Another tragedy of canned music in church is no room for writing fresh music

Posted on April 22, 2022 by admin

Let’s talk about food first. To be honest, my soon coming analogy fails a bit because I love canned corn and fresh corn. So if I was to write a blog article about how bad canned corn is compared to fresh, well, I’d be lying. Call it weird, but I’m fine with a can of corn. However, it does not compare with the fresh corn on the cob, with butter, lots of butter. So that’s my transparent portion of this post.

Analogy

Growing up playing worship music in church was fun. I come from a very musical family, all of us could play or sing. I started out playing southern gospel and hymns, 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 at Christmas time. (many Christmas hymns are 6/8) Fast forward to present day, church music has changed drastically. Many churches have discarded, or tried to discard hymns for more rock style K-Love Radio music. There are even ‘churches’ now that play secular music as well.

There are many articles written on the transformation of music in church, so this post will not be one of those historical explanations. What I will opine though is, that among many tragedies of canned music such as Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong is that it destroys music development in Christ’s church. There is little to no musical discipleship.

The case is simple. Bethel, Elevation, and Hillsong, or BEH music and the type are mega church styles of music with very simple, almost elementary and repetitive chord progressions. And it can only be hypothesized as to the reason thousands of local congregations use them. Maybe people like the music, it tickles their ears, taps into the dopamine, it makes a church service fun, it resembles secular culture and so on. Maybe local churches are lazy and they don’t feel like putting forth any effort beyond what can be bought and thrown on a screen. But what I think is really going on is many local church congregations think that BEH and the like are a pathway to grow into a mega-church. It could be a combination of all three. But BEH music and the like is very popular, but does little to benefit the local church.

In his article in Patheos, Jonathan Aigner describes 7 Reasons Hymns are Better than Contemporary Worship. I want to pick on his first in his list.

1. We Should Honor Our History of Faith.

“To cut the church off from their sacred lineage can only create a narcissistic and self-referential church that doesn’t really care who it is. Worshiping in a contemporary vacuum is literally suffocating the church in a self-interested, masturbatory pursuit.”

It’s no secret that Narcissism is strong in modern church worship today. It’s the ‘look at me’ worship. ‘Look how cool I look in this hat’ worship. After all, it’s cool, I’m cool, you’re cool, let’s be cool together on stage! Out with the old, and in with the new. Churches progress right? Sure, but should they? Does God change? Many church controllers have adopted a worldly approach to music with all the lights, smoke, dance teams, and so on. There is a lot of effort put into making people in local church happy. As a friend of mine described it, some churches count heads and not hearts.

Josh Shands puts it this way: “When comparing more modern songs used in worship to their forerunner counterparts, you’ll find hymns tend to land more in a category of depth theologically while still holding the marriage of music and text well. This isn’t to say there aren’t outliers in each style, however. Respectfully, the motive behind congregational songs typically written today seems as if their primary importance is to cater to the singer(s) when, instead, that should be secondary or tertiary. To be more specific, most of these songs are treated as a performance to bolster the musician’s abilities while simultaneously aiming their attention at the congregation’s amusement. This, in turn, shifts the purpose away from a genuine worship of the Lord. What replaces this worship a vain one of sorts. Yes, it is worship, but the question has to be asked “who is being worshipped?” Songs will lend themselves to expansive keys and large vocal ranges. In essence, it becomes a concert. It’s not that a concert is inherently sinful, but that it does not belong in the Sunday morning service. This is a gathering of people who should be able to participate. If they can’t sing because of a song’s complexity or what have you, then they won’t. At best, those singing aren’t singing for the purpose of worshipping the Lord, but instead how the music effects them.

At the end of the day, singing praises to God via thanksgiving, confession to Him of our sins, asking for our needs to be met, or dedicating ourselves to Him in song is still a prayer but with music. Strip all the bells and whistles from the majority of today’s recently written options and what’s left is likely poor theological truths that are shallow and fall short; at best, it’s a mile wide and an inch deep. To quote St. Augustine, “when I find the singing itself more moving than the truth which it conveys, I confess that this is a grievous sin, and at those times I would prefer not to hear the singer.” What he was getting at is that sound can be beautiful, but that experience shouldn’t be the goal. The truth which the song conveys, the lyrics, are what should be driving the song. The reason why is because of Who it is directed to. The Lord wants worship and is clear throughout His word that He alone should get it.

Again, songs with lackluster lyrics and emotive melodies can be found in both camps. The likely reason why hymns come across as timeless though is because of that foundation of truth in the words sang. Those words sang are crucial and need depth, but also need to be approachable by the average singer too as mentioned earlier. Today’s options of song in the church eerily resemble the problems that led to what we know as the Reformation. People then weren’t able to participate as much as God’s Word compelled them to. Christians weren’t given access to the Scriptures except through the one speaking it from the pulpit. It’s as if plenty songs that are written today are implying “this range and run of notes is for the musician and not you; sit back.” When looking at hymns, they will usually follow the same template. The song will have three or more stanzas and include a chorus or refrain. The melody, for the most part, doesn’t change and there is no bridge. The focus of the average hymn is to worship the Lord, but with biblical truths. In some ways, the songs are designed to be addressing the Lord and leave the singer (the congregant) with lyrics they can retain; ones that teach them something about the Lord and the relationship He has with them. A simple test that can be made between hymns and modern songs is to remove the band likely accompanying them. If the people can still sing the song without them, then half the battle has been won.

The last caveat to give about the songs, regarding outliers, is the depth of the lyrics. Depth does not necessarily mean lengthiness; take the Doxology for example. “Holy, holy, holy” are the words used. Because God’s Word is life-giving, that’s the standard. If you utilize theological truths found in the Bible, then they can be simple. God’s word is capable of piercing the soul of the singer even with the shortest of sentences. A song can say that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and leave an impact on God’s people when they walk away from the corporate gathering. It’s the songs that are vague in their lyrics, such as the ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ examples, that fall apart. It should be clear who is being addressed in the songs. Not that believers can’t address one another or creation or even unbelievers, but that the glory in these songs be given to God. At the end of it all, people need to be able to participate in the singing, but the One they’re singing to has to be the focus. To touch back on the concert analogy, God is the star of the event and He’s also the audience. God’s people are merely the participating actors. In this lens, both types can lend themselves to that end; those choosing the songs to be sung just need to do their due diligence into what lyrics are being sung, if the people can sing it, and more importantly if it is all for the Glory of the Lord.”

