking of spirits, recently I had someone cast the spirit of criticism out of me on Facebook. Not sure if it took.

So before my reader’s head explodes, lets look at the Biblical reasons we as God’s Collective Church should not boast about a local church or pastor.  If you believe we have something to boast about regarding ourselves according to Scripture and separate from Christ, then feel free to leave your comments below.

Ready?  Here we goooooooo.

Reasons we should not boast about a local church/pastor.

Exhibit A

Exhibit A.

 

There have been many Biblical critiques of Hillsong over the years; here here and most recently here. There are many many more.  Needless to say, Hillsong has been a train on the way to a wreck for a long time.  Many who boasted about Hillsong, used their songs, let Hillsong take over their churches, now are abandoning the brand, why?  Because of the latest video by Discovery.  Why didn’t they abandon Hillsong over the many years of scandals and false teachings?

There will probably be years of post mortem done on Hillsong. Hillsong, being what it is, a cultural movement that doesn’t preach the true gospel of Jesus, will continue to present the ugly truth about itself. The more they peel the onion, the more tears.  Hillsong’s implosion will harm the faith of many because it is far from what a church should be and operated outside of Biblical teaching in both government and goal, to make disciples of Jesus.  Hillsong has always been more of a religious pyramid scam based on false promises God did not make- send in money for a blessing-. Those who idolize(d) Hillsong will be lost as to what to do next. Their god is fallen and rightfully so.

So that’s exhibit A.

REASON PRE-UNO: JESUS

As it is written in Phillipians 2:5-11

The Mind of Christ
(Isaiah 52:13–15)

5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,a 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross. 9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If Jesus humbled himself, and he is who we should imitate, then we really should be able to stop there as a really really good reason not to boast about anyone but Christ. But many will want to include many ‘buts.’  So we continue…

Reason UNO: Idolatry  

Really? Absolutely.

Can a local church become an idol?  Of course.  Anything that we replace God with, is our god.  It could be our sin, it could be a relationship, it could be a job, and yes, it can be a local church.   So how does a local church become an idol?

    1. Loving the local church instead of the God who gives us the local church is one way. 1 Corinthians 12:12-21  Today’s buzzword is community. And that is absolutely one of the biblical tenets of what the local church should be, it must be community welcoming all in Christ’s love. Shepherds don’t get to pick their sheep.  It’s not the case that a pastor cares for those who meet certain qualifications.  If this sounds like fiction, it is not.  See our post “Get on the Church bus, or get run over.”  Church idolatry leads to abuse.
    2. Exodus 20:3 is clear, we are to have no other god before Yahweh.

Squirrel moment: Many progressive churches have become more cults than a place that creates disciples. See the statement put out by Steven Furtick at Elevation where he says, his church is not for people after they become Christians, his church is only for non-believers. His church has become his own idol because he has strayed away from what God wants his church to be. Matthew 28:19-20

If the local church moves away from God’s biblical calling, we have made the local church our God. aka A unique vision for a local church is not Biblical and is instead a man made doctrine, an idol.  God told us what we should be doing, another mission is an idol before God.  It’s that s-i-m-p-l-e.

Personal Story: We visited a church once and asked some staff what they liked about the church. I heard how great the pastor was. I didn’t hear anything about the Gospel or how it is practiced inside the church. Did they mean well, yep.  Did I care about how great the pastor was, nope. I don’t worship pastors, I worship God.

REASON DOS: Pride

One of the main criticisms of the Christian church is it’s full of hypocrites, because we say one thing, and do another.   And to be honest, after all my years in church, we own that reputation in some way or another. Mostly because we forget who we are in Christ AND who we would be without Christ.  You see, the one and only difference between us and an unbeliever is God’s saving grace.  1 Corinthians 6:11 We have nothing to boast about in ourselves. As Carmen said in his song, we need to keep our eyes on the Creator, and not on the creation, including ourselves.

Romans 3: 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery lie in their wake,
17and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Trigger Question: When is the last time your pastor or church leader apologized for a church decision that had a negative impact on the sheep?  It doesn’t happen often. When is the last time we apologized to someone in the body of Christ?  It’s just a question?

