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4/30/08
THE WORST ENEMIES OF CHRISTIANS
The worst enemies of Christians are serious and must
be dealt with. If our enemies are not addressed,
then we will be overrun by them. These greatest
enemies, which are narrowed down for this post to
pride, money, and lust. These enemies will dominate
and control our lives. Understanding the battle that
we are in with the enemy is a first step. The combat
against Christians is first an offensive battle, and
then a defensive one. “Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
(Romans 8:37) The offensive fight is a spiritual
battle “For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4) The word
strong hold derives
ocurwma which means “fortify, through the idea of holding
safely”(THE
GREEK NEW TESTAMENT, 1890 by James Strong; Madison,
N.J.)
Strong’s definition defines our fight for freedom
against our enemies as one that is fought,
fortified, or enclosed in our lives. This
fortification is in our flesh. The Bible states in
Romans 8:3 “…God sending his own Son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh:” The Bible says this flesh is also called the
old man. The old man is the old nature before I got
saved or born again. Once we get saved we inherit a
new nature. The way we defeat our worst enemies of
the Christian life is we have to root them out and
replace them with the new nature. It is like
permanently getting rid of spider webs in your
house. The only way you will be able to do so, is
to get rid of the spider.
When we fight our greatest enemies, which can be
narrowed down to pride, money, and lust, we defeat
them by pulling down these strong holds in our
flesh. (2 Corinthians 10:4) This is illustrated in
pulling weeds out of a garden. If you cut weeds
flush with the ground, and do not remove the root,
the weeds will come right back. However, if you dig
the weeds up by the root, they cannot come back. In
order to fight our greatest enemies we must root
them out of our lives.
Rooting out these particular sins, such as pride, is
a process. Pride is the main culprit of all sin. The
word pride is defined as, “Inordinate self-esteem;
an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in
talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or
elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty
airs,
distance, reserve, and often in contempt of
others.” (American Dictionary of the English
Language Noah Webster, 1828.) Pride fuels the
fire of the other sins of money and lust. Pride
fortified in our flesh derives all the way back to
original sin. Eve, back in the Garden was deceived
when she thought she could become like God, if she
were to know good and evil. Pride elevates ourselves
to an unnatural state that God has not given us.
To battle pride, we need to root out the idea that
we are anybody outside Jesus Christ. I am a sinner,
saved by Grace. The Bible states in Romans 12:3,
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith.” The fight against pride is to
keep who I am in perspective. The fight roots out
pride and interjects a sense of a reality of
humility. James 4:6 states, “But he giveth more
grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Once we conquer the sin of pride in our lives, which
is the main offensive attack to fighting all sin, it
produces a humble life. A humble life gives God a
good foundation to root sin out of our lives. Then,
for example, the next sin is the love of money.
Having the foundation of humility, it makes it
easier to root out the sin of loving money. The
Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money
is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.” It is the
love of money that is the sin. The reason we would
love money, and it can be a sin, is that money
affords a farce of power and status.
The Christian life that is humble, will not be
seeking what money’s opportunities can afford it. We
know our status with God, and our relation with sin
and the world. Likewise, lust will lose its grip
over us, for lust desires something God has not
given us, or has commanded us that we cannot have.
An inordinate desire could range from pleasures,
possessions, and relationships, such as desiring
someone else’s spouse, etcetera. Lust, throughout
the Bible, was the downfall of many great people. It
was the downfall of Adam and Eve, Jacob, David,
Solomon, Samson, and many others.
The sin of lust is rooted out again when we see our
desires in respect of our place in God’s Kingdom. We
as God’s children have no right to put ourselves in
the place of deciding what we need. If a lustful
desire comes in our lives or our minds, our humble
position in Christ will put our desires in
perspective.
In conclusion, the worst enemies of the Christian
life are a serious matter. The result will dictate
to us victory or non victory in our lives. When the
sins of pride, money, and lust are dealt with by
rooting them out, then comes victory. We deal with
pride first, then that takes care of the other sins,
such as money and lust.