So back to the corn. Here is my simple analogy.

Fresh corn costs more than canned. You betcha. And it takes more time, and churches just don’t put the effort into their music, it’s just easier to import it from a source that is attractive.
Fresh corn you can trace the origin, canned, who knows.
Fresh corn you can fix different ways, canned, it’s more limited. Let’s just play the music like Bethel! (I’m not Gordon Ramsey so don’t argue this point with me.)

Three is enough.

BEH music and the like-canned music, comes in one way. And the effort put into this music is minimal, besides, why play it any different than the mega churches? ‘Let’s just do it how they do it.’ And why do we do it like they do it? It’s easy? It entertains?

Fresh music, well that is s different story. There is a movement in Gospel music to start writing again. But much of it gets over shadowed by BEH music which is pushed on many popular ‘Christian’ radio stations. Many want what’s popular, what’s hot. Add that to the narcissistic “ME” generation who are in large part choosing the music selection in today’s church, and what’s popular is what gets played. Butts in the seats, more butts in the seats.

“Listen to me. Learn from me. I was not the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.”

Here is the tragedy.

All across Christ’s church there are people with talent for writing music. I have friends who have written wonderful Christ centered music. It was music that fit our band, so we had a passion about it. Every word, every note, crescendo was special. These songs are timeless to us.

That can of corn, well, it’s a can. It’s pretty much the same every time you buy it. And the canned music from BEH and the like is just that, the same chord progressions, same flow and so on. And if someone is sitting in church inspired to write music from their heart, what would happen? They would have to go somewhere else to express that gift. Why? Because it’s not canned, it’s not popular.

Another point Jonathan Aigner makes is that hymns aren’t popular or marketable. And in today’s flashy dopamine filled social media worship, I’d agree. But Christ wasn’t flashy or marketable, He was humble and served. But that’s another post.

Many music programs in the modern church are performance driven and not avenues for discipleship. Do churches invest time, money and talent into developing musicians in their church? I don’t see it. So canned it is. And BEH music is at best, elementary in musical structure and clunky in lyricism and largely devoid of sound scripture.

The popular satirical website Babylongbee.com has a worship song generator. You can plug in words and come up with a song.

But is that writing to God a Biblical love song? Of course not. So to wrap up the analogy, why would anyone in church, especially our youth, want to put in the effort to write songs to God if there isn’t an avenue to express it? If all a local church is wanting is the same canned corn every Sunday. If there is no development and discipleship of musicians, then we are really just performers, we are lazy and aren’t giving God our best sacrificial gift.

. Consider the difference in this video.

In other words, if all Christ’s church demands is what is musically popular, despite the questionable theological or edification value, then that’s what we are offering to God is the same can. And that’s a tragedy of generational and cosmic proportions.

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Steven Davis is a musician, media producer, burnt out preacher’s kid, and former youth minister.

Mmmm, fresh.

Credits:

Josh Shands, BA ’17, Worship Arts at Missouri Baptist University. Musician who serves in liturgical planning at Mid Cities at Maplewood STL.

Carl and Wally – Wally visits Carl’s church

Posted on April 5, 2022 by admin

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.

Posted on March 21, 2022 by admin

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.

Consumer Friendly Jesus Meets Matthew 10

Posted on October 7, 2021 by admin

Consumer Friendly Jesus Meets Matthew 10

As usual, Jesus would sit down and teach his disciples about the mission and vision he had for them. So on a bright sunny day, Jesus sat down to teach.

However, the process for each meeting was becoming pretty complicated because, after every survey, his disciples came up with more ideas on how to improve their experience. For example, logs were very hard to sit on, so during the last meeting, Jesus snapped his fingers and POOF, stadium seating appeared, with cup holders even.

As Jesus hurriedly made preparations for the meeting today, He noticed the sun was shining, so he snapped his fingers and POOF, the clouds came and dimmed the bright light. Realizing that most of his disciples didn’t like the heat, except James of course, Jesus decided to cause a cool breeze to come. After all, majority opinion rules ya know. But after all that, something was still bothering Jesus, and then he noticed it. The place was just a tad dull. So just like last time, Jesus snapped his fingers, and POOF, he colored the rocks. But, to increase the pleasing look of this setting, he made each rock change color. Jesus knew his disciples would appreciate his effort in sheperding their comfort.

It was time for the meeting. This was going to be a tough meeting. Typically Jesus would teach from an annual list of subjects from the survey, but today, God the father had directed Jesus to give the disciples a specific message. And Jesus was pretty nervous about it because it wasn’t something that would make them happy and he didn’t know if any of the disciples would leave him.

Each disciple sat down in their usual seats. Jesus was ready to start the meeting but noticed a few of his disciples were still getting coffee. And yes, Jesus had provided that two years ago for the meetings due to popular demand.

Just as Jesus was about to speak, he realized Judas Matthew and Philip were giving him unhappy looks. And then Jesus remembered that he forgot the music. So Jesus snapped his fingers and POOF, four angels dressed in the latest robe styles, started singing their seven random Jesus-like words. They sang this over and over and over. But the disciples were happy because it was a catchy tune.

Well, now was the time. Jesus had an important message from God the Father he needed to tell the disciples. Jesus looked at the disciples then he looked at the piece of paper his father had given him. Beginning to sweat even more, he wondered how could he tell his disciples this terrible news? Pausing for what seemed like hours, he looked at the paper in his hand and back at the disciples. Back and forth he struggled to say the words written.

Just then, Jesus came up with a great idea. As long as it looked like he was reading his father’s words, the disciples would not know the difference. After all, it was a direct revelation and his disciples didn’t have a bible to reference.

Jesus then said to his disciples; “When you go out into the communities, make sure you help everyone you can. I’m going to give you all the power to do anything you can think of. Remember it’s important to fit in, so don’t do anything to upset the people you are with. Remember, love is all you need.

And with that, Jesus put the paper in his pocket, and ended the meeting. As each disciple left, he gave them a neckless with a wooden cross on it as a gift for coming. Because Jesus told them, that they would have to bear the cross. He knew the gift would help them have good vibes from the service.

#satire #progressivechristianity #progressives

What the Bible actually says:

The Twelve Apostles

10 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ²The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;^[a] ⁴Simon the Zealot,^[b] and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’^[c] ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,^[d] cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. ⁹Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰no bag for your journey, or two tunics^[e] or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. ¹¹And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹²As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Persecution Will Come

¹⁶“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, ¹⁸and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ²²and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[f] above his master. ²⁵It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[g] those of his household.