The BAD: Historic Downward Church Trends:

So, for the past couple of decades, the effort by the Emerging Church was and now the New Apostolic Reformation Church movement is to make church attractive as possible by avoiding the true Gospel of Sin and Repentance. There’s even a term for it, “Attractional Church.”  Many in this movement discard Biblical liturgy for an ‘experience.’ Take Andy Stanley, he recently discarded the Ten Commandments.  Instead of the Gospel, which convicts us of our sin, attractional churches have invested in professional musicians, lights, smoke, dancing, massive themed sets that look more like Disney wanna-be efforts.   Some don’t resemble Christianity at all, the Gospel of Jesus makes a last minute appearance if at all.  Like most man-made efforts, this fails as well.  These churches provide plenty of dopamine trips, but lack the understanding, willingness to preach or lack faith in the one and only Gospel.  It is in error and prideful to make the local church themed around man made efforts to ‘reach the lost’ and not the saints because it is contrary to scripture. For example in these ‘churches’, euphemisms are used for Biblical principles; Sin become mistakes, Repentance becomes finding a new purpose, and serving Christ has become ‘getting plugged in.’  Those in the church growth movement have surveyed the culture and decided that preaching on sin and repentance won’t draw large crowds, so just don’t do it. The Gospel has left the building. Some how these folks know better than God, and have come up with their own gospel.  Pride.

If this sounds like idolatry and pride, you’d be correct.  Without pride, we can’t have idolatry. In Exodus 32, the children of Israel made a golden calf in part because it was what they were used to, culturally relevant and attractive. And in their pride, they thought they could actually replace Yahweh by their hands. And today, the same is the trend, to replace the Gospel with man made philosophies, methods, ‘visions’ and ideologies.  Is it, that these ‘shepherds’ are stupid as Jeremiah 10:21, or is it a sign of the times, the great apostasy?  Only God knows, but there is a big move away from the preaching of the true Gospel in many many churches. It scares people away right?

So boasting about anything other than Christ is not worshiping him, and that pride is a sin.

Every local church should routinely exam itself for sin, error, pride, wolves (even small ones), efficacy of church services as well as if the pastor’s head is getting too big. When people are beginning to worship staff instead of Christ, that’s pride with a flavor of idolatry. A pastor who presents as being perfect might be having a pride complex.  On the other hand, self-deprecation by a pastor is not Biblical either.  A pastor should decrease as Christ increases.  If he doesn’t talk about Christ, that’s difficult to achieve.

It was Pride that changed angels into devils;

it is humility that makes men as angels. – St. Augustine

REASON TRES: Competition

For the record, I don’t own this recipe book.  The book has taken it on the chin in the ratings and is too low in ratings for me to spend even $4.99 on it. And when we boast about a local church, we present a similar rating system to the community related to local churches.  We start using words like, awesome, the best, amazing, and so forth about a local church.   However, only God is awesome, He’s the best, He is amazing.  These words mean something and should be reserved for Him.

Micah 6:8 ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?

Think about it this way.  You go to ‘A’ church, your friend goes to ‘B’ church.  If you’re on social media bragging that your church is the best, what are you saying to your friend?  Words matter.

I realize in our American captialist system, one way we choose almost anything is to see what other’s have chosen.  Confession: I do that with Amazon. If 31,324 people gave something a 5 start review, I want to buy it even if I don’t need it.  After all, everyone else likes it.  But we know from scripture that the gate is small and the road is narrow, and only a few will find it. Matthew 7:14  I’m always leary of large crowds following this trend and that trend, especially in church. Hopefully the dopamine tricks are a trend, but I fear it is a long one.

We as a local body can get in a comfort groove and ignore real deficiencies in how we as humans put together a local church.  We are comfortable to boast about the things we like, after all, the pot lucks dinners make us fat and happy.  Why should we examine what we do in a local church? The saying goes there is no perfect church, and that’s true.  But we can aim for being a Biblical church.  But that will require adherence to the sacred Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Before we end this; let’s honestly, for real-real examine a local body from a Biblical perspective. Because the local church is full of humans, the same sin that is outside the church walls is the same sin inside the walls.  There are cases of bullying, sexual sins, lying, emotional and spiritual abuse, greed and so on in the local church.  We would be foolish to think different.

So why boast?

In evangelicalism we like to boast.  So IF we are to boast, what do we boast about? Consider how we may boast.

