God is the Gospel

Here is a small sample of John Piper's talk that he gave on God is the Gospel. Listen carefully to his Biblical definition that he gets from 2 Corinthians 4.

From the Backyard

And the winner is...

Worst Easter Sermon of 2009 Award Winner Announced
from Christian Research Net by Editor...(original source)

Chris Rosebrough, captain of internet based Pirate Christian Radio and host of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program announced on Monday that Joel Osteen is the winner of the “Worst Easter Sermon Award” for 2009.

“Every Christmas Christians whine and complain about secular and atheistic efforts designed to take Christ out of Christmas yet more and more Christian pastors have committed an even worse offense and have removed Jesus Christ and His victorious resurrection from the grave from their Easter sermons,” said Chris Rosebrough. “Far too many pastors have played the role of Judas and have betrayed Jesus. Rather than being paid 30 pieces of silver, these pastors have sold Jesus out for the fame and adulation that accompany having a ‘growing, relevant ‘man-centered’ church’.”

Worst

Said Rosebrough, “These Churches have stopped preaching the offense of Christ Crucified for Sins and His resurrection for our justification and have traded the Biblical Gospel for empty feel-good platitudes, and self-help mythologies that scratch itching ears.”

Rosebrough decided that it was time to raise awareness of this serious and growing problem within Christianity and to call these pastors to repentance by holding a contest on his radio program whereby his listeners would decide which sermon was the Worst Easter Sermon of 2009.

In preparation for this contest, Rosebrough screened nearly 100 sermons from churches across America and picked the 5 worst ones to be contestants for this new ‘award’.

The sermons Rosebrough picked for this year’s contest included:

A sermon that explored the “deep” spiritual lessons of the movie Slumdog Millionaire .

A sermon entitled “Beer Babes & Baseball”

A sermon entitled “Livin’ Venti” that encouraged people to live life to the fullest.

A sermon entitled “You Have Come Back Power”

And a sermon entitled “Easter in the Octagon”

This year’s winner of the first ever, Worst Easter Sermon Award went to Joel Osteen’s sermon “You Have Come Back Power”.


















Commenting on Osteen’s sermon Rosebrough stated, “Jesus didn’t die on the cross and rise again so that you can have ‘come back power over life’s boo boos and little set backs’. Osteen completely missed the point of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and as a result he missed the entire point of Christianity.”

Said Rosebrough, “I wasn’t surprised that Osteen was the first winner of this award. Osteen is like the Tiger Woods of heresy, he takes false teaching to a whole new level.”

Click Here to Listen to Osteen’s Award Winning Sermon and Rosebrough’s Commentary

The road to nowhere...

When a group of people become man-centered then "how to have a better sex life" is the key topic. But when a group of people become God-centered then "how can I live in such a way that Christ is demonstrated as great" becomes the main focus. Today the newest fad in the "professing" church is to take on the subject of sex. It makes the headlines in the local paper, even gets some pastors national attention. But what it fails to do is explain why man needs a Savior. And that is a topic that we need to know about for eternity.

Many in the mainstream evangelical church are wondering how low will we go. This video is from a church in Melbourne, Florida that is promoting a series on sex.

Time with the In-laws

When the in-laws come over it's time to break out the steaks. Bill and Betty are wonderful people who we love and deeply admire. Tonight was a time to catch up and talk about summer nights down in Charleston. The last time I grilled something out it came back like sausage patties that had been attacked by a flame thrower.

When it all just comes together...

Don't you love it when a plan comes together! Well after watching this video, the plan came together.

Consumeristic Christianity

Here is the spiritual t-shirt that many Christians are wearing in today's culture.

So what's the problem with this?

Here is another example of a church that is focused on improving your life rather than preaching the gospel. Here is a summary of Chris Rosebrough's lesson on 3D theology which gives a great explanation.



This comes from a Sunday School lesson given by Chris Rosebrough. And also was posted on his daily podcast "Fighting for the Faith." Excellent evaluation of the difference between a man-centered and a God-centered theology.

The charge is bandied about that the new breed of Evangelical Seeker-Sensitive pastors are preaching a Me-Centered Gospel, a watered down gospel or are preaching a Christless form of Christianity. But in my conversations with Church Planters and in taking the time to listen to thousands of hours of their sermons I can definitively state that their theology isn't technically 'Christless' and that they believe with ALL of their hearts that they are fulfilling the calling to which they feel Christ has called them.

The problem lies in their popularized form of Baptist theology and its Material and Formal Principles. The center of their religion is off and as a result they are focusing on the wrong things and are trying to produce the results they are seeking with the wrong tools. I know this sounds like an outrageous and conceited charge on my part. But, please bear with me.