Have No Fear

²⁶“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^[h] ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[i] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³²So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

⁴⁰“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

#apologetics #faith #bible #gospelofmatthew #matthew10

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About the author: Steven Davis is an over cooked preacher’s kid, musician, former social worker and media producer.

Get on the Church bus, or get run over.

Posted on August 10, 2021 by admin

Too many progressive and seeker friendly churches put the emphasis on the wrong things. All the while running over people who Christ called us to love. As you will see below, if you don’t fit the mission, look out! The church bus is coming for you.

Caveat First

To my reader who may not know Christ as your personal savior. My hope is that in reading the following post, you’ll know what to look for in a church fellowship. As Christ followers, we are called to love you. You won’t find perfect people, but you can find a Christ fellowship that shows Christ’s love to each other. And that love starts with a true understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So look for the Gospel being presented, open your Bible and trust Christ to be your savior. But beware, there are places that call themselves churches that do not show the love of Christ. They may have a good show, but don’t preach the forgiveness of sins which is the starting point for understanding the Love of Christ. Instead, they concentrate on dopamine experiences entertaining and pleasing the flesh. This blog post will hopefully provide you with tips on finding a good church family and staying away from the destructive ones.

In the end when our lives are done, we will know that humans will always fail us. But with our faith in Jesus, the real Jesus, you have hope for now and eternity. Trust Christ.

And to my reader who knows Christ, the Bible is clear. We are to love God and love others. We are to make disciples. That is it. However, the challenge today is many churches mega or small are not fulfilling the law of God. Nor are they making disciples instead they are making minions or cult followers maybe; but not Christian Disciples.

Romans16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

The Catalyst – Ready? Ok, here we goooooooooo……

“There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill Bus and by God’s Grace it’ll be a mountain by the time we’re done. You either get on the bus or you get run over by the bus. Those are the options. But the bus ain’t gonna stop.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll” A statement he made to a conference room full of pastors.

Being raised a preacher’s kid, I have witnessed all kinds of disgusting behavior in the name of God. The above statement is one of those most vile I have heard. Mark Driscoll pastored over 14,000 people in 5 states, and this was his approach to representing Christ? A former megachurch star, Mark Driscoll left the church he co-founded after allegations he plagiarized his books and bullied people who worked for him. You can learn more from the podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. If only this was an isolated incident. But it is not. Many mega church pastors like Mark take on a cult like image; church vision and culture is god because it increase numbers. And anything goes to get people in the seats, make them happy, and have them give money. Cynical? Yes. True? Absolutely.

At the root of Driscoll’s and other mega, and mega wannabe pastors’ methodology is something called Vision Casting. Vision Casting churches have what some consider a cult like structure. I would call it corporate methodologies. As you hear from Driscoll in the video above, people were to do as he said or get thrown off the bus and run over. It is eerily similar to a corporation. You have someone at the top, the CEO for example, he or she casts the vision for the corporation. It is expected that everyone will sign on with that vision, and those who do not serve the vision will find themselves moved out of their positions or fired right out. Either way, it is the corporation’s way or the highway. People are what they are, subjective employees.

With the rise of seeker-friendly and progressive churches, one thing many have in common is a move away from teaching Biblical doctrine. Instead, they are centered around an experience at church, and the cult like vision casting leader who is responsible for growing the church. And how is that done? By providing what people want to experience. Consider Mega Church Pastor Joel Osteen, he would make a good motivational speaker, but his sermons lack significant contextual Biblical foundation. Sin is called mistakes, and God’s power is replaced with a narcissistic doctrine such as the ‘little god’s’ doctrine. Many churches have found out that if you feed people’s narcissism and call it Christianity, that will fill the seats for sure. This method produces many mega churches that are often centered around the vision caster. I recently read an article about Ron Carpenter leaving his church. The article described many of his congregants as ‘spiritual orphans.’ I call that the Cult of Church Worship

Church vision casting, or the idea that God gives each local church their own vision has no foundation in the Bible and is grandiose narcissism. Jesus gave us one ‘vision’ if you will, one command that applies to all local churches;

Or this example from Steven Fertick’s church Elevation. Such a nice cartoon to indoctrinate children to follow a man.

Matthew 28:16-20

American Standard Version

¹⁶But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him, they [a]worshipped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: ²⁰teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you [b]always, even unto [c]the end of the world.

There can be only one goal of the church. That’s it, that is the only ‘vision’ or direction that each Christian church has. To say a local church as a specific vision that another church doesn’t implies that God has spoken to that church something contrary to what Jesus said in Matthew 28.

If ‘Vision Casters’ like Mark Driscoll and others were honest, they would just say what they really mean, ‘this is how I’m going to run the church, all of you work for me paid or free, and I’m going to do what I want, and if you don’t like it, hit the road.’ But it is much more manipulative to say ‘I have a vision for the church that God gave me.’ That implies a direct revelation from God, for a specific group of people. Something that is not supported in scripture.

Jesus being a micro pastor.

Matthew 20: 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.26It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

So why do many modern churches not love? Just a theory.

Number 1: In today’s self indulgent culture, we are in it for ourselves. So why would we listen to a church leader who talked about serving, and actually showed us what serving is? Well, because we don’t want to serve ourselves. We’d much rather go to church, get what we can out of it, and feel better about ourselves. Jesus tells us in Matthew 20 that he himself came to serve. This is what we as laity (regular folk) and church leaders should exemplify. In other words, the laity is not the servants and the church leadership the masters. We are to serve each other. But that requires us to be aware of our sinful flesh. We are no good people at birth. Even Jesus said that only his Father is good.

Number 2: This is related to number 1, but we like our idols. We want to believe in someone tangible. Someone who feeds our narcissism. That’s what you see from Mark Driscoll, for him to be so abusive and have such a large following, he was feeding people what they want and was in ministry much longer than he should have been. But as you see with Mark, when the gods people hold onto fall, there is devastating damage. I’m so glad I don’t put any faith in any human. They are imperfect just like me. They are sinners like me. And one day they will die like me.