Steps to Boasting from the Apostle Paul

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

Words matter so consider…

    • If a local church body centers around the Gospel of Christ, then we can boast about Christ’s truth being proclaimed in that local body. If not, we have nothing to boast about and resemble a moose lodge with Christian sprinkles….Mmmm sprinkles.
    • If a local church loves more than demands of the sheep, then we can boast about Christ’s love in that local body. If not, we have nothing to boast about. We labor in vain. 1 Corinthians 13:1
    • If a local church boasts about Christ instead of the sheep, then we can say Christ is teaching  humility. If not, we have nothing to boast about and should repent of our pride.
    • If a local pastor presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ as dying for our sins and our need for daily repentance in word and action, then we can boast about God’s truth being proclaimed. But if his sermons are full of self-help are more Christianeeze and Oprah in a blender, then he needs to repent and do as he’s been told in 2 Timothy 4:2.

And finally,

    • If the local church is seeing the fruit of the Spirit through discipleship, then we can say we are following Jesus’ commands.   But if it’s all experience, dopamine trips, perfect this and perfect that without true spiritual fruit, then we are entertaining ourselves and might as well go to Dollywood instead.

This list could go on forever because we as humans have a sinful nature and we consistently fail presenting Christ in our lives and even the local church. If you think differently, then I’ll pray for you and your pride. You unlike the rest of us have arrived at perfection.

The Wrap:

So let’s practice humility in understanding that but for God’s Grace, we are damned to hell.  It is for Him we boast. God is awesome, He’s the best, He is amazing.  Let’s reserve the highest rating for HIm.

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Steven Davis is a burnt preacher’s kid, media producer, musician and reforming evangelical.

How we use music to segregate within the local church

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Diverse picture of hands holding

How we use music to segregate our church meeting.

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First of all, the rules for this post. (ominous sounding eh?)

Rule: 1  This post is not about racial equality, race issues in general.

Rule: 2 This post is not about singling out any culture or race.

Rule: 3  This post is from an American point of view

So what about Stryper?   Probably one of the most renowned Christian Rock Bands from the 80s till today.

A bit of HX

For me, the music was among other bands that I listened to at a critical time in my Christian journey.  Other bands I liked were Bride, Guardian and Degarmo and Key.   There are many more, but those are the more well-known bands.    So that is a sample of my favorite Christian music from back in the day.  Even though I was playing praise and worship from the likes of Ron Kenoly in church, in my room or car, those were the tapes I played constantly.  I still remember playing Bride for my youth pastor and he just shook his head.  I guess head banging may not have been his thing?  My thing?  Absolutely.

But that’s me.  I can actually swing from Christian metal to Bluegrass in one blog sitting.  What about you?  What Godly music do you like?  So you have a favorite?  Do you like everything?  You do?  Including Stryper?  It can get uncomfortable to think that there is more Christian music out there that others like.  Why don’t they like what we like?  Shouldn’t we all listen to the same Christian music?  Of course not.   We are all created differently and our musical likes and dislikes can vary immensely.

As recent as a few years ago, I visited a church, one where I got a massive migrane from their blue light banks.  Someone asked me how I enjoyed the service.  I mentioned my pain with the stage light. She mentioned that their worship isn’t for everyone, and directed me to packs of ear plugs on a table in the lobby.  I did see the earplugs, but the volume of well-mixed church meeting music has never bothered me.  But certainly those with hearing issues, headache issues or other auditorial issues, yep, loud music can be a hindrance.   Her response however was that the church had mitigated issues like mine by providing earplugs for worship.  Did that make any sense?  Didn’t then, doesn’t now.   The comment however that the worship wasn’t for everybody was the most concerning part of that encounter. That blog post was the whole reason for this and other posts.  We have to examine our corporate worship, what is it, what should it look like?  So what about our corporate worship, is it for everyone?  We need to address questions like this in the modern church, openly.

Can I come to church with you?  I hope you’d say, ‘Absolutely!.’  But will your church band play some metal for me? What about some bluegrass?

 

Probably not, but maybe your church is like this Finnish Heavy Metal Church.  I can only hope.

What does your church play for music?  In the American church, the choices are wide open. There are hymnals and at the other ends of the spectrum is music like the above video, church metal.   “Now wait a minute,” you say? “Church Metal?!” Yes, Church Metal.

But I’d bet your church isn’t into metal.  What they actually play for the church meeting may depend on a large set of factors.

