How Did We Get Here

In the past 30+ years within the Church in the United States, there has been a trend, or trends, which has led to a lack of sound Biblical teaching and preaching. This has contributed to a spiritually weakened Christian population. So, how did we get here? That’s the question which far too many Christians are not asking today. Going back to Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church, he began to change the format of Sunday morning church service. On most Sunday mornings, there was nothing from the Bible. There was no Bible teaching or sermon. There were skits performed by actors and there was music but no Bible. This church’s attendance reached to approximately 24,000. That’s 24,000 people attending a type of church service but not hearing anything from God’s word.

Not long after Bill Hybels began his work at Willow Creek, another man traveled to the Saddle Back Valley in Southern California to begin a church planting process based on Hybels ideas. Rick Warren left seminary in Texas and arrived in the wealthy area known as Saddle Back Valley and began to knock on doors with a set of specific questions he would ask residents. Questions such as, “Do you attend church and if not why?” That’s a simple question but it can allow for some crazy responses. But Warren went through this neighborhood knocking on doors and asking his questions and at his first Sunday morning service, he had about 250 people attend. This was the beginning of what would become a super mega church with multisite campuses. So, how did Warren grow his church to such a huge size? It was partly due to his purpose driven everything books and his church planting scheme.

His book, The Purpose Driven Church, provided a plan for church planting or how he did it and also how to do church. Local churches across the country began to model his approach to doing church. And church ministries around the country began to model his church planting plan. Now, Rick Warren did teach the Bible in church services but you might be able to walk in and walk out without feeling any conviction at all.  I was in attendance at a men’s retreat at the conference center where the church movement I was involved in was located. It was a site where the Bible college campus was and also the site for pastor’s and missionary conferences as well as men’s and women’s retreats. At the time we were there, Saddle Back was also there holding a men’s retreat. I had an opportunity to look at the topics for each of their sessions. The topics were not actually Biblically based. One, which I distinctly remember was, “How to have a better sex life with your wife.” I don’t want to sound critical but I wouldn’t consider that Bible based material for how to be a better man of God. But I’m sure I can get a lot of arguments over that one.

On my way to church service on Sunday mornings, I would drive by church marquees with the announcement that they would be studying from Warren’s book, 40 Days of Purpose. That told me a lot about that church. If you’re conducting a church service and you’re going to be teaching from a book, it should to be the Bible. Why teach from a book that is loosely based on the Bible when you can teach straight from the Bible. It was a fad that had swept through the church at that time.

Teaching from books, reducing the amount of time teaching or preaching from the Bible and then, using worldly approaches to get people to come into the church, was becoming the latest fad in many churches.

The way worship through song and music was conducted in comparison to a secular rock concert and it became a time of entertainment instead of worship. Matt Redman wrote and sang a song about this style of worship and was asking God’s forgiveness and the lyric told how he was returning to the heart of worship because it was all about Jesus. Music worship had become a concert with the fog machines and lights. I’m a fan of contemporary music worship but not rock concerts on Sunday morning.

Food courts began to show up in churches along with lounges outside of the sanctuary. The old coffee and donuts on Sunday mornings had been replaced by burgers and pizza and specialty coffees and Lattes. I have had people tell me they would attend church on Sunday morning and never go into the sanctuary but sit in one of the areas outside of the sanctuary and eat or drink coffee. That’s not church, that’s going out to breakfast. As time progressed, the doors to these churches were wide open to the world and its culture. These types of churches were so eager to use the schemes and marketing ploys of the world just to put people in the seats of their sanctuaries. And not only get them in the doors but to keep them coming back and it worked. Pastors became celebrities instead of spiritual leaders. They became unavailable to those in attendance. Some would show up just minutes before they went onto the platform. They waited in ‘green rooms’ as if they were a guest on a late-night show. And when they finished speaking, they were whisked away in a vehicle by a driver. These churches had become a place of entertainment with a celebrity figure who said a bunch of feel-good things for a few minutes and then was gone. Sorry, but that’s not church. That’s a Sunday morning rock concert featuring a motivational speaker.