Number 3. And the final reason church people don’t love is, they have a false sense of who Christ is. They believe the fairy tails learned growing up and don’t understand that Jesus came with one purpose, to save those who believe, this was his Father’s will. Luke 22:42. Even Jesus did his Father’s will. If we would read our bible, we would see that Christ came to serve, and tells us to do the same. I once heard someone say, ‘church is not about you.’ While I see what they are trying to say, I would disagree. Church is about you loving God and others. Saying it’s not about you does nothing but insult people. Words matter.

Love as Jesus explains it: In Luke 10, Jesus tells the story of the Samaritan helping the man in the ditch who was robbed and beaten. A man asked Jesus what it took to inherit eternal life? “27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d” I think we have that love of self perfect eh?

There is so much we could exposit from this story, but one key point is Jesus said ‘Go and do likewise.’ Go and do what? Help those in need.

Close your eyes! Wait. Then you can’t read.

Matthew 7: 15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

My mom told me that we are fruit inspectors. So in church, it’s pretty easy. Those who do not love, choose to rule, dominate, and disregard the sheep as merely bodies instead of serving and protecting the sheep, they are wolves. Strong? Yep. So about that fruit.

Galations 5:

16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

-But we can’t know the fruit of the Spirit if we are not -producing- it ourselves. If we are selfish, if we misuse people, and are led by our flesh, we are on the wrong side of Jesus. –

God’s Warning

Jeremiah 23:1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.

2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.

3Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.

For those like Mark Driscoll, save he repent of his sins, God’s judgement will be upon him. And to the same extent, those in our local churches who sow for greed, how cause the church to scater instead of ‘feeding’ the sheep, this judgement is theirs as well.

Body Parts

My friend reminded me the other day that as Evangelicals, we love 1 Corinthians 12 but will skip right over most of it to talk about what we get out of it; Vs. 27, “First are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers and so on.” But in my lifetime of going to church, I can not remember hearing a message about what comes before in verses 12 – 24.

One Body with Many Parts

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

Unity in church? This is what it takes, it’s not a competition, it’s not a slave master relationship , it’s not about manmade vision where we are all worker bees with jobs in the church fellowship. It’s about exactly what is described in 1 Corinthians 12, – All – are important to God. None are more unimportant. We are all sinners, we all serve the same God (well most of us do). We should never do like Mark Driscoll, pick and choose who sits on the bus. It’s God’s bus if you will. We have no right nor should we look at other folk in church as just bodies to be used. That’s what Mark did.

The Church at Ephesus: Lost Love

Revelation 2:1–29
English Standard Version

To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of ehim who holds the seven stars in his right hand, fwho walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 g“ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but hhave tested those iwho call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up jfor my name’s sake, and you khave not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned lthe love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do mthe works you did at first. If not, nI will come to you and remove your lamp-stand from its place, unless you repent

When Paul visited the church in Ephesus, he spent time teaching Christ, love for each other and warning the Ephesians to beware of false teachers, idolatry which Ephesus had plenty. So why does Revelation 2:2-5 criticize the church at Ephesus? This church while working hard to preserve doctrine had lost their love for one another. Throughout Paul’s teaching, he continues what Jesus taught us, and that was to love other. If we are to love our enemies and pray for them. Matthew 5: 43-48

Alternative analogy: The Goats

There seems to be a theme eh? One of my favorite songs from Christian Singer Song writer Keith Green is “the Sheep and the Goats”

He said it best. There isn’t a way for me to improve on it.

The Wrap.

The story of Mark Driscoll is sadly being repeated over and over again in churches today. Church folk are looked at as employees, things to be used for vision caster’s purpose. I’ve seen it over and over.

I personally struggle to understand why God would add folks to an unloving church. God is God and he can do what he wants. Psalm 115:3 But hopefully the wolves show us how much more we need to love each other, support each other, and do as God; count the weakest as the most necessary. Hopefully we recognize that we are to serve, to love, not to be served. Just as Christ did.

A final thought on 1 Corinthians

So if we continue on in Corinthians, we come to the passage more people are familiar with;

1 Corinthians 13:1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, a but have not love, I gain nothing.

Or to put it in todays vernacular

If I go to church and don’t have love, I’m a seat warmer.

If I am positioned to shepherd over people in church and don’t have love, I’m just a boss.

If my church serves coffee, but doesn’t have love, then it’s a Starbucks knock off.

If we have great programs at church, but don’t have love, then we are just a Moose Lodge.

And if we have the best entertainment with all the fog, silly light shows, and best music and have not Love, then we really should pay 10 bucks at the door and expect popcorn.

About the author: Steven Davis is a overcooked preacher’s kid, musician, former social worker and media producer.

References:

The Bible

The Church at Ephesus: Lost Love – Bob Deffinbaugh

Chris Rosebrough

Melissa Dougherty

The Christian Selfie – As followers of the Christ, what are we to say about selfies?

Posted on August 17, 2019 by admin

The Christian Selfie

sel·fie /ˈselfē/ noun INFORMAL a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

I Love Me! Look at Me!

As followers of the Christ, what are we to say about selfies?

Jesus tells us “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

So what about Selfies? Why do we do it? Is it a way we share, or is it a way to get attention? Is it a way for us to boast about ‘us?’ What could possibly be wrong with them? Selfies bring people together right! It’s a way to stay in touch. What did Christ do when the attention was on him? In Mark 10, when someone called Christ ‘good,’ Jesus responded that no one is good except God his Father. When someone calls us good, do we point to God? Do we say, we have no ability to boast, and give God credit for us? Like most social behavior, the Christ-follower is to resemble the life of Christ.

So what about selfies?

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
-Matthew 23:2-12

Matthew 6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Beyond the Selfie

What is behind the selfie? Are selfies an expression of pride? Maybe. Is the rest of our life self-centered as well? Or do we think about other’s more than ourselves as Christ directs us to in Matthew 23? Do we act with pride in other areas of our lives? Or does our speech and actions express Christian humility? If our social media is full of self-pride instead, then our selfies are a continuation of a self-serving life and serve only to boast about us.

None of us are superhuman. If we are ‘awesome’ ‘great’ ‘successful’, we are only because God lets us be. Psalm 144:4 says that man is like a breath on this earth. Our life is temporal.

So are selfies bad? I venture that all depends on our motive and to whom we genually are boasting about not only online, but in real life as well.

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Steven Davis is a recovering social worker, well-done preacher’s kid, musician, and media producer.

Un-convenient Biblical truths church folk don’t like to talk about anymore.