So how do we choose our corporate or congregational worship music?  Here are some ways, but not all for sure.

 

The Latest K-Love top 10

People like their car music.  Remember mine?    But I’m sure other people listen to stuff on K-Love, which may have a tad of issue sliding in “To Hell With the Devil.”  But hey, if the K-Love top 10 is Christ-centered Biblically Theologically sound music, then I’m all for it. But should we choose that for corporate worship?

Worship Leader chooses it

I still remember sitting in church trying to sing the songs that were on the screen.  I didn’t really recognize most of it.  The lyrics were spread along the musical timeline in a way that seemed difficult to sing with.  To me, it was like nails on a chalkboard.  Several songs were more like religious prose dropped on top of rhythms without thought given to flow.  I’d say they were all Christian, but some didn’t make any theological sense.  Either way, it was a chore to try and sing with them.  I never found out if they were personally written by the worship director, or not but someone tried to write that music.

Congregational Requests

I alluded to this earlier, but some churches sing what everyone likes.  After all, you want to keep people happy right?  Or do you?  Is that what is coined ‘Consumer Christianity?’  We as a worship team/group should do what we can to please the people in corporate worship, right? Probably not, since that is giving the sheep the Shepherds Crook.  Consumer Christianity is rampant in today’s American culture.  Do something someone doesn’t like, boom, they are off to the next restaurant, I mean church. Wrong attitude.

Is there anything sinister or inherently wrong about playing a song in church someone wanted to hear?  Not really.   Is it how we should approach corporate worship in a church meeting?  Does that make the worship band more of a ‘bar band without the tip?’

It’s What We’ve always played

Generations come and go, decades come and go, and we refuse to review and grow in corporate worship, or even our faith for that matter.  After all, the world is going to Hell in a handbasket anyway, why should we change what we do in our local church, we are the chosen few right?  So regarding worship, that church down the road is such and such type because they play ‘x’ type of music.  That’s the way they’ve always been.

 

Worship

A Bible Look

According to Jesus: John 4:23-24  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

In Isaiah 12:5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.

In Psalms 95:1-6 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 150 Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens![a]
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

It’s pretty clear just from a few verses, God’s command and our intent when we worship ,should be to worship the one true God, I AM.

 

So what about corporate worship.  Before we answer that question, we have to look at one more Jesus reference.

Matthew 28: 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”

It’s the ‘All Nations’ we want to zero in on.   With the current modern church in America, we have a lot of religious diversity.  We have this church that has this group, this church over here has this group, and that one over there has another group and so on.  And often, historically, our American church has differed in music just as it does in the makeup of the congregations.  Is it the American culture and musical genres that has influenced our local church worship?  Have we taken our corporate worship style lead from the world?

Squirrel Rant —  Allow me to borrow that objection in your mind and yell at myself for a minute.   Here goes.  “Now wait a minute, aren’t congregational makeups largely a matter of location.  We have city churches that have city folk, the suburbs have another congregant makeup, and the country churches, well we all know what they have.  So, that’s the reason for the congregant makeup right? ” And that’s what gives us our corporate worship style, right?  And to some degree, I would agree that by default, across America we have built our local churches based on location.  Because given the choice, I’d be hard-pressed to drive an hour to church if I can find Jesus a little closer.  :}

 

I’m going to revisit Stryper one more time (at least)- Labels

Labels What were/are called who like that type of music, “Headbangers” Which is different than “The Headbangers“, that’s a wrestling team.   We all dreamed of wearing bright spandex, 8-inch plats, and hair flying in the wind long enough to hit the person on the third row.    But those who performed hip-hop, maybe they were called rappers. The labels that were in secular music, we all know them.  What about George Jones, well he was a country music singers. I for one wasn’t a huge rap fan.  It wasn’t my thing, so I leaned more towards rock and metal.  I just liked it.  So when I finally found Christian Rock/Metal, I was set.   But there were a few RUN-DMC songs I liked.  I just didn’t spend any money on their albums.

So what does Stryper have anything to do with corporate or congregational worship.   If it was up to me, a whole lot.  But God in his infinite wisdom chose not to give me a worship leader position in my teen years.  And that is a blessing for all.  But enough self-depreciation, if Stryper showed up to do a show at my church, I suspect there would be 5.8% of people left at noon.

