Breaking News: Churches have become irrelevant!
Oh, guess that’s not “breaking news.”
Just the same old tired report that has discouraged and frustrated followers of Christ for centuries.
How do churches become irrelevant to what the Lord Jesus is doing in the world?
1) By forgetting their number one priority–to make disciples.
2) By telling people it’s works, not grace.
3) By listening to their own reports of their so-called relevance through the closed-circuit broadcasting of trendy evangelicalism.
4) By building pastor-centered fiefdoms rather than Christ-centered communities.
5) By overlooking the people Jesus cares about most–the poor, the hurting, the devastated, the hungry, and the powerless, to get to the people they care about most–the rich, the entitled, the influential, and the impressive.
There’s five reasons. Can you think of more?
By centering on the honor of men instead of the glory of God.
By focusing on the building of their kingdoms under the banner of God’s name, instead of being servant-leaders in the power of the Holy Spirit and participating with God as He builds His Kingdom.
Preaching the “Room of Good Intentions” instead of trusting and living in the “Room of Grace.”
Forgetting it’s all about Jesus and being ashamed to stand for the pure gospel of grace and the offensiveness to others that it brings.
(I think I’m getting redundant.)
Rooms of grace and good intentions! You reading this truefaced friends?
Thanks, David. Great thoughts.