1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Does This Fit Today's Churches

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by gb93433, Dec 6, 2008.

Top Posters
  1. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    A quote from
    NO COMPROMISE​
    ​
    NO. 2047​
    ​
    DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING,​
    OCTOBER 7TH, 1888,​
    ​
    BY C. H. SPURGEON,​
    AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON​
    “The new plan is to assimilate the church to the world, and so include a larger area within its bounds. By semi-dramatic performances they make houses of prayer to approximate to the theater; they turn their services into musical displays, and their sermons into political harangues or philosophical essays — in fact, they exchange the temple for the theater, and turn the ministers of God into actors, whose business it is to amuse men. Is it not so, that the Lord’s-day is becoming more and more a day of recreation or of idleness, and the Lord’s house either a joss-house full of idols, or a political club, where there is more enthusiasm for a party than zeal for God?”
     
    #1 gb93433, Dec 6, 2008
  2. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2002
    Messages:
    15,460
    Likes Received:
    1
    True of many churches in all ages. By the way, Mr. Spurgeon was quite the entertainer himself. Ever read about his extra-church and inter-church antics? Like joking about a member of his church name Pig. "A guinea pig, no doubt..." Hint that Mr. Pig donated a guinea....a particular currency in England.

    When he didn't get his demands for windows that opened in the sanctuary, he went around with a cane and smashed the windows for ventilation.

    We all have our quirks and personalities.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
    #2 Jim1999, Dec 6, 2008
  3. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    Where could I get that kind of information?
     
    #3 gb93433, Dec 6, 2008
  4. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2002
    Messages:
    15,460
    Likes Received:
    1
    There are literally 100's of books about Spurgeon......his life, his thinking, his habits.........some things are true and supported as such, and others are falacious........Like the one about him smoking cigars and claiming "he smoked to teh glory of God." It was true that he smoked cigars, but he never did say the other.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
    #4 Jim1999, Dec 6, 2008
  5. Jon-Marc

    Jon-Marc New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2007
    Messages:
    2,752
    Likes Received:
    0
    Unfortunately, this is all too true. Too many "Christians" want to be entertained instead of seeking God's will in their lives. Too many gospel singers are no longer ministering through song; they are entertainers. They sing silly songs that have no meaning just for the purpose of giving people what they want and not what they need.

    Too many preachers and teachers are doing the same thing. They preach "God is good and loves everybody!" They are told they can't preach against sin--particularly homosexuality since it is now an accepted "alternate lifestyle." Bible studies are too often empty and devoid of any real meat of the word. I am often bored in many Bible studies, because their knowledge is no greater or even less than mine; I'm no Bible scholar. :jesus:
     
    #5 Jon-Marc, Dec 7, 2008
  6. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    I agree. However I have encounterd some people who blow smoke and complain about the idea of there not being enough Bible preaching. One time I encountered a man who complained that not one of the churches in the area had good Bible studies. I invited him to one I was leading. He showed up and never returned because he stuck his foot in his mouth and would have had to admit he was wrong. The people in the Bible study I led studied about 6 to 7 hours each week. He met his match and did not bite.
     
    #6 gb93433, Dec 7, 2008
  7. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2000
    Messages:
    30,285
    Likes Received:
    507
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I visited a "mega" in SoCal (name withheld but the nearby mountain looks like a saddleback) and found that they had 45 minutes of preaching in every service, even though they had CCM songs and other drama, big screens, and a non-church atmosphere, etc.

    Some churches get a bad rap by those ignorant of what really happens. I've been to some more "traditional" churches where the pastor acted like a buffoon, screaming, kicking the pulpit and making a mockery of God's Word. Those types are far worse imho.
     
    #7 Dr. Bob, Dec 7, 2008
  8. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    11,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    I couldn't agree more..
     
    #8 tinytim, Dec 7, 2008
  9. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    I agree. If it is the same church I am thinking of the pastor requires more of the members than most churches require of their deacons. It seems like it takes two things for good sound preaching to occur. One must be a prepared preacher and the other is for the listener to be prepared.

    I met him a few years ago and found him to be humble and very warm.
     
    #9 gb93433, Dec 7, 2008
  10. PeterM

    PeterM Member

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2006
    Messages:
    487
    Likes Received:
    0
    Great post...
     
    #10 PeterM, Dec 8, 2008
  11. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    Hasn't that same church planted over 40 churches? Don't they also have a theological school to train people?
     
    #11 gb93433, Dec 8, 2008
  12. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2007
    Messages:
    4,894
    Likes Received:
    28
    Excellent. churches do still act like this.
     
    #12 ReformedBaptist, Dec 9, 2008
  13. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2004
    Messages:
    22,678
    Likes Received:
    64
    Face it. Many if not most people go to church to be entertained. They like pastors who are comics. Recall that when the homosexuals recently invaded a church the pastor had to tell the people it was not part of the program.

    I have heard of one church in Knoxville Tenn. where the pastor had himself drawn up over the congregation to simulate the ascension of Jesus Christ, another in Knoxville where the pastor simulated a call from his mother on a cell phone during the sermon.

    The portrayal of the crucifixion is common in Baptist churches around easter. It is blasphemous for anyone to imitate the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross: Perfect righteousness taking upon Himself the sins of the world.
     
    #13 OldRegular, Dec 11, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Loading...