One last thing I want to mention before I close this writing. One of the items which might be the most damaging to the Church was/is the political divide in this country. When I was first involved in church ministry, we had a standing unwritten rule. There would be no political discussion from the pulpit, in a Bible study or at any time during church ministry. But that seems like a normal process from the pulpit in many churches today. Political candidates are invited to speak on Sunday mornings and pastors speak openly about politics and politicians. The strong political divide has found its way inside the church and it has become a tool which deteriorates the spiritual well being of many of congregations and local churches.

Real Christianity is based on our faith in Jesus. It’s about living a life which is pleasing to Jesus and striving to be more and more like Him. It is serving Him and following His example for us and not the local politician or your favorite presidential candidate or a political party. Jesus never promoted politics; the apostle Paul never talked politics. Jesus spoke about the Father and the kingdom of heaven. Paul talked about Jesus and the gospel. He never talked to the people, where he traveled, about how to be a patriot or how to better love your country. He spoke about Jesus and the salvation He provided and how Jesus wants us to live our lives. He taught them and us to pray for those in authority, regardless of how good or how bad of a person they might be.

The Bible doesn’t teach Christians how to be critical of others. It does teach us to forgive others and that seems to be a forgotten command by many Christians today.

I realize there are many Christians who are extremely disappointed with the situation in which this country finds itself but hating and being critical is not the way God would have us manage it. One of the most important things we can do is pray. But that also seems to be a forgotten practice in the lives of many Christians.

Prayer is the only way approach any situation or problem in life and that includes praying for others and authorities. Barna recently conducted a poll of full-time pastors asking if they had seriously considered quitting and why. A very large percentage answered yes and the biggest reason was due to the stress of dealing with politics in the church. Many believe there are a great number of Christians who have placed more faith in politics than in Jesus. That should be a wakeup call to the Church. But when these Christians are moving through life like a spiritual zombie, it will take a strong rebuke to get their attention.

How did we get here? The doors of the Church have been swung wide open and have welcomed in the world and its cultural lifestyles and standards. From rock concerts to political rallies on Sunday mornings and a lack of teaching the word of God. And that just scratches the surface. The hard fact is, Christians can’t vote their way out of a fallen country. We have the privilege of voting our conscious and we should. But those changes can’t be made by simply dropping a ballot in the box on election day. In order to change the way people think, they have to know Jesus. (Rom 12:2) And, in order for Christians to change the way nonbelievers think, they need to tell them about Jesus. But it all starts with prayer. It requires prayer for government leaders local and nationally. It requires telling family and friends and neighbors about Jesus. And it requires Christians to read and study their Bibles. Just listening to what the pastor says on Sunday morning isn’t the way to learn or study the Bible. It takes individual effort. A serious lack of these types of Christian practices is what has brought us to this point in the Church.

In the Christian life, Jesus is at the center, or he should be if He isn’t. Don’t misunderstand. There are many local churches that teach and preach the Bible every time the doors are open for service. But there are so many more who have allowed the culture and ways of the world to be ushered in and have yielded to them. God is a jealous God who wants all of our worship and praise. He doesn’t want to share it with any part of this world. Step back today and take a long serious look at your Christian life and see where you are at. Is Jesus at the center of your life? Or are there some other things there instead? Jesus gave His life so we can live, live for eternity with Him. Do we honor Him when we put these worldly practices ahead of Him? The answer is no. Don’t be a spiritual zombie. Wake up and move Jesus back to the center.

-Bill Petite

Exchanging God For a Lie

 

Sam walked into the church on a Sunday morning thinking he was familiar with what he would hear. After all, the church was affiliated with the one he had attended before he relocated to this community. When the service began, the lights in the sanctuary were dimmed and a man walked to the pulpit and greeted everyone. He then introduced a political candidate and informed the church that he would be the guest speaker that morning. Sam was shocked at this. The church he had attended prior to his relocation would have never taken up God’s time with a political candidate. But he decided to wait and see if the man was going to talk about politics or Jesus.