Posted on March 31, 2019 by admin

Un-convenient Biblical truths church folk don’t like to talk about anymore.

One of my favorite movies is “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a film about an angel Clarence Odbody, and a man George Bailey who wants to kill himself. But Clarence is sent from Heaven to save George’s life. Clarence wants to get his wings and saving George from self-destruction is a way he can get his wings. In the 1946 film, Clarence ends up helping George see the positives in his life and the town comes together to help George out of his financial troubles. (sorry if that’s a spoiler.) At the end of the movie, George’s daughter hears a bell ring and says, “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” Well, I’m not an angel expert, can’t say I’ve ever seen one, but angels doing good works to get their wings isn’t found in Biblical scripture. (An angel doing bad things is however) But the idea of Clarence and George, well it’s a heartwarming way to end that movie.

People did talk to angels in the Bible though. And there are many stories about encounters with angels today. Does it still happen? You and I can ask God when we see Him.

Just like the story of Clarence, my euphemism ‘un-convenient’, some “Christian” things we read or hear just don’t sound right. But what sounds right? Or do they sound right? How do we find out what is right? The truth, or what sounds right, can only be found through reading the source of truth for ourselves. And, no, the word ‘Un-convenient‘ isn’t correct English. I looked it up. It doesn’t sound right.

Why Should we know Scripture for ourselves?

I was watching a Youtube of a minister preach. And he kept quoting Jesus. And several times he quoted Jesus, something just didn’t sound right. He said he was quoting Jesus, but he really wasn’t. What he was saying sounded good and inspired hope, but had no foundation in scripture. He was actually adding words to scripture. How did I know he was adding or misquoting? I looked at his scripture references. And no, there’s no point to embedding his video here since there are countless people misquoting misusing scripture. The purpose is not to bash a specific person, but instead, the hope of this article is to challenge us to see scripture completely for what it is and what it is not.

There is a real danger is saying something is in the Bible and it’s not. Maybe someone seeking Christ, they may not know what this minister was saying was untrue. That person may try to find those passages later in the Bible and get frustrated, thinking that minister a fraud. And maybe he is a fraud. We are to speak the truth in love, and nothing but the truth. Ephesians 4:15

So here are some sayings we’ve grown up thinking are in the Bible but are not.

Sayings listed here in the Blue Letter Bible

Moderation in all things.
Once saved, always saved.
Better to cast your seed….
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
To thine ownself be true. (attributed to Hamlet)
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
God helps those who help themselves.
Money is the root of all evil.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
This too shall pass.
The eye is the window to the soul.
God works in mysterious ways.
The lion shall lay down with the lamb.
Pride comes before the fall.

We like these sayings because they help support a moral fabric that makes us content. And there is nothing wrong is these sayings. They all have positive messages and a lot of them can run parallel to Christendom. But they are not in the Bible. And there’s nothing wrong with that either. They are just sayings, philosophies, positive quotes. Every day you open up your social media, you see a lot of quotes writers feel are important. They make us feel good, and that’s good too.

Verse 18 and a Prostitute

The story of Joshua in the Book of Joshua is one of vital importance in understanding God’s redemption for the children of Israel who had refused to trust Yahweh to claim the promise land. So for the past forty years, those who didn’t trust died off. All but Joshua and Caleb. In Joshua chapter 1, Joshua is installed as the new leader. So when I was sitting in church, the preacher was speaking on chapter 1. He was talking about each verse in chapter 1, and when the sermon was over, I realized he left out verse 18,

¹⁸Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!”

After church, I asked the preacher why he didn’t cover verse 18. It seemed he didn’t want to address the violence of Joshua in a sermon about hope and courage.

So this was a series by the same preacher with Joshua chapter 2, is about the spies sent by Joshua who ended up being protected by a woman that the bible describes as a prostitute. So when speaking, the preacher explained that he wouldn’t use the word prostitute because he didn’t want to say it in front of kids who were in the sanctuary.

Both ‘scripture avoidances’ leave the scripture and stories incomplete. Not to get too ahead of this blog post, but God gave us his word, his complete word. And it is vital to understand and teach the bible, the whole bible. While I don’t think the preacher is a ‘woke’ preacher, but if we talk about verse 18, and the people’s response, it’s important to understand Joshua’s installment as the new leader. This reaction by the children of Israel is in sharp contrast to their parens and grandparent’s who died because of disobedience.

As for the word prostitute. Do we not want our children to know the scripture. Maybe you say the word from the pulpit and this sparks parents to open God’s word to teach their children at home.

A Personal Revelation

So over the past 40 years of my church-going experience, there has been a shift in Christendom away from modern Church functions such as Sunday School, Scriptural teaching, to a seeker-friendly post-modern experiential church push. The post-modern (some might say post-postmodern) church service experience is geared more towards addressing social issues which congregants care about and a move away from specific Biblical scriptural understanding. Instead of personal scriptural reading, we depend on the church projection screen or printouts of the message points to learn what scripture means. If we don’t have complete scriptural context (or what the scripture is talking about as it was written) it can be a challenge to follow a message and decipher what is scripture and what is philosophy. Is the spoken message in the church meeting founded in Biblical Scripture? In today’s post-postmodern churches, some may push a church service experience with visually appealing light displays and decor, songs that most of the congregants like, and environments that are comfortable and less disconcerting to the general public that may attend.

The caution in such environments is the risk of making an environment too relaxed, to seeker-friendly, to non-disconcerting is; that we risk avoiding the Un-convenient Biblical Truths that separates Believers from non-Believers. Jesus says we should be Salt and Light; He never talked about ‘sugar.’ However, there is a risk if today’s post-postmodern church talks about certain scriptures, themes, or truths found in God’s word. And the risk of talking about certain Biblical scripture is that someone will get offended and not come back to the church service. If we talk about complete scripture, will people leave the church service? In today’s sometimes described as a consumer-driven church culture, there is a risk that offended visitors won’t return if something makes them feel uncomfortable. It’s just like eating out, not liking the food or decor, leaving a negative Google review and not going back.

So what are some un-convenient truths found in Scripture? Here are just a few examples.

David and Goliath: The Whole Story

Growing up in church, I learned great stories from the Bible. And the image below is how I learned the story of David and Goliath. This is the story of David, a sheep farmer, who defeated a really large enemy in Goliath, who was much larger and a professional soldier. We’ve all heard the story of how David volunteered to face this giant of a man which just a sling and some stones. He killed the giant by hitting him in the head with a stone.

