Lets Do Church

Part 1
I have been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about how we do church. The worship. The offering. The Bible reading. The prayer. The songs. The evangelical outreach. We all have specific ways we like our church services to be run. You like traditional, you like contemporary, and you like a mix of both.


Why is it that we have these preferences? Are we not at church to commune with our God? Don't we go to church to glorify and magnify His name?

Seems to be lots of folks out there would prefer to glorify themselves. I want this or I want that. How about ''I want God. I am here for Him. I owe Him so much more then I could ever repay. I am here for my God, as much of him as he will allow, I am here for God.'' Everything else should pale.

Part 2
We are not needed by God to do his good works. There is no need for music playing softly in the background to convince sinners they need a savior. There is no need for ''every head bowed and every eye closed''. If God is going to save someone none of these things will help persuade them! It is not an eloquent delivery or a disarming smile. It is the Gospel.

I remember attending services as a young man where my emotions were played on. I remember making emotional decisions and promises that were not led by the Holy Spirit but by men, men who seemed to care a little too much about numbers and not enough about life altering decisions. It only takes a simple prayer, a secret look at the evangelist, the raise of a hand, or a quick jaunt down the Isle. Lifestyle afterwards? That matters little, see here, on this little card in the front of my dusty bible is the date the sinners prayer was prayed. It seems that there are many churches and Christian organizations out there who have these techniques down to a science.

All this stuff man thinks he has to do to get folks saved just gets in the way. God is sovereign. He chose each and every believer before the foundations of the world! (Eph. 1).

I can't find one instance in scripture where a musical prayer, or a raised hand was required for salvation. I don't remember Paul praying the sinners prayer and signing and dating a piece of paper for proof of salvation. What was (and is and always will be) needed? The Gospel, period.

Sorry about the rant folks. This is something I am passionate about. God can and does use these things to change peoples lives. They are not the means though. The Gospel is.