There is a lot of talk these days about being “relevant.” I am beginning to dislike that word…a lot. In my Wednesday study on Colossians last night, we studied the problem in the Colossian church. Among other things was the attempt to make Christianity more palatable, but the effect was essentially dethroning Christ.
I’m afraid that is what often happens in today’s church. In the interest of making church “more relevant,” there has been compromises on essentials. Hence, my dislike for the word “relevant.” In my mind, and IMHO, this desire to be more relevant is nothing more than “dumbing down” God.
Please don’t misunderstand me here. A church can’t shouldn’t languish in the past either. Talk about irrelevant!! Being so afraid that all sorts of damage will be done to the witness and stand of the church can paralyze it. In reality it is a very thin line to maneuver.
The last sermon in my series on the church being alive is wrestling with this issue. I’m not sure I have the answer to the fine line we travel, but I do spend some time with the three essentials every church needs if it is to make an impact and be around in years to come. I’m going to give them here and talk about them in another post:
Essential #1: The Primacy of Prayer
Essential #2: Willingness to become weak
Essential #3: The necessity of celebration
I’d appreciate your prayers. By the way: what do you think it will take for the church to make an impact in the coming years?
I think the wheels are already in motion for the decline of the church’s influence in America. It is already substantially not relevant in Europe and most of Asia. It will still be a force in developing countries and unfortunately not of a Christian nature. How and when it unwinds in America will be interesting to follow. The large Jesus businesses will fight it as hard as they can. And declare enemies of all that disagree or think differently. I would give it maybe two or three more generations to become not relevant to the masses.
See jeff…you have already given up. As I would expect. However, I believe it can be turned around and the church can make an impact, but it does start with us getting “our act together.” it may happen as you say it will but that is also what the bible predicted in the end: people will love having their ears tickled rather than hear the truth. I prefer to tell the truth.
I prefer the truth as well. I haven’t given up on anything. It doesn’t matter to me if it is relevant. It has never been relevant to me. I don’t think the end is near as many people have wrongly predicted for centuries. I just think churches will go the way of the post office. People have figured out how to get along without them.
I will be praying for you tomorrow morning in m devotionals. Hopefully you find some answers and some direction that make sense.
Thanks Daniel. I’m not sure if I am that person.
To make an impact I think the church has to practice what it preaches and demonstrate it. The church cannot just be a place we go to on Sunday mornings but we have to live it all week. Service to others, love others and stand for what the Lord says in the Bible. Continue doing what we have been doing by getting out and helping others, going to the schools, talking with the kids and being a sounding board for them and of course praying. We can’t just sit in church on Sunday and talk about what Jesus would do but actually do it.
totally agree with you Linda. you have been listening to someone! 🙂
I think your essentials say it all, Bill. If we stick with those, we can move forward as Christians and as the church.
Blessings and prayers for Sunday!
Thanks Martha. I’d sure like those essentials to become cemented at OVCF.
Praying for you, BIll.
I think for the church to make an impact it will take humility; the mark of Christ and love. I also think it will take wisdom to bring understanding to the lost of their own faith in their religion. They call it enlightenment, yet it is nothing more than the humanism practices of the Gnostics of Paul’s day.
Everybody believes in something. Everyone has faith in something. Few stop to ponder what it is they’re putting their faith in. And if humanism is the god that delivers a soul to eternity, by what power?
Thanks for your prayers Floyd. I agree on the qualities it will take for a church/the church to make an impact. Also agree on the emptiness of humanism.
Getting out of the blamed four walls and taking it out to do some work.
Exactly!!