More Questions
“…in every way,
whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and
in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians
1:18)
This past weekend
saw the opening of the biggest church in America. The
converted basketball stadium seats 16,000 and cost more
than $75 million to complete. The church claims 32,500
attendees in its three Sunday services. Participants at
the opening on Saturday night included the Governor of
Texas as well as a number of other congressmen and
senators.
No-one can read
this news without, once again, being faced with the
decision as to whether to rejoice or to weep over this
news. Oh, but of course we should rejoice! That will be
the response of the vast majority of Christians. It just
shows that Christianity is alive and well and people are
being reached for the Gospel and what better endorsement
than have the governor speak from your pulpit and Paul
said we should rejoice whenever the gospel is preached!
But is that true?
Was Pilate there
at Jesus’ baptism to endorse Jesus’ ministry? Did He
receive messages of goodwill from all the leading
religious leaders of His day when He launched His
church? Did He preach a message that drew the crowds or
did His message result in the crowd calling for His
crucifixion? Did He just accept Judas as a wonderfully
gifted brother and did He speak only comforting words to
Peter when he tried to dissuade Him from going to the
Cross?
Once again every
preacher and every believer is brought to a point of
decision. Preachers again have to decide whether it is
right to pursue popularity, large numbers and money by
presenting an easy gospel. Should we risk loosing people
by telling them they are sinners or by addressing wrong
attitudes and bad doctrine? Can we afford the ire of
those outside the church by insisting that Jesus is the
only Way to God? Should we give politicians our pulpits
so they can endorse our ministry? Should we seek favor
with the world in order that people will find us more
user-friendly?
All believers have
to ask questions about what they are expecting from a
church. Do crowds mean that God is blessing? Do we look
for a church that makes us feel warm and fuzzy and good
about ourselves or do we need a church that will speak
the truth in love, even if it may upset us? I know that
99% of the world’s “christians” will leave a church the
moment correction is brought to them, so maybe we should
join a church where we will never be confronted with our
sin, bad attitudes or wrong doctrine?
It seems to me
that for the majority of church-goers and preachers the
answers are far too simple – we must do what is best for
us. What is best for the preacher is to have a full
church, enough money to pursue all his pet projects and
the acclaim of society. What is best for the person in
the pew is to have a church where he will feel happy,
comfortable and affirmed. But that is all from a carnal
perspective. God’s view is very different.
A gospel without
the Cross, sin, repentance and Jesus Christ is not the
true Gospel. It is another gospel and another Jesus. A
message which is popular with the world is, by
definition, not the Gospel. The true Gospel requires
that people turn their backs on their own “goodness” and
that they understand that “… we are all like an unclean
thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy
rags…” (Isaiah 64:6). True salvation is to be found only
in embracing Jesus and the work of redemption on the
Cross. We cannot improve ourselves, except we be
transformed by the power of the gospel as we die to the
old man and the new man is formed in us.
The power of the
Gospel does not lie in the power of positive thinking,
positive confession and visualization; it lies in the
principle of death, burial and resurrection. Paul’s
definition of the gospel is: “…that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures…” (1Corinthians 15:3,4). “Likewise you
also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not
let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey
it in its lusts.” (Romans 6:11,12). Unless we are
willing to die to ourselves we will never gain the new,
glorious life which He offers. You can’t get it by
feeling good about yourself or by uplifting your
personality. It can only be received as we count all our
goodness and achievements as rubbish that we may gain
Christ (Philippians 3). And that is exactly the opposite
of the message of “the biggest church in America”.
So, should we
rejoice that mega churches are growing because Paul said
he rejoiced whenever Christ is preached, no matter what
the motive? Yes, if it is Christ who is being preached.
The problem here is that the christ that many preachers
are preaching today is not The Christ but
another. “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent
deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if
he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not
preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you
have not received, or a different gospel which you have
not accepted – you may well put up with it!”
(2Corinthians 11:3,4)
If your teacher or
preacher does not make you feel so bad that you are
driven to the foot of the Cross every so-often and if he
does not make you just a little mad because he speaks
straight to your situation, then you are in the wrong
church – as simple as that. Find yourself a church and
leaders that have the courage to speak the truth. My
prayer for the preachers reading this is that they will
be men of conviction who fear God more than men.
“And from the
prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely…
Saying, `Peace, peace!' When there is no peace. Were
they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No!
They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to
blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall”
(Jeremiah 6:13-15).
Anton Bosch
antonbosch@sbcglobal.net
www.abcd.co.za/offi
www.abcd.co.za/plumbline
Tel 818 846 5520
Fax 818 846 4357
3310 West
Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, California
91505-2907
USA