Presented, May 31, 2009 Return to Community Church Main Page LISTEN TO THIS SERMON
THE COMMUNITY CHURCH MOVEMENT (2)
Today we continue a
study we began last week examining some concerns I have with the
Community Church movement. This
movement describes a relatively new approach to “reaching the unchurched”
by establishing inter-denominational churches.
Many of these develop into mega-churches (and smaller ones
adopting their patterns) that seek to reach the communities they are in
thought surveys and catering to the social needs of the community.
While their goals are noble, our concern is how they show
disregard for the New Testament pattern of the ONE true church.
In our lesson last
week we noted some of the characteristics of these churches to include –
upbeat and contemporary worship services, a casual atmosphere where you
“come as you are” and can easily blend in without the pressures of
“traditional churches”, a very basic set of core values with de-emphasis
on issues that divide (i.e. unity in diversity) or demand absolute
purity. These are replaced
with lessons that are “relevant” to today’s society and non-judgmental.
My concerns with
this movement are many. I
am fearful as the leaders among
some of our brethren are fascinated with the success of these movements
and are looking for ways to incorporate whatever ideas they can justify
(whether scriptural or not) .
We also began to examine some of the reasons this movement is
unscriptural.
First we noted that these churches are founded by men and often
depend upon their founders (and their successors) to move forward.
The scriptures clearly warn against the doctrines of men (1 Cor.
3:12, 2:1-4; Galatians 1:6-9, etc).
Second, we also noted the appeal of these churches was to those
who “having itching ears,
they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn
their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables” (2
Tim. 4:2-4). In other
words, these churches CATER TO DESIRES OF MEN instead of God.
The problem in this of course is that those who come to these
churches in sin are still in sin even after they become members because
they have not seen the need for total change.
In our lesson today
we cant to continue to notice some scriptural problems with this
movement.
I.
More Doctrinal concerns
a.
True
Worship –
i.
Like so
many other elements of the community church movement, their worship is
designed to cater to man.
It is no secret that we live in an age of entertainment and instant
gratification. We spend
large sums of money on being entertained – cable HD television,
expensive sound systems, extensive video libraries on demand, clear and
crisp music that appeals to our tastes, movie screens that are taller
than some apartment buildings, highly refined live entertainment events
and amusement parks that cost a small fortune to go to just for a day.
Many works hard during the week to provide these luxuries for
himself. On weekends, if he
goes to worship – he wants some “bang for his buck.”
He wants something exciting and
that will keep his attention (which has been skewed by his need for
entertainment as described above. The
community church offers it with music in all different genres and skits
and big-name speakers, and short, relevant sermons etc.
Whatever it takes to draw in the
masses AND then to keep them coming back (if it takes this to
get them there it will take this to keep them there).
Exiting and fun? Yes!
But is it what God wants?
ii.
We have
devoted extensive time to emphasizing the importance and purpose of
worship.
What’s the big deal about how we worship God?
Let it be clear – Worship has NEVER been about pleasing men!
God is the one we are seeking to please and glorify.
John 4:24, Hebrews 13:15, 1
Corinthians 14:15, etc.
With increasing frequency, at the beginning of lessons I remind us that
we are here to worship God and not please man.
Is it redundant and does it seem shallow? Perhaps!
But I do not apologize because we need to remind ourselves of why
we are here.
It is HIS pattern and instructions that reveal WHAT PLEASES HIM!
Think about that! If you want to please your boss, do you say, “I
don’t care what he says, I am going to do it my way!”?
iii.
God has
consistently and strongly rejected the innovations of man in worship to
Him (cf. Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor.10:1-11).
He is the ONE who rejected Cain’s offering (Gen. 4);
He is the ONE who burned Nadab and Abihu to death for offering strange
fire (Lev. 10);
He is the ONE who said
through Samuel, “Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam.
