On occasion I have posted messages critical of the modern western church. I have read similar posts. In respect for this site, I have avoided most controversy; that restraint will remain. However, if criticisms are issued, some form of discussion should follow lest we become simple hard-hearted complainers.
So, I address a question to those who believe the church has gone astray. What two or three simple suggestions do you have to help guide the Church in America back to a more positive direction?
For example:
Use God’s name. He gave it to us for a reason. YHWH, or more commonly Jehovah in English. Replacing his name with a title, especially using “Lord” instead of his actual name, has caused great confusion and in some cases leads to false worship. I cannot think this practice pleases Him!
Second, I pray the church would begin practicing what it preaches. Acknowledging sins; seeking repentance and atonement is as necessary for the church as for its members; maybe more so. Yet I have seen a church make a serious and systematic effort to identify and correct its own sins.
Third, stop the institutional abuse of Matthew 28:19. In John 21:15-18 Yeshua spoke directly to Peter, the foundation of his church. He gave the assignment “Feed my lambs.” This was a specific instruction that Peter and the first believers understood clearly. The instruction to, “Go and teach all nations” in Matthew 28:19 is a message given to all his followers, not his church. The exclusive focus on church growth that follows this misunderstanding is not biblical.
These are not the most important issues; that is not the point. Maybe what we really need is a plain and commonly understood list of the issues that hold us back.
So, I address a question to those who believe the church has gone astray. What two or three simple suggestions do you have to help guide the Church in America back to a more positive direction?
For example:
Use God’s name. He gave it to us for a reason. YHWH, or more commonly Jehovah in English. Replacing his name with a title, especially using “Lord” instead of his actual name, has caused great confusion and in some cases leads to false worship. I cannot think this practice pleases Him!
Second, I pray the church would begin practicing what it preaches. Acknowledging sins; seeking repentance and atonement is as necessary for the church as for its members; maybe more so. Yet I have seen a church make a serious and systematic effort to identify and correct its own sins.
Third, stop the institutional abuse of Matthew 28:19. In John 21:15-18 Yeshua spoke directly to Peter, the foundation of his church. He gave the assignment “Feed my lambs.” This was a specific instruction that Peter and the first believers understood clearly. The instruction to, “Go and teach all nations” in Matthew 28:19 is a message given to all his followers, not his church. The exclusive focus on church growth that follows this misunderstanding is not biblical.
These are not the most important issues; that is not the point. Maybe what we really need is a plain and commonly understood list of the issues that hold us back.
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