NEEDS AND TRENDS IN THE CHURCH TODAY

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THE CHURCH TODAY SHOULD BE AWARE OF EVIL TRENDS
The church today

By Ken Blue

Although needs and trends are not synonymous; needs may change as trends change. Trends can be good or evil. Certainly, no church should follow evil trends. The spiritual needs of believers never change. However, how the church addresses and meets those needs must change with time.

What the average church members need is relevant Bible teaching and preaching. That means, the preacher must be aware of the real world and the real people who live in it; then he must be able to build a practical sermon or lesson that clearly helps others with their problems. I know the Bible is relevant, but many pastors don’t know how to preach it so people can understand or apply it.

Some preachers think if they cram the sermon with bible verses, it has more authority and value. Nothing could be further from the truth. Neither Jesus or Paul were concerned about the number of verses in their messages. Look at them; they told simple stories about life and used biblical and natural examples to communicate one truth at a time. This is the need in the pulpit today. The primary purpose of the Bible is not to inform, but to transform. Do you really have an end goal for your sermon, or is the only end, just to preach another sermon. You should write at the top of your sermon notes what your objective is.

Some pastors think if they can get their members to conform to four or five standards, they have met the needs of the believer. The category is: A haircuts, dresses on women, tithing, Bible reading, and soul winning. These may have an outward show, but they do not meet the needs of church members. Usually, these are promoted by the pastor so the members will build his church membership. So, make the sermon relevant to the time and place.

Church members need a sense of belonging and ownership. New members must feel they fit and are accepted. This means the church must create a strategy to assimilate them into the fellowship with other believers. Remember, the glue that holds the ministries together, is the cement that keeps others out. Do everything you can to create a spirit of belonging and ownership within your members. The saying is true, “Use me or lose me.”

Members must be able to develop close friendship ties. Experience shows that if a person does not have a family member or a close friend in church, they will not stay. The pastor should know this and do everything within his power to create ministries where these relationships can develop. Private small groups are one of the best ways for this to happen. Everyone wants to be an important part of an important ministry. The church should have in place and a strategy for recruiting and placing members in ministries best suited for them. Friendships are developed in these ministries. This takes planning and work, but the payoff is great!

Worship is expressing love and praise to the Lord. Although it can be spontaneous, it should also be planned as part of the church service. There are various way to do this and the pastor should vary from time to time. One could use music, testimonies, giving and sermons as worship. The one thing the congregation can do collectively is worship and praise God. This too, should be well planned.

Perhaps the most important part of a church is its atmosphere. Dr. Jack Hyles said that the difference between an exciting church and a dead church is the atmosphere. The preacher must be positive in his messages and announcements. The pulpit is not the place for scorn, griping, complaining, or excuses. A pastor told me that he could not get his members to bring visitors to church. He had pastored for 15 years in a large city and maintained about fifty members. I later found out that practically every sermon was against the Roman Catholic Church Whore, fags, other translations of the Bible and the present government. Are you surprised that his members would not invite others? I’m not.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…show people what great things God is doing in the lives of church members…[/pullquote]

Preach down the blessings of God! Exalt the goodness and love of the Lord. Talk about and show people what great things God is doing in the lives of church members and in your church. Stop trying to kill the frogs, make the pond bigger. This will keep the Devil off balance.

Church members want a quality ministry and buildings. Many church members are actually ashamed to bring family and friends to their church because the buildings are dirty and unkempt. Many churches are also shoddy in their ministries. The music is not well planed or practiced. The bulletins are pointless and so is the sermon. Cut the grass! Paint the buildings! Clean the carpets! Improve the nurseries and bathrooms! I preached in a church that had only one bathroom. To make things worse, they had only one towel. It was the kind you have in your home, and everyone used it. Visitors will not return to any church run like that. Do the best you can with what you have to make everything first class. Start the services on time and stop them on time.

Vision for world missions is a must for the church. People must see the needs around the world and then be led to get involved in meeting those needs. This involves more than giving and praying for missions or reading a mission letter. Allow people to visit a mission field. Get them personally involved in world mission projects.

People need purpose for everything that the church does and for what you want them to do. Pastors must get off their backsides; discover what the real needs of their members are, and then research ways to address these needs with the Book. Have a purpose statement and teach it to your people until everyone knows what their church is about. Stop trying to make your church like someone else’s. Find out how to best meet the needs of your members and then implement what is needed to accomplish it.

THE ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT, THE ONE WORLD RELIGION AND THE RAPTURE

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One World

By Ken Blue

The Bible is crystal clear that a one world government, controlling all commerce is on the horizon. This world super power will dominate all countries and no nation will be independent or exempt. Those who resist will find embargoes forced upon them and they will be isolated from the source of goods from other countries needed for survival. It is evident that our new administration and the rest of the world are all in step toward this new arrangement. They see it as the path to moral equality and the elimination of war and poverty. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:17.

Not only are the political leaders in bed together on this plan; the world’s religious leaders are marching to the same drum. The apostate leaders of Judaism see no reason why they should not cooperate with the Pope of Rome; (see this article), with the Dalai Lama and the moderate Muslim countries. Apostate Jews do not believe their Old Testament Scriptures, and therefore, see this marriage as a step to peace and prosperity.