But when we read the whole scripture, we learn a little more about what the scene may have really looked like. The image below shows a young man taking a sword and chopping off Goliath’s head. 1 Samuel 17 we learn that David put Goliath’s weapon in his own tent and took Goliath’s head back to Jerusalem. In our effort to concentrate on the spiritual aspect of the story of David, often times we will often gloss over the violent scene that was there. Here we have someone, David a shepherd, who God says is a man after His own heart, take a sword, chop off a man’s head and carry it back to town.

David was talking to King Saul after the battle, the Bible says David was still holding Goliath’s head. Imagine that. It may change the cartoony image we’ve learned over the years. The nice story of a boy who conquered the bully.

But David was much more than God’s hero for killing Goliath, he also committed adultery, killed his love rival rebelling against God and led armies that slaughtered entire nations of people. We have to look at all parts of David’s life as well in the context of the time period, what God was doing in David’s life and how it fits the full Bible narrative. It’s in the Bible.

But sometimes in our modern flavoring of Christian stories, we may not like to talk about the violence that is in the Bible. I’ve never heard any minister talk about the story of David that includes David still holding the head of Goliath. Carmen the singer did though. But that is what’s in the Bible. But I have heard non-believers talk about the violence in the Old Testament as a way to condemn Christendom. So how do we explain the Old Testament and what is often violence in the name of and against the name of God-Yahweh? Our explanation has to be explained in the entire story of the Bible, not just this chapter, this story, or this character. But other than Bible scholars, I haven’t heard much Apologetics, or defense, of the historical violence in the Old Testament from lay believers. But the Old Testament and the violence within it, is part of the Bible, even though it may be uncomfortable to talk about. We tend to avoid the subject, instead focusing our diatribe on comfortable ideas like the Love of Jesus. But we have to understand even the Love of Jesus within the context of the whole Bible. We can’t pick and choose, otherwise, the complete narrative doesn’t make any sense.

Sin

Romans 3:23 ‘All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, Common English Bible’ (CEB) If just start with Roman 3:23, then we know that everyone has sinned and what, fallen short of God’s glory. Meaning none of us have are different from others in the respect that each is not achieved God’s glory.

In John 8, we see a story of Jesus intervening in the stoning of a woman for adultery. What we see is Jesus addressing sin in her life, not in the way people around her wanted to condemn her for, but with compassion. And often as Christians, we love that story. We lean into the picture of compassion that Jesus had. He stepped in the middle of an angry mob and a woman, protecting someone in need. And yep, that’s all true. But we can’t avoid Jesus talking about Sin. Jesus asked the crowd, of people wanting to stone her, about their sin. He then told the woman to leave sin behind in her life.

So what is Sin in the Bible?

There are many instances of ‘sin’ in the Bible. But if we just look at the story of Adam and Eve, we see a cause and effect relationship between sin and man. In Genesis 3, we see the story of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God’s directive that they not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were put out of the Garden of Eden. Sin is just a rebellion against God. Subsequently, Repentance or to Repent is to turn away from evil, to return to God.

So why in our post-postmodern churches, do we not talk about sin? For one, progressiveness or the progressive movement in culture seeks to deconstruct religion that has any type of standard. Ask anyone you know about sin and you may get some stutters, rambling response that ends in ‘Well, I don’t judge people.’ What that person is saying is they don’t believe in sin. If you talk about rebellion against God, then you have to talk about the nature of God and His design for humanity. And when you do that, you talk about a standard for living. And that’s something the current progressive nature and post-postmodern churches don’t like to talk about. Because if they do, the Bible promises we/they will be convicted of our sin.

John 16:7-11 (NAS) 7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Matthew 18:1 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child and set him before them, 3and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children[trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5Whoever receives andwelcomes one child like this in My name receives Me;6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

How are we supposed to repent if we don’t talk about what we need to repent from?

Summary: If sin is talked about in church, there is a risk that some folk will go elsewhere because God’s Spirit and man’s sinful behavior are not compatible. It’s not fun to talk about sin. It may be more fun to talk about hope, encouraging others, helping others, and so on.

Divorce

Mark 10 ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her;¹²and if a wife divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

‘Woah right there fella, I’m going to go to a church that talks about divorce.” “I’m not interested in someone pointing out the pain in my life.” What did Jesus say?

⁶At the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.^[a] ⁷Because of this, a man should leave his father and mother and be joined together with his wife, ⁸and the two will be one flesh.^[b] So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹Therefore, humans must not pull apart what God has put together.”

Don’t yell at me, I didn’t write it. But when is the last time someone you know quoted Jesus on divorce? There are many resources in the church today to help people recover from divorce. But why did Jesus say what he said? Couldn’t he instead say something like, “You can divorce if it really isn’t working out if you’re unhappy if your spouse isn’t living up to your expectations?” But no, He said a man should not tear apart what God joined together.

The un-convenient part of this is it’s very uncomfortable for the church to discuss divorce because divorce is so destructive. There are no winners in a divorce. Over my career, I’ve never seen anyone come out with a trophy in divorce. Sure someone may get both cars, the house, the kids, but the emotional disappointment and destruction are real. And when kids have to divorce their one or both parents, it’s an emotional toll that can carry into adulthood.

So this is why Jesus gives us the direction about divorce. So should the church ignore the words of Jesus? Of course not. It’s important to start with Jesus’ words and treat divorce with compassion, forgiveness, and healing in the church. But the start has to be with the truth of what Jesus said. If not, then we are no better than Dr. Phil or Oprah circa 1980.

Marriage

Speaking of Marriage. The Bible, God’s written message to us is not an encyclopedia, but a Guide Book. So the description of marriage is simple for us. God doesn’t give us the full picture of how he created man, there’s no Youtube of the event. But what we do have is a definitive description.

Genesis 1:

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, ^a and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 5:1 When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” ^a when they were created.

And yes, in the post-postmodern church, it is seen as old-fashion and even ‘hateful’ to define marriage in the way God did in Genesis. Churches have either discarded the Old-Testament or said the definition in Genesis is something God has ‘progressed’ from.

Even when Jesus says in Mark 10:7 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,’ many progressive, post-post modern churches discard that as well, instead adopting the idea that God will love any two people who love each other because God is love. This philosophy has no basis in scripture.