15:22)
He is the ONE who sent Malachi and scorned the people because of their
lukewarm and corrupted worship to Him (Malachi 1)
Look at what happened when Jeroboam offered a worship of convenience to
Northern Israel. It became
the downfall of that nation and they NEVER overcame it (1 kings
12:25-32, cf. 2 Kings 17:21-23).
iv.
In the
New Testament, 5 acts of worship toward God are clearly demonstrated and
taught.
All 5 acts are simple and can be done in any time frame of history and
anywhere in the world.
ALL 5 acts involve US glorifying God from our heart and following His
pattern. In these acts we
are built up spiritually when done properly (1 Cor. 14:12, 26), but that
is a benefit of worshipping God.
v.
Is worship boring to you?
While the pattern God subscribes may not be the most exciting –
it is STILL God’s pattern and it MUST be followed.
Boring is usually more about attitude than the acts of worship.
If your heart is into the worship – it doesn’t need to be
enhanced.
How excited are you about being here? (Psalm
122:1) Is this something
you look forward to?
vi.
NOTE:
This is not to say that we should not
put forth effort to make the worship service meaningful. WE ought to do
what we can to help one another understand the purpose of each act as
fully as possible. Worship ought
to engage the heart. In some
things I believe there is room for improvement, but it is NOT in
appealing to the desires of man. There is NOTHING wrong with seeking
ways to keep members engaged, but we must still respect the pattern.
The CASUAL attitude of many is NOT what God wants. He is insulted by the
indifference (cf. Malachi 1:6-14).
vii.
The
worship of the Community Church fails miserably as it seeks to entertain
man.
b.
The
Casual Attitude –
i.
The “come
as you are” mantra of the community church is primarily about how you
dress and your demeanor as you worship God.
You can come to have a good time.
ii.
The
Lord’s church is not about how casual we can be.
In my studies, I find that as we worship:
1.
We are in the presence of God.
His church is a manifestation of His wisdom (Eph. 3:10).
The occasion is solemn and worthy of reverence.
“God is greatly to be
feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all
those around Him.” (Psa. 89:7)
The throne scene around God in Revelation 4 & 5 was not a party.
Malachi 1:6, “A son honors his
father, and a servant his master.
If then I am the Father, where is My honor?
And if I am a Master, where is My Reverence? Says the Lord of
hosts…”
2.
This is a solemn occasion.
When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are to keep that in mind.
We are proclaiming His death (vs. 26).
When we study the Bible we are listening to HIS word! (1 Pet. 4:11)
Our prayers are petitioning Him!
3.
It is NOT just coming together to relax and have some fun with friends
and family. (cf. 1 Cor.
11:17-22). Its not like
going to the movies or out with friends.
iii.
Brethren
I am concerned about the casual attitude in the community church, but
I am equally concerned about how casual we are becoming even here.
It is seen in the way we dress and often in our demeanor as we go
through the acts of worship.
We MUST give God our best and not treat “going to church” like
some social occasion or simply go through the motions.
What does the way you dress say about your attitude?
What does your demeanor in participating say about your attitude?
What does your preparation say about your attitude?
c.
Non-judgmental –
i.
The
Community Church is the product of the unity-in-diversity movement that
has been developing for nearly a century now.
Community churches are NOT
non-denominational. They
are
inter-denominational with
a willingness to accept believers of all faiths. And some are actually
affiliated with various denominations.
There is a de-emphasis on the
doctrines that divide within denominations and certain lifestyles.
There is a call to not be judgmental in discussing these
differences.
IN REALITY this is consistent with the doctrine of eternal security
which basically says that once one is saved they cannot be lost.
The conclusion is: Why deal with divisive issues if they don’t
matter?
ii.
We
KNOW that the Bible calls for true unity – 1 Cor. 1:10, John 17:30, 31,
Ephesians 4:1-6, etc. But
NEVER at the expense of truth!
iii.
Furthermore, the Bible calls for us to make doctrinal judgments –
Matthew 7:6 says, “Do not give
what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine…”
That is a judgment.
John 7:24 speaks of not judging according to appearance, but judge with
righteous judgment.