I had the opportunity to speak with and interview a large number of pastors at the Evolve 08 conference. I asked every single one of them the exact same question. Here is the question I asked:

"€œWhen was the last time you preached the Gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins and applied it to the BELIEVERS in your church instead of the unbelievers?"

Sadly, tragically, every single pastor that I asked this question answered with these words, "€œThe believers in my church already know that."

That answer more than anything exposes the scriptural bankruptcy of this theology's material principle. It's focus is not on Christ who is the author and the perfecter of our faith (). It's focus is on ME and the things I need to do to change my life. What my friends in the Baptist stream of the Church Planter Movement have failed to understand is that the gospel message of 'Christ crucified for our sins' is not mere information that applies only to unbelievers but that the Gospel message itself is at the very heart of the Biblical doctrine of sanctification. Without the Gospel you cannot and do not produce Christian disciples. You only produce self-righteous followers of a performance-based religion who have no assurance of their salvation.

Let me demonstrate.

Below I've produced a graphic with "MY Changed Life" in the center and orbiting it are the most common sermon topics that I hear preached by those in the Baptist stream of the CPM.


The Material Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is the 'Changed Life'

The Formal Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is 'The Bible as Guidebook for Living'

Almost without exception the sermons that I hear from this stream of the CPM are all topical, all of them are based upon 2 to 4 verses ripped out of context and preached as a life application. IF Jesus is mentioned in the sermon He is usually brought in as a moral example. AND the main reason given to people by these pastors to apply these Biblical principles to their lives is that '€œGod has called them to greatness or has a special purpose for their lives'€ . All too often the thorny subject of sin is left out or not mentioned at all.

The method of evangelism that these church planters are employing is to market to people in their community offering them advice for becoming a better parent, having a more fulfilling romantic life, financial advice or career guidance. The assumption is that if unbelievers show up then they can apply these Biblical principles as a means of '€˜trying'€™ Christianity before they '€˜buy it'€™. Once they experience positive change in their lives then that will motivate them to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. But the problem is that what they are buying is not the gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins. Instead they are buying a performance based religion that promises to help them overcome and solve the everyday issues of life. Based upon what is being preached the people in these churches are being led to believe the Bible is merely a guidebook for living and that the primary message of Christianity is about life change. Therefore, the object of this religion isn't Jesus Christ it is ME and the progress that I need to be making so that I can experience life change or the methods I need to employ to form better habits. This is nothing more than a merry-go-round of self-improvement and I don'€™t need a savior for this. In reality, all I need is a good life coach and some good advice.

In this theology those who are having success at experiencing this life change are held up and praised for their changed lives while those who are not nearly as victorious silently suffer as they wonder what they are doing wrong or question whether or not God loves them because of their inability to see positive life change in all of these areas. There is no assurance of salvation for anyone who hops onto this merry-go-round. In a performance based religion you never know if you'€™ve done enough and the entire time your conscience is screaming at you every time you sin and fall short. But because Jesus death for sins is ONLY ever applied to unbelievers in these churches the assumption is that Jesus death on the cross DOES NOT APPLY to believers. This is not an overstatement of the facts. I grew up in a performance based form of Christianity and know this is true from personal experience.

Now let me offer an alternate theology. One whose Material Principle is 'Christ Crucified for our sins'€ and whose Formal Principle is Sola Scriptura (the whole council of the word of God instead of the guidebook for living approach)



Notice that the Gospel Message of Christ Crucified for our Sins is the center and substance of this theology. That means that the Gospel is preached Sunday after Sunday and is the main feature of EVERY sermon and EVERY Bible study.

In this theology sin is dealt with as a serious and deadly problem and every person, including the pastor, has the mirror of God's perfect law held up to them to expose their utter depravity and sinfulness. The solution that is offered to solve this problem is NOT practical steps to experience '€˜life change'. The ONLY solution that is offered for this problem is Christ crucified for our sins. Why? Because scripture is clear that the law cannot save us NOR sanctify us. But that we are saved AND sanctified by the good news that Christ died for OUR sins. The good works that we do are not done out of selfish motivations (I want a better sex life) but they are done because we are NEW creations in Christ and our new nature given to us by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel () naturally produces good fruit and this fruit is produced as an act of worship to our savior who in His love and mercy rescued us from the bondage of sin through Christ's propitiatory sacrifice for our sins on the cross ().

I offer these passages of scripture as further proof that what I am saying is in accord with sound Biblical doctrine.

