Featured Friendliness

Whether you like it or not you have no idea what you are talking about. When you pastor a difficult church and walk in a pastors shoes who is serving God faithfully in difficult circumstances, then you can speak to the issue. As of right now you are talking beyond your experience and knowledge.

 

Another post that belittles someone else. If you talk to your church congregation the way you talk to others on this board, it is amazing the membership did not show you the front door years ago. I really doubt you talk this way to them, as they have the power to invite you to lead another church.

Also, Mont is exactly right about leadership. Christ leads through the pastor, and His leadership does not fail. A church that is unfriendly to outsiders and friendly only to itself has become a social club. The second commandent is to treat others like you want to be treated. We are also commanded to edify, disciple, and build up the local church. If you cannot make progress in getting your congregation to be more like Jesus, then maybe you should be selling used cars.

 

I totally agree with your post. I would not worry about the names you are called by the other poster, as it is the same pattern in other sections, ie, degrading others and giving no sign of having basic knowledge of the subject at hand.

Leading a congregation is a job with a tremendous repsonsibiltiy, making a local church more like Christ. It takes a special person, and the person is expected to be an example beyond the average layman. One has to have many skills, including leadership, integrity,compassion, patience and many others too numerous to mention.

Often I wonder who on here claiming to be a Pastor really is one.

 

We know that, its just that we focus more on how and why we are to live for god, thru knowing and applying the scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit....

They are still seen as THE MORAL code of the lord, just emphasise placed more upon keeping them as God intended today under the New Covenant!

 

Thank you.

 

Looking up your link to NCT...

Appears that my church might be teaching pretty close to their viewpoint as regarding the law and Christians!

 

I may be wrong (wouldn't be the first time), and, in this particular case, I hope that I am, but over the 40+ yrs since I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, I've observed the semantical (I don't really want to call it a "trick," but then I can't seem to come to any other conclusion than to say that, most likely it IS a semantical "trick") ("whatever") when people start employing heavily-semantical-laden expressions such as, "stressing the FULL 10 Commandments, etc."

I'm by no means a "Biblical scholar," contrary to what a few here in BB land seem to think. OTOH, IMHO when I read expressions such as the above, it gives me the impression that such persons are hinting are somehow inferring and/or implying the thinly-veiled practice of "sabbath (Saturday) keeping."

As far as I can tell (and, again, I repeat, that "I'm no 'Biblical scholar'!"), Jesus Christ NEVER commanded "Sabbath (i.e., Saturday) keeping." IF I'm proven to be wrong on this, I'll "man up to it," but so far, in what studies of the NT I've had on the this subject, I've not yet been able to find a command given by Christ that "sabbath-keeping" is something "Command" for NT-era believers.

Again, maybe I'm IN ERROR about this "sabbath keeping."

If so, I'd sure like to know about it so that I can ask forgiveness of those that I've "ignorantly" accused of being pharaisetical over such a topic.

 

:thumbsup: That's why friendliness is important.

 

You're very kind. This came home to me one Sunday when our pastor was sick. Since I chair our deacons, I got the call from Mrs. Pastor.

I quickly updated a message from my files and preached it again. (Only one or two people remembered it, and they understood). I announced that in the evening service, we were going to have a family meetings. The church family was going to share with each other as the Lord led.

The questions I laid before the congregation that evening were two: What could we be doing better, and what are we doing right?

Three of the newest couples all said something similar. They said, basically, they they saw love in our church, and that they were drawn to join us because of that, plus, of course, our pastor and teachers were Biblically sound.

So, I asked, what drew you was not so much how we treated you, but how we treated each other? Yes, that's it, replied all three couples.

I've never forgotten that, and their answers sensitized me to look for that in any church I visit.

 

Our church had a revival this week, preached by a former associate Pastor from the mid 70s, Larry Mulberry. His messages went straight to the heart. One message, from James, talked about the relationship between faith and works, and how getting these two out of order or in the wrong catagory can mean ones eternal destiny. All of his messages were very memorable. He has his own style for sure. He is very vocal, at times quite loud for emphasis, and is not bashful about praising the Lord or singing at the top of his lungs.

Anyway, the reason I tell this story is that when I was dating my wife, I was still going to a Presbyterian Church, very proper, very quiet, and no amens or praise the Lords. Anyway, shortly after dating her I attended her church one Sunday. Larry Mulberry happened to be preaching that Sunday, and you have never seen culture shock like I felt. Everytime he shouted from the pulpit, said "Glory!!" or said amen, I jumped out of the pew. On top of that, half the congregation was saying amen and praise the Lord. I told my future wife after the service that Baptists were a bunch of nuts, and I would never be back.

Well, it did not work out that way. I did go back, no doubt the work of the Lord, and each time, the differences between Baptist services and Presbyterian services bothered me less and less. What impressed me, once I got past all the shouts, is the friendliness of the congregation compared to the ice box I attended. After we were married, I started studying Baptist and Presbyterian differences, and two years later, joined the church. The close knit congregation is still a very loving church both to each others and outsiders to this day. Sure, we have had our problems as any church does, but friendliness was a big factor in drawing me to that church. Brother Tom can testify that this is a true story and a true reflection of the church we serve in.

 

Oh I have been in those churches. I know the problem well. It is, indeed, a leadership issue. The pastor pours about all he has into them and still the grumps rule the roost. The problem is the pastor so often fails to risk being tossed out so he refuses to enact church discipline. Deacons and others go about as bullies yelling at people, cussing them out, and old ladies will stand there and berate visitors for "sitting in my seat". The people refuse to submit to the God-ordained leadership and that leadership refuses to risk really offending the people by holding them truly accountable. These pastors seek a spirit of unity, but only for those who hold the purse strings. These pastors will be held accountable for their failure to lead and the people will be held accountable for their failure to submit.

Eze 34:1 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
Eze 34:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?
Eze 34:3 "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.
Eze 34:4 "Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
Eze 34:5 "They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.
Eze 34:6 "My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them."'"
Eze 34:7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
Eze 34:8 "As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;
Eze 34:9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
Eze 34:10 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them."'" (NASB)

 

We need to remember that allowing unruly congregation members, or a clique if you will, control the church and set the tone of the membership instead of godly elders is still a leadership issue.