Romans 16:17 calls for us to mark those who cause divisions.
2 Thess. 3:6, etc.
Such passages call for us to make judgments – BASED upon God’s word.
iv.
BUT,
If a brother is in sin, we BETTER take time to try and win them back –
Gal. 6:1, Jas. 5:19, Jude 22-23, etc.
d.
The
message of the gospel
–
i.
I am not
saying that community churches do not have any convictions.
They do and different churches will hold to different doctrines.
If you go to the websites of most community churches you will
find a statement of faith – what they believe.
The things they believe are basic core values.
They believe in the Bible (most will say it is inerrant and
inspired), in God, Jesus Christ, faith only, basic morality, etc.
In some form they will teach on these things (but not necessarily
in their ‘seeker services’).
But there are other issues that they choose to remain silent
about (at least publicly).
Sometimes these are the issues that need to be addressed the most (More
on what they teach in a moment).
ii.
Soft
preaching – when we speak of things they refuse to preach on – many
congregations would not preach on eternal condemnation (i.e. hell), true
righteousness (following God’s law exactly), materialism and worldliness
(certain moral issues such as modesty, gambling, social drinking,
divorce & remarriage, etc.), or sin.
Their lessons often are sprinkled with scripture and filled with
stories and relevant topics from the latest psychologists and
sociologists (hopefully ones professing to believe in God), who
sometimes are guest speakers.
In fact, some of these churches have virtually abandoned preaching.
They may offer a short message, but much of the “teaching” is
done with skits and actors.
They
appeal to the selfish who want to worship God conditionally (i.e. on
their terms instead of His).
iii.
Do we need relevant topics?
ALWAYS!!!! But what is
relevant? Sure it involves how to get along with your neighbor,
how to deal with depression, the fact that Jesus and God loves you AND
facing financial giants, BUT it involves so much more – righteousness,
faithfulness, spiritual maturity (i.e. the need to actually study the
Bible for yourself), exposing sin, answering false doctrines, teaching
others, etc. There may be
messages taught in these community churches that do not contradict Bible
teaching (in fact the majority of what they teach could be Biblically
sound) but do they offer them the meat and balanced diet they need????
iv.
Biblical preaching does not compromise –
Consider 2 Timothy 4:2 where Timothy is told to preach the word in
season and out of season AND to reprove, rebuke and exhort…”
Paul was VERY clear with Timothy that the content of his message was not
to be soothing and dismissive of error and immorality.
He even told Timothy there was a time to publicly rebuke leaders
(1 Tim. 5:20).
Paul made many enemies because of his preaching.
Remember Gal. 4:16?
Jesus was not afraid to confront ungodly behavior and even to challenge
His followers. Remember
when He rebuked them for following Him just for the bread? (John
6:26-27)
v.
NOT the
positive preaching movement and not the social gospel.
See previous lessons to address this.
Their preaching is lacking in
doctrinal content. We
addressed this in a series of lessons on the positive preaching
movement.
While each community church has its own set of doctrinal views – the
overall emphasis is community involvement and “relevant lessons” dealing
with life. Most of these
churches, if not all of them, leave out teaching on important but
controversial doctrines.
vi.
Add to
these the various denominational doctrines espoused by many of the
churches - salvation by
faith only, special guidance of the Holy Spirit, instrumental music,
various elements of Calvinism, unconditional eternal security, etc.
Each of these could be examined within themselves. Notice the
“safe nature” of these doctrines (acceptable by the masses).
And thus we can see
some concerns with the Community Church Movement.
It is very much alive and present in our communities.
And among some of our brethren, some of these things are being
considered. That is why we
are so concerned. May we,
as the Lord’s church here, ALWAYS strive to follow His pattern, even if
it is not popular and doesn’t bring in the masses.
BUT, let us not use such as a crutch to keep us from doing
everything we can, WITHIN God’s boundaries, to win the lost.
Continued in part 3 - Go there Return to Community Church Main Page