tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post6344038516766721299..comments2023-12-22T08:29:29.230-08:00Comments on WHAT IS TRUTH: John 6: Church Growth Methods and Other SinsKent Brandenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13419354741455959191noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post-60478424868579636272015-06-17T08:54:29.057-07:002015-06-17T08:54:29.057-07:00" Go out and preach the gospel. Have church b..." Go out and preach the gospel. Have church be church. Don't use music as an attraction to the lost. Love the gospel. It's great. Act like it is. A concert isn't a biblical method. I could break down all that I think is wrong with it."<br /><br />Amen to that! PREACH the truth, LIVE the truth, for the truth is the Lord Jesus Christ and quit mixing with the mixed multitude, but rather be ye seperate. Worship music, discipleship, teaching, exhortation, etc. is for the church ONLY. Those that are lost need to be reproved of sin, righteousness and judgment to come, proclaiming the fear of the Lord so that might repent of their sins and receive the love of the truth which is Christ Jesus the Lord.<br /><br />Everything else is pragmatism and a manipulation of the gospel to trick people like a magician (hiding behind "programs") in mixing pleasure (games, prizes, activities, etc.) and then with the slight of mouth they make the gospel palatable instead of an offense in the heart of a sinner. <br /><br />The Preacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00555338497068482867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post-33816306519918442922015-06-16T15:33:44.581-07:002015-06-16T15:33:44.581-07:00So what do you think of what Jesus did? And the a...So what do you think of what Jesus did? And the application?<br /><br />Do you think this is an issue today?Kent Brandenburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13419354741455959191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post-23541875016103692052015-06-16T15:30:12.405-07:002015-06-16T15:30:12.405-07:00For our event on the church square, we're havi...For our event on the church square, we're having about 30 mins of music followed by a preaching service in the open air. We're billing it as "Church on the Square!" So, there's no mistaking what it is. But, we're intentionally using the ensemble group with their loud, percussion instruments to draw curious folks in, and will have pre-service kids activities as well. Tyler Robbinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post-13051755980630676772015-06-16T09:14:23.199-07:002015-06-16T09:14:23.199-07:00Hi Tyler,
Thanks for the question. Against what ...Hi Tyler,<br /><br />Thanks for the question. Against what I think is the typical purpose of VBS in most churches, especially when you look at their marketing and ad pitch with spacemen and pirates and the like, I think VBS is good as a school for your own kids. It's not an attraction to the lost in other words, but a special time to reinforce the message of the gospel to your own kids, get them more doctrinally founded in the summer, part of your overall plan. We don't have VBS, but we do equip families to have a school in their own home in the summer and use the opportunity to evangelize their neighborhood. They canvas their neighborhood with tracts and then find out of their are other professing Christians there. Some people just don't know you are there. Other families in the church can join these families in their home for the school.<br /><br />We don't emphasize getting a crowd for these home schools/clubs, but that it is a refresher on certain key points of the gospel. One year on sin. One year on judgment. One year on faith and repentance. One year on Jesus. Like that. The goal is to saturate your own kids with the gospel. It is a time for exhorting and provoking and teaching and admonishing.<br /><br />A few different times my family has invited everyone in our neighborhood to hear the gospel at our home. We tell them that's what it is. We tell them we're going to talk about what the Bible says. The invitation also has a gospel presentation on the back, but it is to give them an opportunity to come and hear it. There is zero manipulation except to say that we love them and we want them to know the gospel, because everyone needs to be saved. People don't go for it. We had one family come in the last place we lived and they claimed to be already saved, so it was a good review with them and to find out where they were. If everyone in your neighborhood knows who you are, they'll either like seeing you or try to avoid you. Either way, they know what you're about.<br /><br />A lady two houses down came to my house to have me open her medications she needed for her husband. A family two houses down on the other side of the street brought us vegetables because we always wave when we drive by. That is a black family. The family that come to our house in the previous paragraph for the study was a black family.<br /><br />Thanks for asking about your event. It's hard to diagnose it, because I don't know what it is, but it sounds like something we would not do. I believe churches need to cut this stuff out. Go out and preach the gospel. Have church be church. Don't use music as an attraction to the lost. Love the gospel. It's great. Act like it is. A concert isn't a biblical method. I could break down all that I think is wrong with it. It is something I did myself a long time ago (20 plus years ago), before I sorted through what Jesus and the Apostles did, so I'm sympathetic to you. Using enticements other than Jesus diminishes Christ. Jesus was against it in John 6. I think this is a good conversation.<br /><br />I'll look into Chafer's book. Thanks!Kent Brandenburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13419354741455959191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20213892.post-90743280124404696662015-06-16T02:52:33.273-07:002015-06-16T02:52:33.273-07:00Bro. Brandenburg:
You wrote:
"Do you unders...Bro. Brandenburg:<br /><br />You wrote:<br /><br />"Do you understand that churches today have as their strategy to get people to church for the wrong reason? They use big days, open houses, food, music, buildings, programs, fun, among other reasons."<br /><br />Do you oppose VBS? What about evangelistic programs with musical ensemble groups? We're having Maranatha's ensemble group in this Summer for an outdoor event on the square in the middle of town. Are you against such events? <br /><br />Not being hostile; just curious to see where you draw the line between evangelistic events and manipulation. <br /><br />On a related note, I really think you'd like Chafer's little book "True Evangelism." I've mentioned it before a few times. He spoke out against a lot of the revivalistic, shallow tactics of his day. You'd like a lot of what he wrote in there. Tyler Robbinshttp://www.faithbaptistdivernon.comnoreply@blogger.com