12-1-07
- If the pastor is young, he
lacks experience; if his hair is gray, he's too
old for the young people.
- If he has five or six
children, he has too many; if he has none, he's
setting a bad example.
- If he preaches from notes,
he has canned sermons and is dry; if his messages
are extemporaneous, he isn't deep enough.
- If he caters to the poor in
the church, he's playing to the grandstand; if he
pays attention to the wealthy, he's trying to be
an aristocrat.
- If he uses too many
illustrations, he's neglecting the Bible; if he
doesn't include stories, he isn't clear.
- If he condemns wrong, he's
cranky; if he doesn't preach against sin, the
claim he's a compromiser.
- If he preaches the truth,
he's too offensive; if he doesn't present the
"whole counsel of God," he's a hypocrite.
- If he fails to please
everybody, he's hurting the church and should
leave; if he does make them all happy, he has no
convictions.
- If he drives an old car, he
shames his congregation; if he buys a new one,
he's setting his affection on earthly things.
- If he preaches all the time,
the congregation gets tired of hearing just one
man; if he invites guest ministers, he's shirking
his responsibility.
- If he receives a large
salary, he's mercenary; if he gets a small one,
they say it proves he isn't worth much anyway.
11/21/07
WHEN YOU SHOULD FIRE YOUR PREACHER?
Well, one of the first signs that you need to
consider as a reason to fire your preacher is when
he does not show up for a special meetings, such as
the deacons’ meeting. Especially, when the next day
he explains to a member that he has met a friend who
has invited him to dinner, and he has not seen this
person in a long time. He says, "I knew you could
carry on without me," with a disarming smile.
Likewise, if he is missing prayer meetings, and says
“God knows our needs.”
Then he sets about missing a Sunday evening. Even
though he had spoken on the brotherhood of believers
and the necessity of Christian fellowship -- "so
much the more as you see the day approaching," he
had quoted. "The fact is," he explained to
the members, "We were having a play, and I wasn’t
involved, and since the whole family was at home for
once, I decided to take time out to be with them. I
was really tired and probably wouldn't have gotten
much out of the service anyway."
This could be forgiven if it hadn't been for the
morning he arrived ten minutes late for the church
service, and that particular morning he was to be
the Preacher. He didn't give any explanation -- just
marched up the aisle to the front and went on as if
nothing had happened.
Then, if you notice he was late more often
than not. It got so you could almost count on his
walking in with the other latecomers. When a deacon
ventured to speak to him about it, he just said he
had gotten into the habit of starting late and it
was hard to kick the habit.
If it comes to a head the morning that preacher
doesn’t show up for the service at all. On the spur
of the moment, members learned later, he had decided
to go for a drive, since the fall colors were so
beautiful. "Not many nice days left," he said. "And
I thought I'd not be missed, since I met so many
members on the way."
Then I think the church board should meet and talk
these matters over with the pastor. Talk to him
about what it means to be a minister in their
church. If no recourse can be made, then they need
to bring it before the church and decided to get a
dependable Pastor.
P.S.
·
But Note the Scripture:
And Jesus Said “John 8:7 So when they continued
asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto
them, He that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her.
Matthew 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam
out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye.
How many people in our churches do this same thing,
and get very upset if someone calls them to the
carpet?
Maybe it is clear that a preacher cannot be what a
normal Christian is today!
Or a normal Church member?
Matthew 7:2 For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
If we get rid of a preacher
like this, what would the lord do with us, we better
make sure we are doing right also.
The moral to the story
let's just be faithful
Pastor Beaver
10/19/2007
Why Topical and Textual Sermons Are
Great
Many so called scholars as well as preachers today
really put expository preaching on a pedestal. Most
books that teach homiletics will tell you that
textual and topical are less true to the Scriptures.
These so called experts will say that topical
preachers tend to preach issues. Well, let me ask
you, how many sermons did Jesus preach expository?
