<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I address that question, maybe I should address another question. \u201cIs it ever wrong to go to church?\u201d Based on this article\u2019s title, I\u2019m sure you can tell that I believe the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d otherwise I\u2019d have changed the title. OK, so when is it wrong to go to church, and how can I know when that time has arrived? The answer is when you see famine. \u201c \u2019Behold, the days are coming,\u2019 declares the Lord GOD, \u2018when I will send a famine on the land\u2014 not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.\u2019 \u201d Amos 8:11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a famine arrives what must we do if we are to survive? Find greener pastures. Which we must also do if the church we are attending is no longer (or never was) preaching the word of the Lord. \u201cMan shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God\u201d Matthew 4:4. As bread feeds our physical stomachs, the word of the Lord feeds our spiritual stomachs. It literally nourishes our souls and equips us to face the world, the flesh, and the devil\u2014who is no slouch when it comes to throwing incinerating darts at us (Ephesians 6:16). The word of the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, that helps us traverse in the darkness of this world (Psalm 119:105). And so, if the pulpit of our church has exchanged the protein-rich beef patties for soy, it means it\u2019s time to move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do we detect soy-filled sermons? What do they look like? They look like preaching tradition over truth, which is something Jesus had zero time for (Matthew 15:1-20). Another way to say this is, \u201cpreaching man\u2019s thoughts over God\u2019s,\u201d and this comes in many, many ways. It comes as pushing man\u2019s psychology over the Bible, man\u2019s scientific understanding over the Bible, and man\u2019s political understanding over the Bible, which comes in both red and blue colors. It doesn\u2019t even have to be teaching that opposes the Bible\u2019s, but teaching something the Bible doesn\u2019t actually teach, which is something God is not at all amused by. \u201cI warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book\u201d Revelation 22:18. Even if a church is preaching God\u2019s Word, more or less, but they\u2019ve wrapped a political flag around the cross, or any other kind of flag for that matter, what they\u2019ve done is baked poison into the bread\u2014and if you eat poisoned bread, it\u2019s not going to leave you any better off than starving. Which means it\u2019s time to find new pastures. What kind of pastures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pastures where the entire word of the Lord is faithfully proclaimed in its proper context, and not just the culturally expedient parts that make us feel good. Pastures where the word of the Lord is practiced, which means holding leadership accountable to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and the congregants accountable to Matthew 18\u2014regardless of how long they\u2019ve attended or how much they give. Pastures where they live in the expectancy of Christ\u2019s return as they seek to save the lost by faithfully proclaiming the gospel outside of its four walls. And then once you\u2019ve found that, settle in and feast upon the word of the Lord which is able to nourish and save your soul. \u201cThen Jesus declared, \u201cI am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.\u201d John 6:35.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Before I address that question, maybe I should address another question. \u201cIs it ever wrong to go to church?\u201d Based on this article\u2019s title, I\u2019m sure you can tell that I believe the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d otherwise I\u2019d have changed the title. OK, so when is it wrong to go to church, and how can…
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