Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Jesus is the Savior ONLY of the church

You read that right. Not, "Jesus is the only savior" or "Only Jesus is the savior". Nope, it's "Jesus is the Savior ONLY of the church". What would you think if you heard someone preach that? What if the preacher went on to infer that "God so loved the world" and verses following really means that God loves obedient believers......only. Let me know your take on these teachings. I will give you my take later.

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I hear people talking about "unchurched believers". I can promise you one thing, the people being referred to there did not come up with that label for themselves. They consider themselves part of the church. They correctly realize that "church" is NOT congregational worship. They also know that "church" is not organized religion. All the ones I know have contact with other believers, and feel a part of the family of God........the church. And I gotta tell ya, a lot of the believers I know that aren't part of some congregation are having a lot more impact on their communities by being light and salt than the majority of pew warmers at the local congregations.......of any stripe or tribe. No doubt God made us to be in community with other believers. He doesn't want us or expect us to live in a vacuum. Hence the admonition from the Hebrews writer in chapter 10 verse 25. But He didn't define that community, the church, as only those that meet at the church building 3 times a week.

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I heard a preacher say that Mega churches are trying to reach the "unchurched believers". My take is that Mega churches surely wouldn't turn those folks away, but their main target is unchurched UNBELIEVERS. I feel quite confident that is the target group North Richland Hills is trying to reach. I heard Dave Stone say those unbelievers are the folks the Mega congregation where he attends is trying to reach. I have never heard of a church that put a higher priority on reaching believers over non-believers. That wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, would it? By the way, the Mega church folks must be doing a pretty good job......hence the term "Mega". I know I know. Maybe they aren't "sound". :) Let's don't even go there again.

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Have I told you how blessed I feel to be a part of a congregation that is OUTWARDLY focused?
You won't hear sermons there about what other groups of believers are doing wrong, and what we are doing right. You will hear sermons encouraging us to seek the lost, bring back the strays, strengthen the weak, and heal or bind up the wounded. What a blessing!

15 Comments:

At 3:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

AMEN! What a blessing!

 
At 3:58 PM, Blogger Donna G said...

My husband is a very good golfer and yet he doesn't belong to a country club. I dare say that the fact that he does not hang out with a lot of other golfers talking about his game, does not diminish his game in the least. As a matter of fact he may be out on the practice tees instead of hanging out waiting to see who finishes up next.....

 
At 4:12 PM, Blogger Keith said...

Aren't we already members of THE MEGA CHURCH?
Great post

 
At 9:33 PM, Blogger Stoned-Campbell Disciple said...

David as always I enjoy reading your blog.

If you talk to your dad anytime soon please let him know that I think of him frequently.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine

 
At 12:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right on my brother!

 
At 6:49 PM, Blogger Nancy French said...

There are places that are self-focused, aren't there? It's good to be upwardly/outwardly focused.

 
At 7:31 PM, Blogger PatrickMead said...

I am blessed to be a part of a congregation that isn't trying to grow by sheep stealing. There are plenty of lost people to keep us busy... and a lot of them come to our third AM service each week. Makes things very interesting... and cool.

 
At 11:06 PM, Blogger Franklin Wood said...

Once heard a lesson that God ONLY listens to the prayers of the churched believer (the holy person). This idea was taken from John 9:31 where it was spoken NOT by a prophet, or disciple, but an average joe.
Really frustrated me because that goes directly against Jesus' story of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18. "God have mercy on me, a sinner!"
If God doesn't listen to sinners, then he doesn't hear from me very much!

 
At 11:27 PM, Blogger Laymond said...

sounds like you are blessed with a great church family God Bless

 
At 5:28 PM, Blogger jettybetty said...

What preacher have you been listening to?? You are so right on about RH--at least from where I sit!

 
At 10:33 PM, Blogger Royce Ogle said...

"Unchurched believers"? Hmmm. I suppose that if those believers who are not meeting at a "church" with other believers on a regular basis have some other means of having "one another" contact fine. Most of the "unchurched believers" I have known gradually have less and less contact with other believers and at some point become ineffective and defeated.

Our "one another" relationships are necessary and vital for our spiritual health. How can you edify me if I never see you? How can I bear your burdens if I don't know what they are? People you don't see can't encourage you.

That being said, if the so called "unchurched believer" is meeting with a few people each week or so in order to have those interpersonal relationships, that by definition is a "church", or "called out assembly".

One last point. Sheep stealing? My experience has been that much of the coC methodology of growing local congregations has been "correctional" rather than "redemptive". Unless you believe that baptised believers in Baptist churches and others are lost.

If it were possible to suddenly remove former Baptists and Baptist influence from the beloved church of Christ's several congregatoins, it would be amazing what was left. Yet, much of our history has been correcting everyone else in the faith community rather than going after "the wicked" Christ died for.

Mega churches do go for the lost, or "unchurched lost" primarily. Most all of them preach a positive message of the grace of God. It is a message of hope and a future in Jesus Christ based wholly on His merit and in His strength.

Does anyone know of a traditional, conservative (by conservative I mean a cappella, pattern based worship, secterian, KJV only, etc.) congregation that has experienced substantial growth? I don't know of one. In fact, the stats I have seen indicate those type churches are loosing numbers both in membership and in numbers of local congregations.

Thanks for the great, thought provoking post.

Grace and Peace,
Royce Ogle
gracedigest.blogspot.com

 
At 3:18 PM, Blogger Royce Ogle said...

David,
Thanks for the email and your comment on my blog.
I just read your post again and something different came to mind this time. I believe a more correct appraisal of what the "fire breathers" believe is not "Jesus is the Savior ONLY of the church", but "Jesus is the Savior of THE ONLY church".
Grace and Peace,
Royce Ogle

 
At 3:45 PM, Blogger David U said...

Royce, you are probably right, but in this case I was giving a DIRECT QUOTE from a sermon recently delivered.

DU

 
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