So why not discuss it in church? The movement away from Biblical marriage is strong in the current culture. Entire denominations have split over this issue. This is by far one of the biggest Un-convenient truths in the Bible. There is a big risk in discussing what the Bible says about marriage. The issue will split churches, split families, split friendships. It is very divisive, so many church folk avoid the issue because the lines in culture have been drawn and you’re either on that side or this side.

Hell

Revelation 21:8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Talk about an uncomfortable subject. Wow, what does that mean?

There are other scriptures about Hell; Matthew 25:46, Psalm 9:17, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Matthew 13:50, Acts 2:27, Mark 9:43, Jude 1:7, Proverbs 15:24, Proverbs 23:14, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 19:20, Proverbs 15:11, Matthew 16:19, 2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 20:13-14, Matthew 10:28, Ezekiel 18:20,

No one likes to talk about Hell, but the Bible does mention the subject. Christendom in large part has historically considered Hell a place of torment for those who do not repent. Today, there are entire denominations that have discarded the idea of Hell along with the idea of Sin as well. There is a movement to consider such subjects as Hell as a time in the past and that today, God wouldn’t send anyone to Hell because God is loving and Love wins in the end. There is no scriptural basis to explain away Hell. All we have to go on is what the Bible, including Jesus, tells us in the Bible. God did not give us a blueprint for His creation, but a book of hope and warning, the Bible. The goal is to approach Hell as scripture describes it in the full narrative of repentance and Sin and not include philosophies or descriptions of Hell that are not described in the Bible. It’s very hard to think about people going to a place called Hell. How could God be so cruel some would say. But we don’t know the nature of God, all we know is what He tells us in the Bible and to our spirit in prayer. Hell is a subject that has to be discussed in church meetings, in groups and in our own thought and prayer lives.

Holy Spirit

In Luke 24:45-49 Jesus talks describes sending the Holy Spirit to comfort us following His death. In Matthew 12:31-33, Jesus talks about sin against the Holy Spirit. In John 3:6-8 Jesus talks about being transformed by the Spirit, being reborn. Which is where the phrase in Christendom ‘born again’ comes from.

So why can it be so un-convenient to talk about God’s Holy Spirit in church? For one, we humans like facts. We want to to be able to explain from start to finish. But God doesn’t give us a blueprint for His Spirit. Jesus and other narrators of God’s scripture who describe God’s Spirit, describe the behavior of God’s Spirit and the effect it has on man’s spirit, but that’s about it. So to talk about God’s Spirit, we are left with scripture and that’s it.

John 16:8 New International Version (NIV)

8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

Now, wait just a minute! Sin? I can’t talk about God’s Holy Spirit in this way because then I’m confronted with Sin, and Sin is getting in my business. But When Jesus talks about God’s Holy Spirit, it is conjunction with telling folk about their sin and what is wrong with the world. It’s pretty straight-forward.

So sometimes we church folk avoid talking about God’s Spirit because this particular scripture has to be discussed. And doing that gets into our business, our own Sin. And that’s uncomfortable.

Heaven

Like Hell, what we know of Heaven comes from Biblical Scripture. Heaven is great to talk about! Everyone loves the thought of going to Heaven.

In John 14: 2-4, Jesus talks about going back to prepare a place for us that has ‘many rooms.’ And trust me, I grew up designing my room in Heaven. Back then, I thought of rubies, gold, and a set of french doors to a patio beside some palm trees. Today, I’d probably settle for a comfy bed that doesn’t give me pain when I sleep.

What else does scripture say about Heaven?

In Matthew 22:29 When asked about married people dying and being resurrected, Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

That scripture pretty much torpedoes a lot of what we may think Heaven is like. We like to instead think of Heaven as an extension of this earthly life, only perfect without any problems, disease, taxes and so on. But in Revelation 21 John’s vision is of a new Heaven and Earth, the first heaven and earth pass away.

So how do we approach Heaven if it’s not the Roman Eutopia with fig leaves and grapes some folk think it is. We approach Heaven in the context of the complete Biblical scripture. We understand that God doesn’t give us His complete printout of what is to come.

But what we can’t do is talk about what is not in Scripture. But how do we know what someone says about Heaven is true or not. We’ve all heard stories of people who have died, gone to heaven and come back to share what they saw. My personal opinion is we take those stories and judge them in concert with Biblical Scripture. If the two don’t flow, then we should be skeptical. If someone says they died, went to heaven and saw that Jesus wasn’t there, instead, it was another god present that allowed for people to continue their sin from this life into heaven; there is no scriptural foundation for that account and should be considered as discarded and untrustworthy if not heresy. But how do we know? We read Biblica scripture.

Of Heaven, we know what Biblical scripture tells us and that’s it. It is a place for those who believe and follow Jesus’s God’s Son. John 3:16-17

In Luke 23:39-43 Jesus is described as being on the cross being crucified. One of the two other men being crucified along with Jesus curses. And the other man asks Jesus to remember him. Jesus tells that man, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’

There is a religious philosophy today that everyone will go to Heaven, that in the end Love wins, and no one goes to Hell.’

My personal challenge to that philosophy is found in Luke 23. If Love wins and everyone goes to Heaven, why does Jesus only make this ‘Paradise’ promise to one of the men, and not the other?’ Good question.

The Danger of not discussing the full Bible, even those sections or subjects that make us very uncomfortable.

The danger in not teaching the complete Bible in church meetings or in our own personal study is we tend to focus on whimsical quotes, philosophical themes, and the church meeting culture as a source. How often do we see religious quotes without and scripture reference? The limitation of spiritual philosophy is most of the time we are left wondering where the harmony in scripture is found.

1 John 4:1 ‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see wheter they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the word.’

From 1 John 4:1, we are warned that not everyone’s message is from God; and a messenger that picks only certain scripture to talk about and discards other scripture lands in that category. Because the truth of the Bible is found in its complete scriptural narrative, not bits and pieces.

Another danger of equating being a Christian to church instead of a personal transformation and relations with Jesus is, a non-believer can easily say, “I don’t like church”, or “the church is full of hypocrites” as a way to dismiss believing in God. The expression of the church meeting has to be sourced from scripture because while people are imperfect, fail, and don’t have the answers within themselves. Scripture gives us our ultimate Hope in God. Simply put, as church folk, we are pointing to God through scripture, not pointing to ourselves as hope for others. So when someone says, ‘the church is full of hypocrites,’ we can respond as believers, ‘it sure is and we are all sinners according to the Bible but Jesus gives us hope and let me share with you why.’ A church may be full of good people, we know from Jesus that none of us are good in God’s sight. We have all fallen short. Spiritual equality if you will.

