Emerging Church Leader does not like word saved or born agian
Posted by Lyndon V Bechtel on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Under: Warnings Given
EMERGING LEADER IS BOTHERED BY USE OF “SAVED” AND “BORN AGAIN” the following is excerpted form (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2011, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) and posted on manifestedbythelight.com on Sept 12 2011
- In his blog and in an interview with the Christian Post, Tim Stevens, pastor of Granger Community Church of Granger, Indiana, says he is bothered by the use of the terms “saved” and “born again.” He wrote: “I’ve recently noticed that I’m becoming more annoyed by the word ‘saved’ than ever before. Not in the ‘I saved money’ use of the word, but in the Christian-ese context: Is Johnny saved? or It’s only a matter of time until Martha gets saved. ... A lot of times churches can be a very uncomfortable space for someone who is searching. They feel this need for God, so they show up at church on a Sunday morning and then they just don’t get it because it’s not the world they live in. The language doesn’t make sense, the communication style is weird, the music is strange ... I think language is a big piece of that” (Christian Post, Sept. 1, 2011). Granger is the epitome of a 2 Timothy 4:3-4 church that lives according to its own lusts and has heaps of teachers who scratch the itching ears of an apostate generation with a new kind of Christianity. It is a rock & roll party church. Churches are forbidden to conform to the world to win the world (Romans 12:2). While unbelievers should sense that they are loved and welcome when they come to church services, and God’s people need to go out of their way to make sure that this happens, and while the gospel should be clearly explained, unbelievers should not feel comfortable at church. They need to be understand that mankind is divided into lost and saved, and unless they move through a born again experience into the saved category they will spend eternity in the lake of fire as a punishment for their crimes against Almighty God. When the unbeliever comes to church, he should not feel comfortable; he should feel convicted (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Spiritual conviction doesn’t come through music that makes you want to dance and through turning the church into a sensual party atmosphere and through lowering the dress standards and speech to the level of a foolish pop-culture ruled society. Conviction doesn’t come when the churches attempt to replace worldly cool with Christian cool. It comes through serious, separated Christian living and sacred music and the faithful preaching of God’s Word and that not from some textually corrupt version or watered-down paraphrase.
Comment From Lyndon
We totally agree with the sentiments expressed above o that more of the Christian world would see that pragmatism; the end justifies the means, never works but that the lost must see and hear something different than what they see and hear every day! Only then can true conviction and conversion take place. It rarely works to save somebody with the same stuff they came out of.
- In his blog and in an interview with the Christian Post, Tim Stevens, pastor of Granger Community Church of Granger, Indiana, says he is bothered by the use of the terms “saved” and “born again.” He wrote: “I’ve recently noticed that I’m becoming more annoyed by the word ‘saved’ than ever before. Not in the ‘I saved money’ use of the word, but in the Christian-ese context: Is Johnny saved? or It’s only a matter of time until Martha gets saved. ... A lot of times churches can be a very uncomfortable space for someone who is searching. They feel this need for God, so they show up at church on a Sunday morning and then they just don’t get it because it’s not the world they live in. The language doesn’t make sense, the communication style is weird, the music is strange ... I think language is a big piece of that” (Christian Post, Sept. 1, 2011). Granger is the epitome of a 2 Timothy 4:3-4 church that lives according to its own lusts and has heaps of teachers who scratch the itching ears of an apostate generation with a new kind of Christianity. It is a rock & roll party church. Churches are forbidden to conform to the world to win the world (Romans 12:2). While unbelievers should sense that they are loved and welcome when they come to church services, and God’s people need to go out of their way to make sure that this happens, and while the gospel should be clearly explained, unbelievers should not feel comfortable at church. They need to be understand that mankind is divided into lost and saved, and unless they move through a born again experience into the saved category they will spend eternity in the lake of fire as a punishment for their crimes against Almighty God. When the unbeliever comes to church, he should not feel comfortable; he should feel convicted (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Spiritual conviction doesn’t come through music that makes you want to dance and through turning the church into a sensual party atmosphere and through lowering the dress standards and speech to the level of a foolish pop-culture ruled society. Conviction doesn’t come when the churches attempt to replace worldly cool with Christian cool. It comes through serious, separated Christian living and sacred music and the faithful preaching of God’s Word and that not from some textually corrupt version or watered-down paraphrase.
Comment From Lyndon
We totally agree with the sentiments expressed above o that more of the Christian world would see that pragmatism; the end justifies the means, never works but that the lost must see and hear something different than what they see and hear every day! Only then can true conviction and conversion take place. It rarely works to save somebody with the same stuff they came out of.
In : Warnings Given