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Notice that Paul said '€œto us who are being saved'€™. The "€œIT"€ Paul is referring to is the message of the gospel NOT the message of the law and the message of principles to be applied for life change.

Paul continues...

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Again notice that Paul says in verse 23 '€œwe PREACH (present active indicative) Christ Crucified'. Paul did not limit this preaching to only unbelievers!!! It is undeniably clear that this message was the center and substance of Paul'€™s preaching to both believers and unbelievers.

Then Paul wrote this...

"And I, when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Was Paul actually saying that he ONLY preached Christ Crucified? In a VERY real way that is EXACTLY what Paul was saying. He was making it very clear that "Christ Crucified for our sins" (The Gospel) was the Material Principle of his theology and therefore Jesus Christ NOT Paul and his progress in a performance based religion was the object of Paul'€™s faith.

In fact Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote his harshest letter to the churches in Galatia who had abandoned the message of Christ Crucified for our sins and had replaced it with a performance based religion. Said Paul...

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

So many Christians today talk a lot about 'being in the flesh' versus 'being in the spirit'. But, do they actually know that being on the merry-go-round of a performance based religion is exactly how scripture defines what it means to be in the flesh? Do they actually know that this passage teaches that to 'be in the spirit'€™ means to trust and have faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross as opposed to trusting in your changed life?

Regarding performance based religion, which Paul was all to familiar with, wrote...

"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh'€” 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith'€” 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Here's the bottom line. Those members of the CPM who have the 'changed life'€™ as their theological center and material principle are in grave spiritual danger. Even worse, it is more than likely that the people who are attending their church plants have the wrong idea about what the Christian faith is about. I therefore am making an appeal to Church Planters to repent and preach the gospel to both believers and unbelievers every single Sunday. I am making an appeal to them based upon the clear teachings of the Word of God to change their material principle from the 'changed life' to 'Christ crucified for our sins'. Then and ONLY then will they witness the Holy Spirit effecting real and eternal change in people's lives.

Steven Colbert slices and dices Bart Ehrman

Make no mistake about it, Steven Colbert is not a mainstream evangelical Christian. But he was raised as a Catholic and sounds like he knows his Bible. Bart Ehrman has written a book about Bible contradictions. On this show Steven Colbert hands him his head on a proverbial platter. Bart make have his P.H.D. but Steven sent him back to school on this interview.

Here is a short clip from the show.

Technology moves to the next level

In the days of Jack Bauer and CTU we need to remember that technology is now available in part to the regular person. Someone sent me a link to a site that can track anyone if you simply have that person's cell phone number. It has to do with how the cell phone pings in conjunction with satellites we have in space. Here is the site but let me caution you to only use this on an as needed basis, it could be easily abused. Click on this LINK.

Maggie Brown

What a week..so far

This week has been picking up various family members from the doctor's office and the hospital.
Instead of trying to explain maybe I should just give you the video versions.

Postives, Negatives and Neutrals

This is taken from Mark Driscoll's notes last night at the Coalition Conference. To see the entire article click on this LINK.

A Sermon for Christian Ministry Leaders
on the Assigned Text of 2 Timothy 2:14–26

Three Kinds of People

1. Positives do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons, bringing health, working for good, and being a blessing because they want the gospel to win. Few people are positives, and remaining one is difficult because it requires dealing with even negative people and negative situations in positive ways.
2. Negatives do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons, bringing sickness, division, and trouble because they want to win. Sadly, although negatives are not usually the majority, they are often vocal, determined, and well-networked, and therefore, as Charles Spurgeon said, much like bees who swarm into a painful threat.
3. Neutrals are unsure, confused, fearful, and caught in the middle. They need to be cared for by a positive shepherd or they will turn into negatives. Most people are neutrals and are swayed by the friends they keep, leaders they follow, and information they believe, and they need to grow in discernment and pursue wise friends.

Twenty Kinds of Negatives

1. Success Jealousy Negatives
2. False Witness Negatives
3. Misinformed Negatives
4. Personal Dislike Negatives
5. Take-Up-Offense-for-Another-Person Negatives
6. Missiological Negatives
7. Single-Issue Voter Negatives
8. Little World Negatives
9. Chain of Command Negatives
10. Tradition Negatives
11. Unforgiving Negatives
12. Plank-Speck Negatives
13. Diotrephes Negatives (3 John 9)
14. Distrust Negatives
15. Control Negatives
16. Critic Negatives
17. Warrior Negatives
18. One-Handed Negatives
19. Gossip Negatives
20. Theological Negatives

Responding NOT Reacting

Because God is both sovereign and good, he can and does use even the negatives for positive purposes. Perhaps the most classic example of this is Joseph’s positive declaration to his negative brothers in Genesis 50:20, saying, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

In 2 Timothy 2:14–26, Timothy is dealing with the following:

Negatives

• Hymenaus and Alexander were the chief negatives.
• Other varying kinds and degrees of unnamed negatives are also involved.