Most of His preaching was topical and textual. He
quoted a portion from the Old Testament and
expounded upon it. You see, I find a trend today as
the Bible says in II Timothy 4:3, “For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;”
Some preachers who brag about the expository style,
also define themselves more as teachers than
preachers. I do not think it is by chance that they
label themselves as teachers. I believe it is a sign
of the times. Do not get me wrong. I like expository
teaching, but it should never take the place of
preaching. Teaching is giving you facts and letting
you sort them out. As in a school setting, you take
a test to see if you retained the facts from the
lectures. Preaching is giving you the facts, and
applying them specifically to your lives, and
bringing you to the point to either, say yes or no
to the Lord. Also, it is good to note, these people
that put down topical and textual sermons, likewise,
have no desire to have altar calls. They will say
that altar calls make people uncomfortable. So in
Closing “PREACH ON!”
SHOULD CHRISTIANS WATCH TELEVISION?
There
is nothing intrinsically wrong
with a television set. Like the telephone, the
television set is incapable of distinguishing
between right and wrong. (The set in and of itself)
Television, (Meaning what comes across the Screen)
however, is of a different nature than telephones.
For example, if we get bad communication over the
phone, such as lewd phone calls, or harassment, we
can contact the authorities, and have the
people on the other end punished. TV, however, has a
larger purpose. It was originally for communication,
but now it is mainly for entertainment. Even the
news has a great deal of entertainment value.
(Gossip). Television programming has to make money,
which is paid by advertisers. They must produce
programming that people like. The shows with the
most viewers will bring in the most money. Needless
to say SIN sells, from crime, to gossip, to sex. We
know these things are wrong according to the Bible.
Romans
1:32 Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the
same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans
2:2-3 But we are sure that the judgment of God is
according to truth against them which commit such
things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest
them which do such things, and doest the same, that
thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
If we watch things that are contradictory to the
Bible, we are sinning. Between commercials, and the
shows, is it very difficult to find programming that
4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise, think on these things. If we find ourselves
finding pleasure in wickedness, it reveals our
hearts. Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his
heart, so is he: Even the national Geographic
shows, all their science is based on evolution. The
history is based on evolution, and their history of
Jesus is tainted against the Bible. Can you find
good programming? Sure, but it is hard to come by.
If we could find an hour of wholesome programming,
every couple of days, we would do well. There is no
way to find enough programming to justify the
national average of 25 hours an individual
watches per week. This also hits another point: If we
as Christians are watching more TV than we spend
reading our Bibles and in prayer, then this is a big
problem. When is the last time you could not wait to
come home to pick up your Bible? How many rearrange
their lives to watch a certain show?
Pastor Jerry W. Beaver
Today it is obvious that people
do not read. Very few who learn to read, use it very
often after they get out of high school and college.
We sit back and get fed information rather than
digging it out by reading it ourselves. It is noted
that retention by reading is up to five times
greater than that of just watching and hearing. We
come to church and listen to preaching, which is
great!, as well as listen to preaching on the radio
and TV. Now try to remember what was preached about
last Sunday. We need not only to be listening and reading,
but also, taking the verses home and reading them on Sundays,
so that we can get the most out of the Word of the
Lord. Also, there needs to be time that we read good
books, such as Christian books. Needless to say, we
never have to worry about a bad commercial between
chapters. A book is something we can take with us
and when we have idle time we can read and get
Spiritually blessed. There is a saying that goes
“Readers are leaders.” We think of all the great
leaders of yesterday, and one thing they had in
common is that they read a lot. We wonder why there
are not great leaders in our day. Pick up your
Bibles, read and live.
Pastor Jerry W. Beaver
My thoughts on the shootings at VA TECH
Some of you may know this is my home area. My mother
worked there for almost 20 years, I grew up walking
around the campus much of my unsaved life. The
Gateway
Baptist Church, the church where I was saved,
baptized, ordained, and married in, is just minutes from
campus. One of the first times I went soul winning
was in the drill field. My friend, Darrell Ratcliff,
(who now is a missionary to Mexico), and I, would go
to the drill field and wait for classes to let out.
