Friday, February 24, 2006
God is still moving, but where?
For the last few posts, I've been addressing today's seeker-sensitive movement within evangelicalism. The more I learn about the Purpose-Driven Life and Emergent Church movements, the more I despair for the future of mainstream evangelicalism, but yet I in no way despair for the future of Christ's true church! My reason for hope: throughout church history, God has consistently used heresies and apostasy as a springboard for advancing the true Gospel. Many reformations and revivals have had their roots in the diligent efforts of godly believers to answer the errors of their day. The Protestant Reformation itself was a reaction to the many errors and heresies of the Roman Catholic church of the day. To paraphrase Paul's great statement in Romans, where error has abounded, truth has abounded much more.
To today's promoters and followers of evangelical fads and follies, I can say that I agree that God is moving today, but He's certainly not moving through the evangelical fad of the day. If you're seeing people truly turn to Christ in your churches, it's strictly on account of whatever portion of Gospel truth is being preached from your pulpit and is in spite of the man-made means you've been employing, but it is most certainly not your churches that are seeing a true move of God. Instead, it is in those churches that have remained faithful to preaching Christ crucified that God continues to be at work drawing sinners unto Himself. Many of these churches are quite small, and they are widely scattered in location, so you might not be aware of them, but they do exist. In these churches, expository preaching of the Word is primary, and worship is God-centered. The novel inventions of men, no matter how popular they be, are rejected in favor of the clear teaching of Scripture. No, the crowds don't flock to these churches, but that's no wonder because the Gospel is an offense to all save those whom God sovereignly chooses to draw unto Himself.
My friend, appearances to the contrary, the church of Jesus Christ is continuing to prosper and grow wherever the Scriptures are faithfully preached. It is only those churches who have rejected the plain teaching of Scripture in favor of evangelical fads and follies that are dying on the vine. Although I'm grieved by the abuse of men's souls that's being perpetrated by these wayward churches, I remain hopeful for the progress of Christ's church, for we have Christ's own promise that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. No matter how great the apostasy around us, the true church will continue to prosper and grow.
To today's promoters and followers of evangelical fads and follies, I can say that I agree that God is moving today, but He's certainly not moving through the evangelical fad of the day. If you're seeing people truly turn to Christ in your churches, it's strictly on account of whatever portion of Gospel truth is being preached from your pulpit and is in spite of the man-made means you've been employing, but it is most certainly not your churches that are seeing a true move of God. Instead, it is in those churches that have remained faithful to preaching Christ crucified that God continues to be at work drawing sinners unto Himself. Many of these churches are quite small, and they are widely scattered in location, so you might not be aware of them, but they do exist. In these churches, expository preaching of the Word is primary, and worship is God-centered. The novel inventions of men, no matter how popular they be, are rejected in favor of the clear teaching of Scripture. No, the crowds don't flock to these churches, but that's no wonder because the Gospel is an offense to all save those whom God sovereignly chooses to draw unto Himself.
My friend, appearances to the contrary, the church of Jesus Christ is continuing to prosper and grow wherever the Scriptures are faithfully preached. It is only those churches who have rejected the plain teaching of Scripture in favor of evangelical fads and follies that are dying on the vine. Although I'm grieved by the abuse of men's souls that's being perpetrated by these wayward churches, I remain hopeful for the progress of Christ's church, for we have Christ's own promise that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. No matter how great the apostasy around us, the true church will continue to prosper and grow.