Neutrals

• Many people were neutrals, as the negatives were “upsetting the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:18).

Positives

• Paul is the positive speaking into Timothy’s life and ministry, seeking to help him stay positive and not go negative, lest the neutrals only have negatives to influence them and the entire ministry becomes negative and toxic.

Darkness

John 3:20-21
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Gospel Coalition Conference

The Gospel Coalition Conference will be available as a live webcast, April 21-23, hosted by Christianity.com.

Should you want to watch it and want to be reminded,then sign up at the site to receive an email reminder about it.

Don't sell the gospel

What Are the Signs of a Gospel-Peddler?

1. Craves earthly pleasure
2. Dreads earthly pain

What Does a Gospel-Peddler Preach?

1. Human prosperity is the gift of salvation. This appeals to the desire for earthly pleasure and replaces God’s worth with money.
2. Human obedience is the price of justification. This appeals to the desire for earthly achievement and replaces God’s grace with morality.

For a look at the full article click on this LINK.

The Joel Osteen Creed

"This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I do what it says I can do, I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of God, and I will never be the same. Never, never, never. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Each week at the beginning of the services, life coach Joel Osteen starts with this creed. Now do a little "hermeneutics" on this creed and observe the main subject. In this creed the main subject is you. Check out the number of times the personal pronoun I occurs. If you have never read the Bible through one time in your life may I suggest you do that before you die. In doing so you will quickly come to learn the Bible is all about God and not about I, me or my. When you becomes the center of theology instead of God then idolatry occurs. So I would caution the use or buy in to the creed that Joel Osteen recites as he begins the "life training" conference.

John Madden Retires

I have been a huge NFL all of my life. If you have followed football over the years then you remember the great announcing team of Pat Summerall and John Madden. It seems that the NFL and John Madden just naturally go together. Great job John, enjoy the family!


Video courtesy of NBC

Obama Burger

You pay for one and they cut it in half and give the rest to the guy behind you for free!!

Where are you swimming spiritually?

How to lead the sheep astray

Here is a satirical post from the Defending and Contending blog site:

Don’t have the money for a paid marketing team to help your church become hip, cool and relevant? Not sure whether you are reaching your full potential as a pastor and reaching the masses like you were destined to do? No longer sure that preaching the old-fashioned message is relevant in the 21st century Laodicean church of America? Then worry no longer - help has arrived!

Here at DefCon, we have studied the best of all the famous, biblically illiterate, money-making, Scripture-ignoring preachers and have compiled a book which you too can own for just 3 easy payments of $9.95 plus shipping and handling and packing and delivery to the post office charges and whatever other charges we feel we can get away with to bolster our own profits.

In this new book yet to hit the New York bestseller list and entitled, “45 Days of Purposely Leading Sheep Astray”, you will learn:

1. How to be cool and hip while wearing the latest grunge fashions,

2. How to be relevant to a growing congregation that does not really care about Biblical expository message and the preaching of the gospel,

3. How to ensure that your people aren’t worried about asking you theology questions, but how you got your newest platinum hair-do,

4. How to preach sermonettes that tickle people’s ears and do not offend,

5. How to make sure your people come back every week with more of their worldly friends,

6. How to use the devil’s music to entice more unbelievers to come and act like unbelievers,

7. How to employ ungodly lyrics with the music with examples from fine music teachers who will teach you how to swing socks around your head,

8. How to use vulgar and crude language in a way that makes you look relevant and how to get well-known pastors to endorse your ministry while using such language,

9. How to employ bedroom humor into the pulpit in offensive ways that make people laugh,

10. How to pander to political types with prayers that invoke the names of heathen gods,

11. How to recognize how you as a pastor can truly have YOUR BEST LIFE NOW!


These are just a few of the many wonderful topics covered in this latest book that will hit the self-help consumer-driven so-called Christian bookstores in a shopping center near you. We promise that these methods will not gain you a “Well-done, good and faithful servant” award, but it will help YOUR church to grow and in time you will be able to have the resources necessary to hire your own marketing team. Your church will be the latest addition to the rollcall of lukewarm Laodicean churches in a trend that is sweeping the nations of the west and you will be alongside an army of men who are leading the sheep astray.