The drill field is the main hub on campus. We would
literally hand out thousands of tracts. Most of my
early soul winning converts were Tech students. I
remember a fellow by the name of Hal, who I led to
the Lord. He was wrapped up in a cult, and I was
able to see him get saved and be discipled. He got
into Gateway Baptist Church and worked in the Bus
Ministry, as well as looking to take the Gospel back
to his people in China one day. He graduated with
his Doctorate degree in Science, took a three year
job in a lab, and then was going to go back to
China. So what is my point? What if someone would
have witnessed to this fellow that did the shootings
and had seen his life changed? Everyone wants to
criticize the Police, and the Campus. Let me
criticize the Born Again Bible Believing Christians.
God’s own Children!! We sit back with our pageants
and cantatas, our programs and our procedures, but
evangelism, if we are honest, many times takes the
back burner. Less than 5% of Christianity shares
their faith, while 100% of those who are lost go to
hell! WOW!
And you see, my point is this, that there are
thousands of these ticking time bomb people in our
cities and towns. When the next one happens, (and it
will) can we say like Paul said:
Acts 20:26
“Wherefore
I take you to record this day, that I am pure from
the blood of all men.”
Have we witnessed to college students in our area?
How many gospels tracts have we given out? Are we
busy about the Lord’s business? The Lord is the One
that can really help these kinds of people.
Romans
10:14 “How
then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in Him of Whom
they have not heard? and how shall they hear without
a preacher?”
Maybe God looks at us and says "What was your
response?"
Let's Get Right
Get in the Book
Get Busy for the Lord
Jerry W. Beaver
What if prohibition had never been repealed?
Good question to ponder, considering the amount of
bars/pubs we have in our city, as well as the amount
of supermarkets and stores that sell alcohol. How
would our city have been changed, and/or how would
our nation have been changed if prohibition had
never been repealed? Well, in the year 2000,
85,000 people in our nation died as result of
drinking. So there would be least that many more
people living on the earth. Imagine how many
people’s lives were affected by these deaths. Much
of the crime, such as rape, battery, domestic abuse,
would probably never have been committed, because
most of these crimes are committed while a person
was under the influence. Of all the hundreds of
thousands of drug users, most say they started with
alcohol. So, an end result of a continued
prohibition would naturally be a lot less drug
addicts. Many of the homeless have or have had a
problem with alcohol, and say that it was one of the
causes for them being homeless. So again, we would
have less homeless individuals and families. Imagine
how many families would still be together? How many
teens would have finished high school? How many
mothers and fathers would be spared the news that
their child has been killed by a drunk driver, or
that their child died of a drug/alcohol overdose at
a party that served the alcohol that is so easy to
obtain nowadays? Not counting the fewer health
problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, high blood
pressure, heart attacks and strokes, fetal alcohol
syndrome, that alcohol is linked to. Seems to me it
would have been a big positive change.
By far fewer Alcoholics
Less Drug attacks
Less rapes and battery
Less Car accidents
Less homeless
Less high school drop outs
Less divorce
Less health problems
I guess that’s why the Bible says: Proverbs
20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Some
people try to make prohibition out to be a failure,
but look at the damage that removing it has caused.
People will say you could not stop everyone from
drinking. True! Just like we cannot keep everyone
from shooting up heroin, but we can keep it from
being as widespread.
Jerry W. Beaver
THIS IS YOUR DAY!
The truth is this: Some of you entered this day with
rejoicing and some of you in despair. And some of
you just entered the day without a plan.
Earlier this week, I shared with my staff a thought
or two that might encourage you, and perhaps you
could use to help another find renewed meaning for
their days.
FIRST: EVERY DAY IS
A GIFT
"This is the day the
Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it"
(Psalm 118:24).
