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BRINGING THEM IN BY ANY MEANS #1) The fields are white unto harvest. A) John 4:34-35 There are fields and fields of people just ready to be harvested. - We as the Church must by any means necessary get these people into the Church. - Our churches are empty yet our communities are full of people who we must reach by any means necessary. - We as God’s church must ensure that our church is appealing to those we are trying to bring in. - Everything I have said up to this point is absolutely unscriptural and wrong. B) There is a very popular and successful movement today called the “seeker sensitive service”. - One of the most popular Christian books on the market right now is titled, “The Purpose Driven Church” which is 100% centered on this seeker sensitive service. - These Pastors will only preach positive messages which usually begin with “God loves you, and has a wonderful plan for you’re life”. - The “MOVEMENT” as we will refer to it must be sensitive to those seeking for a church home. C) Not only must it be sensitive it must also amuse and entertain the entire congregation. - Our service in this church would bore the people in those types of “churches”. - You must do something to make them want to return. - This means music services that more resemble full-scale secular concerts. - Everyone’s on his or her feet clapping and moving to the beat. - In all reality it’s a very powerful moving experience, yet nothing more than a stirring of emotions. - God didn’t call the church to entertain the people. - He didn’t call us to have function after function. - God called us to serve him through worship and service as His word instructs us. D) Mark 16:15 Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. - Where does this tell us to entertain the people? - Were the prophets persecuted because they entertained the people? - When the people rejected the preaching of Jesus did he tell Peter…….. - “go after them Peter tell them I’m sorry, tell them I’ll have a different message tomorrow, hurry before they go somewhere else, ASK THEM WHAT THEY WANT.” - Church services in the seeker sensitive movement have completely changed the atmosphere of church worship. - Here are some church advertisements from newspapers. - “There is no fire and brimstone here just practical witty messages” - “Our services have an informal feel, you won't hear people threatened with hell or referred to as sinners. The goal is to make them feel welcome, not drive them away” - “We preach the same salvation as the Old Time Religion, but with a third less guilt” - “The sermons are relevant, upbeat, and best of all, short. You won't hear a lot of preaching about sin and damnation and hell fire. Preaching here doesn’t sound like preaching. It’s sophisticated, urban, and friendly talk. It breaks all the stereotypes” - THIS IS COMPRIMSE AT ITS GREATEST. #2) Leave God out of church. A) This is nothing more than bringing the world into the church. - Here is the response of those in these works; “Obviously God’s blessing look at the size of our church.” - To speak out against these churches and there growth is greatly frowned upon. - All we must do is look at what they preach and what they refuse to preach in order to justifiably condemn their growth. - Their motto is preach less, less guilt, less confrontation and most of all less conviction. - One thing that has been eliminated from most church services is an alter call. - THIS IS DONE TO ENSURE “THE SERVICES END ON AN A UPBEAT POSITIVE NOTE.” - Because remember, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you’re life”. B) By no means ever do you preach that we are all sinners, and never preach that there is a hell full of people. - COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE, COMPROMISE. - The gospel message preached by Jesus and His disciples is a CONFRONTATIONAL message. - It’s a gospel that makes us see our sin as God sees it. - John 4:15-18 Jesus was quite confrontational with this woman, he wasn’t afraid of the truth pushing her away. - He wasn’t afraid to talk about her sin. - He wasn’t trying to entertain her He was trying to convict her. C) They want to keep the messages as weak as possible, “don’t preach the hard truths of God’s word”. - The majority of biblical teaching is centered on sin, judgment and hell, these are believed by the user-friendly church to only push people away. - According to scripture these are the hard truths that lead to repentance and faith in Jesus as your savior. - SALVATION IS NOT THE CENTRAL THEME OF THEIR PREACHING. - Galatians 1:10 These churches are men pleasers, not the servants of Christ. - How can I say this? Because there is no BIBLICAL preaching in their sermons. - Singing upbeat songs and preaching how God wants to bless you will never convict anyone of their deprived condition. - People need to hear the message of repentance. - The Word of God clearly states that ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. - If salvation is not preached then stop preaching, it’s not preaching anyways. D) 1 Corinthians 1 18-25 These churches today believe they have a better way than what God has ordained. - Verse 25 says that the Greeks “seek after wisdom”, theses churches today have missed the mark completely. - They seek numbers, not the saving of souls bound for hell. - Galatians 1:8 - The gospel of the bible is a gospel of repentance; don’t get caught up in any of this stuff we see in these mega churches today. - If you’re here today and have never asked Jesus to save you please do so today. - Without Jesus you WILL SPEND AN ETERNITY IN HELL. - We are all born into sin and every single person needs to be saved by Gods grace… - Jesus paid our debt, suffered our punishment and today you can be delivered from an eternity in hell. - All you must do is acknowledge that you’re a sinner… - Acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for you and that he defeated death and hell. - Ask Jesus to save you and he will, once and forever.
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