You are looking at posts that were written on December 3rd, 2007.
Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Blogs.
These conversations make me, as a full time staff member, very nervous. People need to be dedicated to their church. But when is enough, enough. Throughout the last few years, we have begun to create programs and meetings and more services and expect true Christians to show up to everything we plan.
One website states “Get Connected to God by attending one of our worship services”. So is that it? Is that how we grow closer to God? By attending a worship service? How can we not see that we are moving back into a “work for your relationship” religion?
Are we trying to build empires on every street corner? We make mention that if only people were more dedicated to the church, everything would be great. Dedication would be great, but who is dedicated to whom? Are we as ministers helping the “whole-life” of our members or only trying to get them to work together to build larger churches? Are we as pastors helping our members become more dedicated to God or to our church?
Tough questions. These are not easy to answer. But if we want Acts 2 revivals to take place, I believe this is the place to start.”One of the lessons from this letter that I found most impressive was that Paul, like Jesus, was less concerned about religious ceremonies and completing a checklist of activities and events than he was about people being tuned in to God. Not once did he rant about being present at church every week or completing specified amounts of activity. His message was profoundly simple: stay in touch with God and follow your instructions as they are provided. It’s all about deepening your relationship with God, not about consistently engaging in your routines” (George Barna, Revolution, pg. 94).
Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Blogs.
There have been a lot of discussions on what is a personal belief and what is really bible. I find it amazing how much stuff we have inserted into our beliefs. How many wise men where there? Well, this question has gone around a lot. No one knows and no one cares. But there are instances where we teach things out of tradition and have no idea why we believe them.
One of which is people making fun of Noah’s Ark. The story goes like this. People made fun of Noah because he was building an Ark in the middle of the desert. They would come by mocking him because they have never seen a boat before. It has never rained and therefore people had no need for boats. And as Noah went door to door telling people to get in the boat, no one would except for his own sons and their wives. Not only is totally illogical, it is also the opposite of what the Bible really teaches (Gen. 6).
Sound familiar? I remember coloring pictures of people throwing rocks at the ark. Who cares about the wise men. This story is a little different. I had gone to a revival where the evangelist made his last point about doing things out of faith. He began to use this version of Noah’s Ark and I was ready to walk out. I’ve heard a lot of preaching on this version.
There is a major problem with our Biblical negligence. People actually believe us. And when our teenagers are questioned about their faith, when they find other opinions, then these stories only help us lose credibility.
But if we are wrong about Noah’s Ark, if we really believe this version was in the Bible, what else do we think is in there?
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