This is an incredibly sad state of affairs that many are in, in Seattle. Its also an excellent example of the current box church; American churchianity; megachurch; spectator church mindset being very dangerous and destructive. If you read the four Gospels and the book of Acts you will read of nothing that even smells of this type of mentality. Thousands beings saved in a day in the book of Acts and still no megachurch buildings were erected. Why not? Was it solely for persecution reasons? I dont think thats what we see in Scripture. You see smaller groups of evangelists and apostles (missionaries / church planters) preaching the Gospel and reasoning with the unsaved until those that God was calling were saved. And they discipled them before and after conversion. When they were converted they were baptized and became part of a small fellowship, where there was a plurality of elders; everyone using their gifts and resources together; multiple people openly leading in prayer; praise; and teaching at each gathering; leaders being developed; evangelists and missionaries being commissioned to go and start other small congregations. The idea that only a select few could sing; only one could pray; only one man gave a lesson ...and only once per week...and the rest sat in pews to be entertained; fed; or grown is not a New Testament concept. The fact is that the saints and even the unconverted disciples (in a more loose sense) had an expectation to be actively working for the Gospel. And the saints all knew and expected immediately that their gifts would be put to use routinely. The congregation knew one another, and everyone including the elders were held accountable. Acts 2:42-47 indicates that this happened on a daily basis. So compare that to these churches that have anywhere from 500 to 30,000 people in membership that come and sit in the same pew every week with the expectation of seeing a light show; hearing a rock band; seeing a motivational speaker give an entertaining message replete with jokes, personal anecdotes, and maybe a couple of verses of Scripture. The more removed these congregations get from the Bible; the Gospel; and the kingdom message - and the larger these groups become - the more likely they are to implode with consequences on their congregants; leaders; and the name of the true Church of Christs followers. I hope Mark Driscoll and the leaders/elders of Mars Hill Church are led to a place of repentance and restoration. That being said, if we are awake, this should be a lesson to us in the Church to be mindful of what we think God is asking us to work for. I give a big nod of affirmation to the faithful and biblically sound home churches and small congregations that are out there. You are where the revival in this nation will stem from; Lord willing. You are most uniquely well prepared to face the storms that may come against Gods people, especially as the cultural winds can change. Its very possible that Seattle will greatly miss Mars Hill and be distraught...Im talking about the unbelievers too. However, sadly, its for all the wrong reasons that this is happening. Blessings my friends!
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 23:57:32 +0000
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