I’ll never forget when our band sang at a gospel sing.  We had a rhythm and blues lead guitarist, blues and rock electric guitarist, a metal bass guitarist, and myself a southern gospel drummer.  Talk about diversity. We were the last people to play.  By the end, most people in the seats had dispersed, but we had three elderly gentlemen sitting on the front row.  I’ll never forget, they tapped their feet the whole time.  I’m sure people left because of the late part of the day. That had to be it. :}

So what does this have to do with corporate church worship?  A question we should ask is, how has the progression and diverse American music impacted both what we play in our churches but the makeup of our churches.  Do we have “hip hop”, rock, country – insert genre – churches?

 

Is there anything wrong with playing music people can connect to?

That is the question.  Music is one of the most powerful expressions in humanity.  Music can be very personal for people.  Music can give us messages of life or death.  Music can give us messages of hope or hopelessness.   Like the ole’ country joke; ‘what do you get when you play a country song backward?  You get your dog, truck, and wife back.’  I know I know, not all country music is hopeless.

When I first found Christian rock music and even today, when I invest in Christian music, I’ll research the band looking, for one thing, a message that points to God either in the band’s bio or the words of the song, hopefully in both. Because there is a lot of music then and today that alleges a Christian message, but is lacking in sound theological doctrine and is sometimes outright secular.  Like when we all thought Evanescense was a Christian band, finding their way into Bible book stores.

 

Should we play songs that everyone can connect with?  That’s a good question;  A better question is should we play songs that enable people to connect to God.   If so, then what is the approach we need?  Here are some thoughts.

We should come to a church meeting to worship.  We need to have an attitude of worship.  We as a corporate congregation need to humble ourselves together before God and say, if we worship, we worship to glorify God.  Worship should not be to edify the body first but to glorify God.  Maybe we sit in quiet waiting on God, maybe we play the same song four times praising God, maybe we just worship first. – Which means, my thoughts about the song choice has nothing to do with my attitude of worshiping God in a collective way that honors Him.-

So then what?  Should we play a diverse set of music that reaches everyone including anyone who walks in the door?  Or should we look across the seats and settle on this type of music because of who sits there?  Still the wrong question.  We as Americans have had a tendency to sit and consume church.  But our thoughts on worship should be to glorify God.  Sunday worship should be the icing on the -weeks- cake, not the entire cake of our -weeks- worship.

A silly proposition.  What if we had five people in our congregation; one a metalhead, one country, one who likes hip hop, one who likes progressive modern seeker-friendly songs and one who really digs hymnals.  How do we choose that song list?   Well there’s the obvious, and then there’s what I propose is the alternative;  Rethink our worship entirely.  Music is powerful, and anointed worship is when we are in a place that becomes about God, and not the song. -Idols even.-   Worship God, let go of ourselves.  Now don’t get me wrong, we can play songs, music in a way that is harsh to the ears, rhythmically deficient, and so on.   I’m not proposing lowering the quality but rethinking the purpose thereby the substance of our corporate worship.

 

Final thoughts.

Is there anything wrong with playing worship songs that people can connect with?  A better question is; shouldn’t we focus on the act of corporate worship with humility, and let the song choice be a distant sixth place?  After all, Jesus tells us to worship God, our attitude of worship should be our first consideration.  And that takes constantly refocusing ourselves beyond ourselves.

Is it possible to segregate a church using music, it sure is.   If I had a church and hired Stryper to do the worship, I’m probably going to lose some folks.  Even if I have Michael Sweet do Amazing Grace, Stryper circa 1980 may be too much spandex and makeup for some.

Do some church folk leave a church because they don’t like the music, they sure do.  Do we all come to church and like a good song, sure.  But shouldn’t we rethink our worship constantly to make sure we are not inhibiting everyone – All Nations if you will- with connecting with God? Absolutely.  But as a good friend of mine told me, that requires working past our humanity.

 

About the Author:  Steven Davis is a drummer, recovering social worker, overcooked preachers kid, bible school dropout.

Jesus is the Bridge

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The human church was never established to be a bridge to God that we should boast of our abilities. On the other hand, Jesus: his birth, life ,death and resurrection is the bridge to God. Its arrogance to believe we can rise to that act of Christ. No, we are not the bridge brothers and sisters, we are at best road signs pointing to His bridge. #humility