We
have quoted that Scripture often, but I wonder if we
have given it adequate thought. God has ordered and
ordained the day. He has put us in His plans for the
day, and that should make us feel really good. The
Psalmist does not say how the day will go, or what
it will look like — he just simply says, "The
Lord has made it." My advice: Surrender to the
day with thanksgiving and live in awe that God has
given us permission to join Him in its unfolding.
SECOND: EVERY DAY
PASSES QUICKLY
It
always amazes me how some can really get so much out
of 24 hours, while others waste much of their day.
The Psalmist says, "Show me, O Lord — the
number of my days"
(Psalm 39:4). The Psalmist was frustrated. He
was being assailed by the enemy. Like a lot of us,
he was wondering if he was making any difference.
The days were just flying by. What's the use?
All of a sudden, it dawns on him that he did what he
did because God asked him to. Though men's opinions
must be taken into account, it is how God sees
things that matter. And, in Psalm 40, he rejoices,
"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of
praise to God" (Psalm
40:3). The day may not look exactly like you
want it to — but wait patiently for the Lord. Just
make your day count.
THIRD: EVERY DAY IS
AN OPPORTUNITY
Do
you begin each day with a purpose in mind? Do you
have goals for each day or do you just start your
day with no specifics in mind? When we have a plan,
it is God who completes that plan — but do you have
a plan? "What is your life?"
(James 4:14)
And each of us must surrender our plans to the Lord
each day. He will orchestrate the day, but He needs
to know we are workmen who are diligent and
productive. In fact, if we know what should be done
and can be done to God's glory, and we fail to seize
the opportunity, we have failed God. James calls it
"sin" (James
4:17).
Let's Redeem the Time
Jerry W. Beaver
As it is Memorial Day, we think of those who died in
the service for our freedom. I think of the One who
has died for our eternal freedom. Who was He? What
did He come to do? Many will say He was a good man,
a good teacher, and a good example. I like what
Lewis says about it in his famous book
Mere Christianity.
In the book,
Lewis makes this statement, "A man who
was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He would
either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who
says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil
of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was,
and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or
you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense
about His being a great human teacher. He has not
left that open to us."
Jerry W. Beaver
As many of you
know that Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away this past
Tuesday. There is a great sense of loss to me that
some of the bulwarks of the faith and morality have
passed off the scene. A month or so ago Dr. Lee
Robertson passed away and a few years ago Dr. Jack
Hyles. The list could go on and on. Who will fill
their shoes? This is an important question because
the battle is only getting worse. For example,
liberals
began trashing Jerry Falwell's memory and
legacy, before he was even buried.
“The vicious
attacks against this fine man show just how immoral
our opposition is,” said TVC Executive Director
Andrea Lafferty. “Instead of showing any respect for
a person who has just died, liberals rushed to
defile him on their blogs. This gives us a very
clear picture of just who we’re dealing with in the
culture war.”
One blogger noted: “What a
great way to move into the season of gay pride.”
Former John Edwards blogger,
Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon wrote: “The gates of
hell swing open and Satan welcomes his beloved son.”
On Wonkette, a blogger
noted: “At a time like this, people deserve sympathy
and good wishes – except for Falwell, who is an evil
----.”
British atheist Christopher Hitchens
was on CNN and told Anderson Cooper, “I think it’s
a pity there isn’t a hell for him to go to.” Later,
he called him a “conscious charlatan, and bully and
fraud.”
These comments are just a
brief glimpse into the hearts of liberals and
secularists – those who wish to wield political
power over our nation in Congress and other
institutions. We need to reach People for Christ!
Jerry W. Beaver
Dating in Light of the Bible
Although the words "courtship" and "dating" are not
found in the Bible, we are given some principles
that Christians are to go by during the time before
marriage. The first thing we need to realize is that
we must separate from the world's view on dating
because God's way contradicts the world's (2 Peter
2:20). We
are told (by society) to date around as much as we
want, going through as many people as
possible. (Window Shopping) I don’t even Like the
word "dating" because many people in the world today
will use this as an entitlement to take liberties
with the opposite sex that are only for married
people. Such as public affection, kissing and so on.