We recommend that you be prepared to receive your rewards down here at the hands of men for there will be nothing to come in eternity, and for those interested in the next step of church and world integration, we are also going to offer bumper stickers for your car, bookmarks for your Reader’s Digest edition Bibles (which cuts out all the unimportant parts of Scripture), and sign add-ons for your church. All of these will come embossed with one word in clearly legible type pleasing to the carnal eye - ICHABOD!

So, without delay, write today. This is one book you can’t afford to be without!

Unfashionable

REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK
    D.A. Carson writes:
"How can a thoughtful Christian be genuinely contemporary while never succumbing to the merely faddish and temporary? The challenges are enormous—but they are also tied to the most elementary tenets of Christian faithfulness. Tullian Tchividjian is a helpful guide through these troubled waters."

     Timothy Keller writes:
"Tullian Tchividjian bravely steps into one of the hottest debates in contemporary evangelicalism—the divisive issue of how Christians should relate to our broader culture. He does so with grace, providing us with one of the most accessible guides to this issue that we have...Here you will learn how we must contextualize, how we Christians should be as active in Hollywood, Wall Street, Greenwich Village, and Harvard Square as in the halls of Washington DC. And yet there are ringing calls to form a distinct, “thick” Christian counterculture as perhaps the ultimate witness to the presence of the future, the coming of the kingdom...Read it carefully and you will profit greatly."

      Michael Horton writes:
"With the right balance of reproof and encouragement, critique, and construction, Unfashionable displays with succinct, vivid, and engaging clarity the relevance of the gospel over the trivialities that dominate our lives and our churches right now."

Quote for the day

“A modern congregation is not disposed to show any depth of appreciation for exposition. Again, we are forced to acknowledge the correctness of the indictment. At the same time, this lack of knowledge is largely due to the fact that the pulpit has failed to instruct the people and thereby stimulate such an interest and desire for Biblical knowledge and understanding.” - Douglas M. White

Pastor Rick on gay marriage

Recently Pastor Rick Warren appeared on the Larry King show and the subject was gay marriage. Is this consistent with his previous statements on the subject? Where does Pastor Warren stand on this issue?

Rick Warren - packs em in!

This comes from the Sacred Sandwich Blog:

12 Essentials of Christian Ministry

From Camponthis blog site - to see entire article click on this LINK

Pray Fervently:
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, -Eph. 6:18

Study Carefully:
Now these Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. -Acts 17:11

Embrace Fidelity:
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. -1 Thess. 2:13

Contend Earnestly:
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. -Jude 3

Live Missionally:
and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, -Romans 15:20

Serve Sacrificially:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. -Phil. 2:1-4

Teach Faithfully:
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. -Titus 2:1-8

Love Unconditionally:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. -1 Cor. 13:4-8a

Walk Obediently:
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. -Titus 3:1-2

Repent Daily:
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” -Luke 17:3-4

Worship Continually:
Through Him [Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. -Hebrews 13:15

And Watch Expectantly.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. -2 Tim. 4:8

Definition for the Seeker-Friendly Church

This refers to the method of conducting a Sunday morning church service where all the events surrounding the service are tailored with the unchurched in mind. The goal of this model is to attempt to make the “seeker” feel comfortable by making the service understandable and enjoyable. In this sense, the church is attempting to build a bridge with the unbeliever with the ultimate goal that they will hear the Gospel and be saved. The preaching model in the seeker churches follows suit. Every sermon is simply another way to present the Gospel. Deeper learning, fellowship, and discipleship are encouraged but are not normally part of the Sunday service. They are commonly found in mid-week small groups and studies. Opponents of the seeker model will argue that the Sunday service is not meant to be for the unbelievers, but for believers. There is a wide range within the spectrum of how seeker-sensitive a church might be. One end might be thought of as “seeker-friendly” and the other “seeker-driven.” Rick Warren and Bill Hybels are often thought of as the modern day “fathers” of this model. It is primarily found in evangelical churches. - from the Parchment and Pen Blog Site

10 dumbest things that Christians do

From the book "The 10 Dumbest Things Christians Do" by Mark Atteberry.

* Dumb Move #1: Slinging Mud on the Bride of Christ

* Dumb Move #2: Winning People to the Church Rather Than to the LORD

* Dumb Move #3: Living Below the Level of Our Beliefs

* Dumb Move #4: Speaking Above the Level of Our Knowledge

* Dumb Move #5: Hopping from Church to Church

* Dumb Move #6: Fighting Among Ourselves

* Dumb Move #7: Missing Golden Opportunities

* Dumb Move #8: Settling for Mediocrity

* Dumb Move #9: Allowing Wolves to Live Among the Sheep

* Dumb Move #10: Accepting the Unacceptable