What is often needed in every facet of life is EVALUATION and DIAGNOSIS. But what happens if, once evaluated, we come to the wrong conclusions?
My fiancé has had issues with her AC (air conditioning) on her car. My brother was kind enough to do much of the work FOR FREE…and that was a huge benefit. But, my brother was unable to evacuate the system and recharge it…that is something a mechanic/auto shop had to do. The mechanic could not get to the car until this past Monday. When we started the car to take it to the shop, it was suddenly making a noise that it had not made when we picked it up from my brother. When evaluated, the mechanic said the problem was with the Idler Pulley and that it would have to be replaced. It was then that I felt that the mechanic was not diagnosing the problem correctly. I told my fiancé that I disagreed with what she was told. Nonetheless, the mechanic performed the work, charging approximately 100 dollars more than was expected. Then…guess what? The next morning, Barb got in to her car to head to work…and…THERE WAS THE EXACT SAME NOISE! Although there was a new Idler Pulley…the noise was the SAME! The problem had been improperly evaluated and diagnosed! The mechanic now says the problem is the Alternator…it wasn’t the Idler Pulley at all.
When it comes to FIXING what is wrong…it does no good to replace something IF that SOMETHING is not at fault!
And…too often in life we improperly evaluate/diagnose a problem…thus making a change or “fixing” something when that SOMETHING is not the problem!
For the past few days, I have been watching much of the General Assembly Sessions of the Church of God which are taking place in Orlando, FL. In this day and age of technology, I am amazed at the number of TWEETS and BLOGS that have already been published. Yet, I find myself even MORE amazed at what I believe to be INACCURATE and ERRONEOUS evaluations/diagnoses.
One such blog said that the world has “moved on” and that the “wind of the spirit has left us”. One sentence says “The world has moved on, God has moved on, and we didn’t even notice.”
I have to state this: I do not believe that such a statement is true. I disagree. I actually believe the writer of the blog has wrongly evaluated and diagnosed the Church…in this instance, specifically the Church of God.
I do not believe that the older men…and women…of God are “out of touch” nor “out of tune”, as some people word it. At least I have to say that not ALL of them are. Sure….some may be, but no more than some of the YOUNGER men and women of God are “out of touch” and “out of tune.”
The Church HAS lost influence and numbers around the world. Now only 20% of people in the average community attend services in a Christian church. Our Nation and our world are in a spiritual mess. Society is increasingly becoming less moral and less Christian.
But…how do we evaluate these facts in light of Scripture and in light of truth?
We can blame those who came before us…we can even blame MY generation…or we can place the blame where it belongs (and this is TOTALLY Biblical): the blame is on a generation (ANY generation) that “will not endure sound doctrine.”
2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV)
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove ,rebuke ,exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
We now live in a world…and now have raised up an entire generation…that focuses on, and demands, “getting what they want NOW”. No other generation has ever had so much available IMMEDIATELY. When I was young, we played with toy guns and home-made toys, all out in the yard and in the neighborhood. We CREATED things to do. But today, kids have every game and avenue available not only on their computer…but on their OWN PHONES! This generation has…and has been given…everything, it seems!
The present generation was raised with ENTERTAINMENT in mind. The rationale was “keep them entertained and keep them happy!” Somehow, HAPPINESS became the issue…outweighing what I call WELL-BEING. My parents realized that I SHOULDN’T have almost everything that I want….knowing that I should not grow up EXPECTING to be CATERED TO. Yet, this present generation has focused on HAPPINESS…living in a world where SELF is exalted over others. Even the Church is guilty here!
The Church created programs and “children’s church” that would ENTERTAIN the children…and that took kids away from parents, preventing families from growing TOGETHER in the sanctuary. While it SEEMED to be a good thing…what actually occurred was a gradual indoctrination into an ENTERTAINMENT “gospel”. And now…we are reaping the sowing of that philosophy!
So…does the problem lie with the older generation…a generation that doesn’t realize that “the world has moved on” or that the “wind of the spirit has left us”?
Again…I say NO.
Is there fault in the older generation? Yes…for following the path of ENTERTAINMENT that I mentioned above. The fault IS NOT that the Church or the older generation has NOT CHANGED…the fault is that the Church DID CHANGE…sacrificing the teaching and instruction of THE WORD on the altar of ENTERTAINMENT…under the premise that people will not “enjoy” a service and a sermon WITHOUT being ENTERTAINED.