These are just some Biblical Truths that some church folk have discarded or put in the closet. Why? They are divisive. No one likes to talk about painful or controversial subjects. I sure don’t. In many post-post modern seeker-friendly churches, a lot of effort goes into getting people through the doors. Capital investment in a comfy cultural feel, freebies, marketing campaigns and so on. The last thing needed is something that will erase or risk the gains in church attendance. So there is a tendency to put on a good attractive appearance. Putting our best foot forward to attract and keep people coming. The risk to that is, the world or non-believers never will see what God sees, a group of broken sinners who need God’s grace like everyone else.

So, why should we talk about uncomfortable truths from the Bible? Why? Because it’s the whole Truth. Oftentimes there’s an effort to pick and choose scripture to prove a point, or to tell a story. Like David and Goliath and the uncomfortable truth that he carried the head of Goliath back to his camp and was holding the head when we spoke to King Saul. I personally think that’s awesome, it paints a picture of a real post-battle scene. It also gives me a less than timid picture of David at that point in his life. That’s pretty raw, gross per se, but it’s the truth. It is how the story is told in the Bible. What about divorce? With the American divorce rate at 50%, half of the people in any given church service may be offended by what Jesus said in Mark 10. The subject is very relevant. Divorce is a raw experience that God never intended. So talking about it can be hurtful for those who have gone through it. But if we approach the scripture with compassion and healing, we can help those find understanding and a path forward. But we can’t avoid it.

The point or goal for us is to understand there is a complete Bible, a complete Word of God that was given to us to read. We are not to depend on someone reading it to us once a week as our only source of understanding. We have to know the difference between human philosophy, whimsical spiritual quotes and ‘friendly advice’ and what the Bible says about our issues. So how do you or I know what’s being said every time we go to a church meeting is actually what the Bible says or means. We read the Bible and pray. And if what is being said to us is Truth, it will be in harmony to what God is saying to our spirit. But if we hear scripture that is incomplete or doesn’t harmonize with our understanding of what that scripture says, then we should understand why. One of the activities I like to do is look around a scripture that is read in a church service. If someone quotes 1 Timothy 2, then it’s important to understand the context of that scripture and what the whole scripture segment is talking about. There are plenty of authoritative commentaries that can be used in conjunction with reading the Bible. The challenge is to weed out the blasphemy, incomplete scripture reading and cherry picking scriptures out of context. That requires reading and studying and prayer.

The Bible was never meant to be read and interpreted differently based on time, culture, or Christian-flavor. The Bible says what it says, and it’s important to understand the time period, culture, and most importantly is the communication with God on what He means.

Read and ask questions, discuss scripture. Don’t accept what one person says, read it for yourself. What you hear at church may be entirely sound with the entire Bible scripture, but it may not. It is up to us to study, decipher and challenge if need be. Because it won’t be our pastor that stands before God to give account for us, it will, in fact, be us.

A Guide Book and not an Encyclopedia.

Biblical truths are un-convenient for us. And I certainly don’t like anyone getting in my business. I’d rather live according to my own thoughts, vision for my life. After all, I have a brain, right? I can pick out scripture just like anyone else and make it sound right according to my behavior. I can avoid scriptures that make me feel uncomfortable. I love philosophy. But to what end? I end up living a lie that I’ve told myself if I don’t live in alliance with the complete Biblical scripture. If we read the complete Bible, we learn we have hope, but only if we don’t rebel and turn away from God. If we do, we have to repent because there is God’s design for us, and anything else is a sin. God does not contradict himself. His Biblical scripture cannot have two diametric meanings.

God gave us his written word to be a guide for us as we pray and seek to follow Him. The Bible is a story of hope, not an exhaustive explanation of God’s motives, nature, or methods. We hope because Jesus died for us. We know this because John 3:16-17 says so. We follow by faith, not because God gave us a blueprint for his grand design that we understand start to finish.

The subjects discussed here, Sin, Heaven, Marriage, etc are all found in the Bible. Are the subjects we hear in a church meeting, online or spoken word, corporate worship found in the Bible? The songs we sing in a church meeting may have sound Scriptural foundation, or they may not. There’s one way to know if what we hear or read is from the Bible, we read and pray.

Next Steps

God doesn’t call us to live a comfortable life. Jesus instead says there is a cross to bear, and that’s not comfortable for anyone. And that will make us spiritually squirmy for sure. So my encouragement is for all of us to understand the full Biblical narrative, even the parts that are ‘un-convenient’ for us.

Does your church cover Christian subjects like these? If so, that’s awesome. But God still requires us to read His Word. One of the more challenging Books of the Bible for me to read is Numbers. But I read it through because the stories are important to understand the Children of Isreal. So the Book of Numbers is on my way in understanding even the book of Matthew.

On the other hand, if we don’t hear the complete narrative of Biblical subjects covered in our church meetings, we should ask why. It’s very popular to cover social issues, or what I like to call Oprah subjects. The risk is to cover the surface of humanity and not delve into what can really change us; repentance and following Jesus.

About the Author: Steven Davis is the son of a minister; Bible school dropout, former social worker, and musician.

References:

Analogy

So back to the corn. Here is my simple analogy.

Here is the tragedy.

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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.

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

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

Exhibit A

REASON PRE-UNO: JESUS

Reason UNO: Idolatry

REASON DOS: Pride

The BAD: Historic Downward Church Trends:

REASON TRES: Competition

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Consumer Friendly Jesus Meets Matthew 10

What the Bible actually says:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

Persecution Will Come

Have No Fear

Not Peace, but a Sword

Rewards

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Caveat First

The Catalyst – Ready? Ok, here we goooooooooo……

So why do many modern churches not love? Just a theory.

Close your eyes! Wait. Then you can’t read.

God’s Warning

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The Christian Selfie

I Love Me! Look at Me!

Beyond the Selfie

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Un-convenient Biblical truths church folk don’t like to talk about anymore.

Why Should we know Scripture for ourselves?

Verse 18 and a Prostitute

A Personal Revelation

Sin

Divorce

Marriage

Hell

Holy Spirit

Heaven

The Danger of not discussing the full Bible, even those sections or subjects that make us very uncomfortable.

A Guide Book and not an Encyclopedia.

Next Steps

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