Me and someone else was talking about this same thing last week while i was in Africa. It's as though male masculinity has been giving it's walking papers and it's been replaced by some cookie cutter, skinny jean wearing, weak shell of what men are supposed to be.
God intended for men to be WARRIORS! How did the church get filled with skinny jean wearing wimps?
Fellowship among christians should be prized above felowship among natural kinship. If we are all born again there are certain things we all hold in common that the world knows nothing about. Respect and love for one another should be put in the fore front of all discussions.
Just because a christian holds their tongue and minds their own business in a church don't mean their castrated. In the world of unbelievers the person that don't say much, most of the time is the most dangerous.
Remember a week ago I told some guy who walked in here & posted that he was babbling & I couldnt understand what he was talking about. Then he took offence & thru a hissie fit. :smilewinkgrin: There you go.
Now Pastor Durant offered the fella some good advice..... It was quite humorous but also very real. You want the guys in your church to like you, do "GUY" things with them. I tried to get a bunch of guys last year to join in on a game of basketball at an outside court & they all looked at me (including the pastor) like I uttered something insane. I even brought the ball! :laugh:
Gospel that leaves out repentance and Lordship.
Jesus' gospel was repentance for the reign of God to be established (i.e. lordship in practice) and discipleship (yes he equated discipleship with the gospel).
But more people care about numbers, simple conversions, and making the gospel easy rather than foolish.
I agree with several of the responses on the first page. I think that there are several reasons for this. The main being we are in the falling away and it is growing at an alarming rate. I believe that It is being caused by allowing people to become pastors who are not saved and others to become deacons and elders who are not saved.
Also I think it is because even within a church the leadersip is not all on the same page. One morning bible class will teach one thing and another something else about the same topic.
the falling away was in the time of the apostles and was talking about the Jews falling away and rejecting the Christ and truth--which brought on the Judgement of God--which destroyed the city and temple and killed 1+ million jews in the process--its recorded in history and is backed up by the scriptures
I really feel sorry for some of you people. If your churches are as bad as you indicate, why in the world are you still there? Get up! Run, don't walk, run to the nearest exit. Go find a church that loves God, keeps the Great Commission, and practices the Great Commandment. Unless, of course, you are part of the problem and not part of the solution. :)
The kingdom of heaven is like the ten virgins and they all slumbered and slept. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that i will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord, Amos 8:11. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, 11 Thess 2:3.