Somehow…the Church bought the LIES that it must ATTRACT followers…and the way to do that is with SENSATIONALISM and ENTERTAINMENT. Actually…it is much like an AMUSEMENT PARK…where there are choices to be made as to what each person wants to spend their time with…what they want to AMUSE themselves with!
The Church sold out truth…and bought in to ENTERTAINMENT and AMUSEMENT and ATTRACTION!
But notice this: during the time that the Church focused on THE WORD OF GOD and SERMONS and TEACHING, the Church grew EXPONENTIALLY! But…as the Church has increasingly focused on ENTERTAINMENT and ATTRACTING people, the Church has lost influence and members by the droves!
Why?
I have said this before: the Church has used the ideas and methods of the WORLD. Therefore, the WORLD sees the Church as JUST LIKE THE WORLD! And…if the Church is offering NOTHING which is any different from what the WORLD already has…then the WORLD sees that the Church is NOT NEEDED!
In other words…the Church is offering nothing beyond what the WORLD already has…so the WORLD is not interested!
You see….it is NOT a problem of the older generation “losing touch” or that the “wind of the spirit has left us”…it is a problem of 2 Timothy 4:2-4...where the Church has sought the desires of the PEOPLE above seeking the desires of GOD! The Church is giving the WORLD what it wants…not realizing that the driving force behind the desires of the WORLD is SATAN! By giving the WORLD what they want…in Church, nonetheless!…the Church has actually been giving the WORLD what SATAN wants for them!
Satan has simply wanted TRUTH to be SILENCED! And Satan has been successful in doing that!
How?
By selling LIES to the Church! By making the Church believe that PREACHING and TEACHING and SERMONS are “out of date” and that these methods do not work. Yet, the TRUTH is…it is SATAN’S methods that have been proven to NOT WORK!
ENTERTAINMENT and CATERING TO THIS GENERATION is NOT WORKING!
ENTERTAINMENT will not set anyone free….only TRUTH will set people free!
So…before anyone gets mad at me…remember it is SCRIPTURE that says that it is an “adulterous” and “evil” generation that seeks for signs and wonders…and ENTERTAINMENT!
The mistake of the older generation: giving this generation what they have wanted! (This is Scripture…read it again…and notice WHAT and HOW things are preached are being determined by the YOUNGER, NEW GENERATION…their own “lusts” fueling WHAT they will hear and HOW they will accept it!)
As a Worship Leader, I learned that there are GOOD songs and there are BAD songs. Regardless of the age of the song, the question is always this, in my opinion: does this “worship” song focus on GOD/JESUS…or does it focus on ME. Worship is from ME to GOD…nothing else! Old songs are not BAD…and neither is a NEW song GOOD simply because it is NEW!
There is NOTHING wrong with OLD and/or NEW…unless it takes the focus OFF of GOD and it then places the focus on ME or US!
And that is the problem: the Church has become so ME and US and WE focused that it lost the focus on GOD! Pleasing MAN…pleasing the MASSES…pleasing the CROWD has become the god of the Church in many cases!
Is their a spiritual problem in the Church? YES! And Jesus appeared to John and commanded Him to write the letters to the 7 Churches in the book of Revelation for that very reason!
But…that spiritual problem is being evaluated and diagnosed by many…with many supposing the problem is that the older generation has lost touch. I believe that is a LIE!
The TRUE spiritual problem is that the older generation allowed the younger generation to SET THE AGENDA…and the younger generation decided that it does not want to “endure sound doctrine”!
God wants to use EVERY generation…but the older generation is to MENTOR and LEAD the younger generation!
Keep this in mind (anyone that is old enough to do so): we only realize at the age of 40 that we DID NOT know everything at the age of 25!
Even the WISEST 25 year old still has A LOT to learn! Even the WISEST 25 year old is not NEARLY so wise as he will be at the age of 40!
And…in every case, a 25 year old cannot see that fact!
Far from the Church needing to get MORE into the ways and methods of the younger generation…the Church needs to return to its ways and methods that have been PROVEN to be successful: PREACH THE WORD OF GOD…PREACH THE TRUTH…LET THE WORD OF GOD AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD HAVE CONTROL!
When the Church STOPS trying to MARKET itself and when it STOPS trying to ENTERTAIN people…and when it returns to its ROOTS…THEN…
THEN….
THEN…
…the Church will again began to plant, sow, and reap a HARVEST of newly SAVED SOULS for the KINGDOM OF GOD!
I BELIEVE THAT!
God bless!
Ron
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