However, the radical Muslims will have nothing to do with this arrangement, and will attempt to fight the leaders of this regime and also seek the destruction of Israel. In addition, the Orthodox Jews will see this alliance as a betrayal of the Abrahamic covenant and will fight their own government. Many Jews will be killed by their own leaders. (Acts 7:52).

The Jews are beginning to be seen by the world as a burdensome stone or a thorn in the flesh. To the world, the final solution will be the elimination of Israel. Many nations stand ready and are awaiting the signal from the three unclean spirits and Satan, to march forward for Israel’s annihilation. (Rev. 16:13).

We have no idea when the rapture of the saints will occur, but it can’t be too soon for me. Christian, these are great and exciting days for the believer! This, no doubt, is the living generation that will experience the translation spoken of in I Thess. 4:13-18. Keep looking up and listening for the shout!

A DIFFERENCE IN CAPACITY

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CapacityMILKSHAKES AND ORANGE JUICE

By Ken Blue

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” Matthew 25:15.

Capacity differs from person to person. Thank God, the capacity of some things can change. A few years ago I was at Denny’s restaurant for breakfast. After placing my order, I told the waitress I would like a glass of orange juice. When the order came, the glass was full, but I couldn’t help but notice how small it was! It must have been about 6 oz. One gulp and it was gone!

Some months later, my granddaughter and I pulled into the drive-through at Dairy Queen and ordered milkshakes. When they came; were we surprised? Each container was approximately 16 to 18 oz! They were filled to the brim, and we were delighted at the task before us.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]People can grow and increase in capacity.[/pullquote]

There is a great difference between people and fixed containers. People can grow and increase in capacity. The above text confirms that every man and woman is given different capacity and is expected to increase. I hesitate to tell anyone that God has given them only one talent. It is easy to justify complacency and lack of drive, if we assume we have reached our potential. We must face the truth; there are those with greater capacity than ourselves. However, God expects us to at least double that which He has entrusted to us. If you are an orange juice glass or a milkshake container, your purpose is clear and capacity fixed. But, you are not, so, don’t settle for less than your best for the Lord Jesus.

THE RASH MOUTH

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DEALING WITH A RASH MOUTH
RASH

Recently I read the newsletter by a big mouth independant, KJV, Baptist Evangelist (?) who called Rick Warren, with whom he disagreed, “That Devil”. The following article by Charles Finney describes such rashness.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Take heed to yourselves that you be not rash”[/pullquote]

“Take heed to yourselves that you be not rash. Some ministers are exceedingly rash and hasty in forming and expressing their views and opinions on almost every subject–are precipitate and unguarded in their measures–are stiff and stubborn in the positions they take, and can never be long employed as ministers in any one place. They will almost always leave their people in a divided state. This may be true of a minister who thoroughly does his duty, and nothing more. But it may be, and often is owing to downright rashness and indiscretion in the minister. Not long since, a young minister observed to an elderly one, that “he was determined to drive the devil out of the Church to which he was preaching.” The aged man replied, “See that you do not attempt to cast out the devil through Beelzebub the prince of devils, and act yourself like the devil in banishing him from your place.” Ministers should always take heed that in opposing Satan, they do not come to possess his spirit.

BRAD PITT ADMITS IGNORANCE ABOUT GOD

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BRAD PITT ADMITS IGNORANCE ABOUT GOD

By Ken Blue

Brad PittIn an interview with German magazine BILD, (the interviewer’s words, not ours), among several questions he was ask, “BILD: Do you believe in God? Brad Pitt (smiling): No, no, no! BILD: Is your soul spiritual? Brad Pitt: No, no, no! I’m probably 20 per cent atheist and 80 per cent agnostic. I don’t think anyone really knows. You’ll either find out or not when you get there, until then there’s no point thinking about it.”

The doctrine or tenets of Agnostics.
“…1871 R. H. Hutton Ess. I. 27 They themselves vehemently dispute the term [atheism] and usually prefer to describe their state of mind as a sort of know-nothingism or Agnosticism, or belief in an unknown and unknowable God. 1877 E. Conder Basis of Faith i. 25 But there is nothing per se irrational in contending that the evidences of Theism are inconclusive, that its doctrines are unintelligible, or that it fails to account for the facts of the universe, or is irreconcilable with them. To express this kind of polemic against religious faith the term ‘agnosticism’ has been adopted. 1879 Huxley Hume i. 60 Called agnosticism, from its profession of an incapacity to discover the indispensable conditions of either positive or negative knowledge.” Oxford English Dictionary.

Although Brad Pitt’s life is one of pretence, (he is an actor); at least he is not a hypocrite. He is just ignorant, and admits to it. He doesn’t know if a personal God exist, thus he assumes no one can know. My question would be, “how do you know, I don’t know?” Secondly, since he is 80% unsure, that leaves an 100% chance that a personal God exist.

If you will read carefully, his answers, you will see that Brad Pitt’s problem is not his atheism or Agnosticism. Brad Pitt’s basic problem is his indifference and unwillingness to know if God exist or not. Of course, there is always an underlying reason why men do not want to “think about it” or find out if a personal God exist or not, and you know what it is. You had better “think about it” and find out now.

God is not playing “hide-and-seek” with man. Evidence of His wisdom and power is everywhere. Paul said, “19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:19-20. Not only is there abundant external evidence, God’s moral code is also written in the heart of every man, and he doesn’t even know it. Note Paul again on this matter. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)” Romans 2:14-15.

(Song Title:A Child Enters Life)