There was no musical worship or song and the guest speaker stepped into the pulpit and began to speak. There was no prayer. He simply jumped right into what he had prepared to talk about. And his topic wasn’t about Jesus or God’s word, it was about his political campaign. Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The man was careful not to mention his opponent but did heavily criticize the opposing political party. He went through a list of policies and agendas he was opposed to and slammed those who supported them.

Sam listened to this rhetoric for about ten minutes and decided he had heard enough. This wasn’t a church service; it was a political rally and that’s not what he had come to church for on this Sunday morning. Sam stood up and moved to the end of the row of chairs he was sitting in and walked out. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing on a Sunday morning in a so-called church service.

And so it is in many local churches across this county today. Far too many Christians have exchanged their faith in God for a political figure. They have more faith in a person being more capable of providing a way out of their current situation or hardship then they do in God. Maybe they don’t agree with the way their government is being run regardless of local or national. So, they have bought into the divided political climate and have chosen a side. They seem to have forgotten that it is God who has placed these politicians in the seats of authority.

 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.   Rom 13:1

Politicians are very savvy and know exactly how to win people into their camp. A recent president has done that with parts of the Church. He has many Christians believing he is actually a Christian, but his conduct doesn’t show any signs of that. He can’t even explain salvation or when he was saved. He invited pastors and Christian leaders to surround him in his attempt to try and prove his devotion to the Christian church. But he has done more damage to the church than good and has brought more hate in the direction of Christianity that any atheist organization has.

When Christian pastors spend more time concerned with and talking about the politics of this nation than the word of God, it brings no glory to God and it provides no equipping of Christians. What it actually does is move his followers farther away from Jesus and God’s word. God’s word tells us to pray for our leaders who are in positions of authority.

 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.                

1 Tim 2:1-2

This is the proper way to voice our concern. We do it in prayer to God and we ask him to work on the hearts of those who are in authority. If these people are not saved, that should be our first petition when we pray for them. We must remember we were just like them before we were saved. We were all deserving of death and eternity in hell. We are quick to criticize and blast these people but fail to go to the Lord on their behalf. That’s a sinful attitude and it brings no glory to God. We have to remember God is our sovereign God. He is in control of all things. This shouldn’t be a scary thought but a comforting one. When we step back and seek God in everything, we will realize He only wants our best for us. That doesn’t mean He is a sugar daddy and will provide your every want. But He does provide for our needs.

It’s no different when we seek His guidance concerning the election of political candidates. Turn off the rhetoric you here on the 24-hour news outlets. Ignore the social media and internet bickering and fighting. Ignore the news media in general because they have all taken a side and are paid to influence you in that direction. You might have been looking for a red wave or a blue wall to make your life more pleasant but that is an empty bucket when it comes to the Christian life. There is no eternal hope in a political candidate or the person’s agenda. There is only hope in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Yes, I hate and detest the thought of millions of babies being killed before their birth. They are defenseless and are brutally killed in the womb. And just as bad are the people who march around screaming for the right to kill those babies and disguise it by calling it women’s health or reproductive rights. It’s brutal and demented thinking. But that doesn’t mean you go out and shoot a doctor performing these procedures. The person who does this is just as guilty of murder as those killing the baby. So, what’s the proper way to stop this nonsense? Only God can bring a stop to it. Even following a recent ruling from this nation’s supreme court, abortion is still allowed legally in certain states. But to show the depth of the depravity of the human mind, people who support this issue are still not satisfied. The hateful remarks and comments continue.

From a conservative standpoint, this nation’s morals are in the toilet. Just thinking about what has been allowed in the past twenty to thirty years is proof of that. And every one of these immoral and demented issues has found their way into the political divide in this country. From my Christian perspective, the Church has not managed these issues correctly. Instead of seeking God in prayer and bringing these issues before Him, the Church has entered into the political divide. It has ushered the culture and all of its garbage right in the front door and welcomed it. There is only one way for Christians to fight the evil of the world and that is by prayer and seeking God’s guidance and not that of people.

-Bill Petite