Our Church Shrinkage Seminar Part 1
- Mar
- 29
Why We Will Never Become a Mega-“Church”
If you join our worship services, you will hear our opening words as the Call to Worship, Invocation, God’s Greeting, Opening Prayer, and Opening Psalm of Praise.
Afterwards, you will hear some of the following harsh words, and wonder why we try our best to shrink our churchgoers:
When a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life
(Ezek 18:27).For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me
(Psa 51:3).Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities
(Psa 51:9).Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psa 51:7).
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:13).
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets (Dan 9:9, 10).
Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath (Jer 10:24; Psa 6:1).
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 3:2).
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:18, 19).
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you (Psa 143:2).
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
(1John 1:8, 9).
After hearing these unentertaining words, you will hear further disconcerting words from the pastor:
DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moves us, in various places, to acknowledge and confess our many sins and wickedness; and that we should not hide them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with a humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, in order that we may obtain forgiveness of our sins, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought, at all times, humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things that are requisite and necessary for body and soul. Therefore I pray and urge you, as many as are here present, to accompany me, with a pure heart and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me:
Then the pastor will lead you into a prayer that will destroy everything you learned from your most recent self-esteem seminar:
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from Thy ways, like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done. And we have done those things which we ought not to have done. And there is no health in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Thou spare them, O God, who confess their fault. Thou restore those who are penitent, According to Thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name. Amen.
So if you want to be uplifted, affirmed and loved, “come as you are” to a megachurch. They’ll shower you with God’s “unconditional love” from the get-go with love songs to Jesus and with a “God is good all the time” mantra. Don’t come to our church.
If you want to be uplifted, affirmed and loved, “come as you are†to a megachurch. Our church doesn’t promise this.
Megachurches -maybe in the US-not in the Philippines. I had been in Word for the World, Bread of Life, VCF, CCF, GCF, Alabang New Life- They too preach about sin like adultery, drugs, pride and self-righteousness. But they also preach the Grace of God in Jesus. So this is not true. Maybe we Reformed should learn from them instead.
I disagree. They might preach sin, but it’s all in the moralistic, therapeutic sense. I know all those churches you’re talking about. God forbid that I should learn from them.
Now we are defining it in a finer stroke instead of the broad strokes you used in the article. And yes it is true megachurches can be moralistic-small churches are too. Unless they understand how to put into practice Redemptive-Historical Hermeneutic-they will remain moralistic. Therapeutic? Aren’t most preaching leads to reconciliation between God and Man? And between men?
We can learn from megachurches in the are of language-they use simple language-instead of our theological historical verbiage. Terms that can be explained in leadership training are being used in Sunday’s preaching-like atonement. We could have said that Jesus died for sins-as our substitute so that we need not pay for the penalty of sins. Conitnual used of archaix terms will paint us into a corner- a Reformed Ghetto.
Ray, I’ve been to most of those megachurches, and have people in our churches who have come from them, and I know we Reformed will never learn from them because they’re in the evangelical ghetto. We’re very satisfied being in our Reformed ghettoes.
When I listen to their sermons, their sermons could be preached by a Buddhist, Hindu, or other pagans. Take out the Bible verses, and these sermons will be acceptable to anyone.
Truly harsh words to fellow Christians who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus?
Jesus is nice. You’re nice. Let’s all be nice.
Those megachurches that you listed have thousands of people on Sundays. But like the thousands who followed Jesus because they thought he was meeting their “felt needs,” only a handful—120 in fact—were actually true believers.
My pitiful advice only- recheck them-you might be mistaken. American megachurches like that of ‘Great Smile’ Osteen- is not like in the Phils. They may not be 5 pointer nor covenantal-but they are not prosperity preachers not antinomians nor their message can be preached by Buddhist or Hinduist. Jesus dying for our sins and the Holy Spirit enabling to live holy lives is as personal and biblical they can get. Some medium size churches are maybe the culprit here.
The only reason why evangelical churches in the Philippines are in the woeful state they’re in today is because of the influence of American and other Western missionaries.
I am not saying that megachurches here are perfect. Some are not plural eldership, some are not even expository in preaching, some do not use discipline and everybody can partake of the Lord Supper, Baptism is made a tool for headcount, the music and songs are not singable-and only good for solos,.But I know some good and faithful Christians and leaders within those churches. They know the standards of God , our depravity, our need of atonement and substitution, our justification and adoption in Jesus, our hope only in regeneration in the Spirit.
Come as you are–a wretched sinner, to repent and receive God’s mercy in Christ.
I thought you guys were Dutch Order/Genevan liturgy 😉 It may seem like a strategy for exodus, humanly speaking, and call me an optimist, but I keep hoping there will be large numbers of people willing to come together and repent of their sins in genuine revival, saying the words of prayers like these.
I was condemned as “holier than thou” by some Filipino evangelicals for writing this. They said I have a low regard for evangelicals and megachurches, and that I think that only the Reformed are saved. The first accusation is true; the second allegation is out of ignorance of the Reformed view.
He certainly didn’t know what this pertains to. The God-loves-you slogan really is prevalent in most mega Churches. He just proved how most mega Churches act when faced w/ truth… It hurts.
How big is a big church or a megachurch? And how small is small? Here’s a good rule of thumb: 150.
http://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/12/07/church-size-is-150-the-magic-number/
Also, the purpose of not having a megachurch is not for good quality relationships, but because being a true church is extremely difficult for a megachurch of hundreds or thousands.
“Steven Furtick Addresses Criticisms About $1.7 Million Mansion; Says It’s From God but Apologizes for Controversy”
http://bit.ly/193aq72
The megachurch syndrome: all pastors want to be millionaires. And all their followers want to be millionaires like their celebrity pastors.