My Soap Box

One of the main problems I see, is that the church is an extremely low point in terms of it’s education. I have heard it said time and time again, (even from pastors) that doctrine is a tool of Satan. The sad fact is that ignorance is the real tool of Satan, and men who say such things should not be pastors. Because the minute they say, “Jesus died for your sins” they have just used doctrine. There is true doctrine and there is false doctrine. True doctrine sets people free and false doctrine is Satan’s tool to make captives. Hence, we are to “gird our loins with truth”

We live in a time where we have the writings of some of the greatest men and women of God available at our fingertips, and the Word of God is available in almost every language and yet we still do not dive deep into it’s teachings because we are scared it might cause division. We’ve started to turn churches into businesses where we must keep our customers happy. We trade evangelism for marketing plans. In an effort draw people in, we replace objective truth with eastern mysticism. We try to make people feel God instead of teaching His truths. This is seen clearly in much of the new music in the church. Many of new songs focus on how we feel. Note to songwriters, if you want to write a song that is going to last longer than a few years before it becomes passé, you are going to need to start writing songs that speak of the eternal truths of God, like “A mighty Fortress is our God” or “Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy.” Don’t get me wrong not all new music is like this, and style is not the issue; it’s content. And emotional worship is not the problem either, but when we write songs and sermons merely to try to get emotional for emotions sake we’ve missed the point. Not to mention the fact that because many churches are not equipped to teach deep doctrine, or simply do not do so in hopes of not causing division, they leave many in their flocks vulnerable to the enticements of many of the same vain philosophies that have trapped church members since it’s beginning, for there is really “nothing new under the sun”.

In doctrines absence, we fill our sermons with pop psychology that leads to sermon titles like, “Five ways to safety proof your marriage”, “Finding the Champion in You”, or “How to Guard Yourself From Hurt” (Joel Osteen). It’s not what these sermons say, that is wrong, it’s what they leave out, such as a deep understanding of the sinfulness of man, the atonement, the incarnation, vicarious sacrifice, and the exclusivity of Christ. May we as children of God continue to seek God’s truths and reject those teachings outside orthodoxy. And as for those within orthodoxy, may we sharpen each other in love as we grow in the grace and knowledge of God.

Praise God for pastors and churches who proclaim the truth without compromise. May we all desire to know more of the truth.