Until your married, the person maybe someone else’s
mate in the future. I was at Menard's this week and
someone had opened a package of chocolate and had
eaten about a quarter of the bag, and just put it
back on the shelf. Youcould not give me that bag,
because it had been tainted. Marriage is a Gift and
Sacred and is not to be taken lightly or haphazardly.
Some Basic Understandings:
First,
God has a will for our future mate! (By far one of
the most important decisions you will ever make!)
Second, I don’t know who they are! (NO
VOICES
FROM THE SKY) God must lead us together
Thirdly:
The world's dating is almost like gambling
"Hope I run up on the right person, right place,
right time!"
God’s Plan is in Contrast to the World
First:
We need to ask, "Does God desire me to be in a
relationship looking to marry?" (1Co 7:7-10)
Second:
Right person
As you serve the Lord, and being the person who you
need to be for God, God will match you up with that
kind of person. God is the match maker! God will
only lead you to a Godly person. If you are not what
you need to be, then I would not even think about
getting into any kind of relationship, until my
relationship with God is right first.
This person will be saved and sanctified (2Co 6:14)
God will reveal to us this person, just like
everything in our lives.
We have desires and God can cater to them; however
God is not obligated to. Jesus knows what we need!
Thirdly: Is this the
Right time?
The World of insecurity, has forced us to feel
inept if we do not have a person to call our own. Our security is found in the
Lord. It may be that the
Lord wants us to be single until we are 30 or even
40. 1Co 7:34
Conclusion: This window shopping for a future mate
is a 21st century thing. It is a way
that Satan can get you off track. Look at men and
women who were exposed to the member of the opposite
sex that was not God’s will: Abraham, Samson, David,
Delilah, Amnon, Solomon Jacob,
Jerry W.
Beaver
This past
week,
President George W. Bush exercised his veto
power when he refused to sign a bill that would
place a date on troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Subsequently, the house could not raise enough votes
to override that veto. The President said to
sign a bill of that kind would send a signal of
weakness to our enemies and friends alike — so he
used the veto.
Okay,
stay with me. Wouldn't it be something if Jesus had the
privilege of a veto in the local church? And
in the lives of His children! He should have, He
still is Lord! The Lord has much more power than the
president.
Let’s
think about it:
·
A
couple in your church decides they will get
divorced. They have not had adequate counseling and
could be prematurely throwing their relationship on
the "ash heap." Jesus would say, "No way! I veto
that decision."
·
A
small group of "joy suckers" in your congregation
begin to stir up contention and division. The
balance of stability in the body is at stake. You,
as the pastor, know their behavior is not in keeping
with our Lord's expectations. So The Lord "vetos"
their activity.
·
A
young person is dating the wrong kind of person, and
God knows it--
Veto
again!
-
People who have
the wrong friendships “(God Vetos)
-
The people under
the pastor begin to tell the preacher how and
what to preach. They want you to "water down" the
Truth and make everyone feel more comfortable. God
exercises His veto right as God.
-
The people in the
congregation say “Let’s bring in ungodly music to
help bring in the unsaved.” God says "Go back to the
drawing board, VETO !"
You
get the drift, God does have a Veto: HIS WORD
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Pastor Jerry W. Beaver
How has
the ministry changed? Well, other than the obvious,
such as, we don't meet in houses anymore and under
life and death threats when we meet in America. What
a great blessing! But this also, has caused us to be
more self focused and seeing the church as self
serving, rather than us serving the church. The
biggest change has been the people of God. This is
Indicated when we go so-called church shopping, Does
the church have "this and that" to offer, what is in it for me,
rather than what can I do for the church? People
leave churches not because of the will of God, but
for their wills. In many churches the people that
sit in pews today are different, because they are
looking for messages that carter to their needs,
rather than convict their hearts. Much because
society caters to us, we expect God to do so. We
expect the State to clear o |
