The CHURCH!! Have We Become Too Much Like the World?
 
I just read an article by Jim Morgan called Less Religious and More Godly. I have noticed how intertwined Christianity and Politics have become. If we, are going to make a difference in this world, we're going to have to become more like Christ and less “Cultural Christians”. I believe we would then be known to be more joyful than judgmental, compassionate than condemning, and hopeful than hypocritical.  

Jim said we need to equip our congregations to love unconditionally and putting an end to cultural Christianity. So, what will take to become more Christlike? In order for that to happen,here are his suggestions...

1. Pray fervently for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill each believer, because Agape is only possible through Christ in us. (Many churches don't have a strong prayer ministry.)
2. Teaching church members to see people as souls made in God’s image so we can stop judging others based on appearances and actions. (I like the quote: you'll never look into the eyes of someone that God doesn't love.)
3. Developing an aggressive plan to grow believers beyond conversion into disciples of Jesus Christ (I, personally, really like this one).
4. Redefine “church” as people and not a place, putting responsibility back on congregants for being the personification of “church” between Sundays. (HELLO!)
5. Fighting the culture war in America with a “ground war” (with love as the chosen weapon) rather than the current “air war” (of opinions and politics) (YES!!)
6. Reallocate time, talents and treasures toward uses that emphasize not only love for those who love us, but also love for those who may not like us. (YES!!)
7. No longer counting heads but tracking transformation, evangelism and community impact. (It's not so much about numbers, but transformed lives.)

The challenge of reversing those 7 ways, eliminating cultural Christianity and restoring Christ-likeness, is complicated. The world has crept into the church, sports has become our idol, and church has become just another activity we try to fit into our busy lives when it's convenient. So, in an effort to cater to our busy schedules, many pastors have fallen into the trap of catering to their congregants requiring them to give less of their time to discipleship and disciple-making (the primary prerequisites for learning to love like Jesus).  

Jesus portrayed a pure, unconditional love that we should seek to emulate.  No one possesses enough “goodness” to love others with the agape love Jesus modeled, but through the power of the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we can do greater things for the Kingdom of God.

New Journey Begins

On July 1, Carol and I began a new season in our lives. I retired from serving the local church as a pastor. Oh, don’t worry, I’m still serving Jesus just in a different capacity.
Stay tuned for my updates on the retired life.

Pastor Dan