The Gospel of Good News
Religious post ahead. If you cannot stand, this is a good time to turn around....
I walked into MPH and was greeted by a book written by a Singaporean pastor sitting on the shelves. I've heard this pastor from one of the Singapore mega churches before because somebody gave me his CD as a 'gift' thinking it will strengthen my faith. No such luck. I'm no expert, but if this pastor was transported back to the early Church, I bet my last dollar he'll be held for heresy. And rightly so I might add. You know the drill... the gospel of good news... without the bad.
Christians are supposed to be nice, tolerant people. How can I condemn this pastor? A fellow Christian... where the heck is the love? If you're asking that, then I pray for you. If you're not asking that, then I'm sure you will understand the frustration I felt when blind tolerance and disregard for the gospel truth is compromised in the name of brotherly/sisterly love. A love so great even the Word of the Lord has to take a back seat?
Many people (including Christians, especially Christians) think loyalty to their brothers and sisters in Christ is a virtue valued above all else. Nevermind our fellow Christians are not exactly right in the bible context, heck, we're abang adik (brothers and sisters) what, as long as they believe in Jesus, nevermind their 'oversight'. They meant well anyway.
The thing is, we are not the mafia. There is no loyalty to speak of except loyalty to the Lord Himself. One should not be afraid of the gospel truth. Many evangelicals are fast catching up in the marketing department. The full gospel is too hard or too harsh for people to grasp, so, just sugar coat the gospel and package it nicely complete with bows and ribbons and market it to the masses. Wait, while at it, how about throwing in some bonuslink points as well? People love it. Accumulate enough points, they'll get some 'extras.' People are suckers for 'extras..'
The question is, should Christians keep their silence knowing their brothers or sisters are preaching the wrong thing? Ha, you know what, I can almost hear it coming.... the world famous rhetorical.. "Let He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.."
Heard this one before right? Reading the line at face value, you can say it meant those people who themselves had sinned before had no right to judge others. The keyword is face value. This is taking a line out of context. No, Jesus did not mean that. Say for example, Mr A told me a joke. I laughed and said, "you are such a devil." To take things out of context, you can say I accused Mr A of being a devil. But, if you view the circumstances and condition my line was uttered, it was not exactly what I meant. To arrive at the truth, one has to look at the big picture. The whole scenario when Jesus said the line. Not just pick the line out of somewhere and build a whole castle out of it.
So, what did Jesus meant by that line? If someone cared enough for the truth, I know they will find out for themselves. It's in John 8:7. All I can say is, it deals mainly on the issue of hypocrisy. If someone is not interested, neither am I. Told you I'm not those evangelicals that hand out freebies to get into your good books. Like my good friend Desiderata said, salvation is not for us to dispense...
I walked into MPH and was greeted by a book written by a Singaporean pastor sitting on the shelves. I've heard this pastor from one of the Singapore mega churches before because somebody gave me his CD as a 'gift' thinking it will strengthen my faith. No such luck. I'm no expert, but if this pastor was transported back to the early Church, I bet my last dollar he'll be held for heresy. And rightly so I might add. You know the drill... the gospel of good news... without the bad.
Christians are supposed to be nice, tolerant people. How can I condemn this pastor? A fellow Christian... where the heck is the love? If you're asking that, then I pray for you. If you're not asking that, then I'm sure you will understand the frustration I felt when blind tolerance and disregard for the gospel truth is compromised in the name of brotherly/sisterly love. A love so great even the Word of the Lord has to take a back seat?
Many people (including Christians, especially Christians) think loyalty to their brothers and sisters in Christ is a virtue valued above all else. Nevermind our fellow Christians are not exactly right in the bible context, heck, we're abang adik (brothers and sisters) what, as long as they believe in Jesus, nevermind their 'oversight'. They meant well anyway.
The thing is, we are not the mafia. There is no loyalty to speak of except loyalty to the Lord Himself. One should not be afraid of the gospel truth. Many evangelicals are fast catching up in the marketing department. The full gospel is too hard or too harsh for people to grasp, so, just sugar coat the gospel and package it nicely complete with bows and ribbons and market it to the masses. Wait, while at it, how about throwing in some bonuslink points as well? People love it. Accumulate enough points, they'll get some 'extras.' People are suckers for 'extras..'
The question is, should Christians keep their silence knowing their brothers or sisters are preaching the wrong thing? Ha, you know what, I can almost hear it coming.... the world famous rhetorical.. "Let He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.."
Heard this one before right? Reading the line at face value, you can say it meant those people who themselves had sinned before had no right to judge others. The keyword is face value. This is taking a line out of context. No, Jesus did not mean that. Say for example, Mr A told me a joke. I laughed and said, "you are such a devil." To take things out of context, you can say I accused Mr A of being a devil. But, if you view the circumstances and condition my line was uttered, it was not exactly what I meant. To arrive at the truth, one has to look at the big picture. The whole scenario when Jesus said the line. Not just pick the line out of somewhere and build a whole castle out of it.
So, what did Jesus meant by that line? If someone cared enough for the truth, I know they will find out for themselves. It's in John 8:7. All I can say is, it deals mainly on the issue of hypocrisy. If someone is not interested, neither am I. Told you I'm not those evangelicals that hand out freebies to get into your good books. Like my good friend Desiderata said, salvation is not for us to dispense...
posted by Helen at 3:10 PM
19 Comments:
Like what a well known pastor in Msia says regarding the gay pastor, Rev. Ouyang. "We love the man as our brother. We don't condemn him but his lifestyle and his message"
Many churches have different themes, some preach only the good news, some preach the good and bad. But most mega churches are too commercialized liao so they offer bonuslink points. Akakakaka.
Eh, I'm a christian, why I say like that? :P
so what exactly is this pastor in singapore preaching ah?
anyway... i think the loyalty is not to fellow christians nowadays... it's to fellow church mates. have you heard of churches fighting for territory?
sounds like a damn glorified triad sometimes.
who is this pastor? hope he is not the one who talk feng shui.
seefei
err..I am not supposed to comment since I am not a Christian but, but I have itchy hands so I have to type. My fren goes to this church that requires her to give to the church 10% of her pay every month. Is that the norm? She feels that it is but I feel otherwise. Why should the church dictates how much you give back to the church? I dunno...
what did Jesus mean? the crowd wanted to stone the woman because she had sinned but Jesus rightly asked who among them have not sinned! since everybody sinned then they do not have the right to do so. cos if they do then they are without mercy. can they expect God to be merciful on them when it is their turn to be judge? be merciful towards others and God will do likewise to us cos we all have sinned.
to judge others of wrong doing is alright unless you are doing the same (wrong) thing then that is hypocrisy. and when we judge (actually apprehend) someone of wrong doing, we are not (should not) condemning them but to correct their wrongs.
My fren goes to this church that requires her to give to the church 10% of her pay every month. Is that the norm?
Shireen, the reason is our earnings are blessings from God and to God we give thanks and contribute some in return. As you know churches are not only the building but the community of Christians who believe in Christ. We need money to run the community, like giving help to the poor and etc. This is where the money goes to. Maintenance, electricity and everything are self-paid by the community as well. Not gahmen funding mah.
Some churches like my Catholic church do not require us to make the payment direct from the salary as we are expected to drop the money into the bag every week, voluntarily. We are the 'older' church.
Whereas, the newer ones need that kind of money to run so they have made it into the norm. Anyway, God says, if you give 10 folds, I will reward you back 100. :P
Long preaching eh? 'Cos I used to misunderstand on this issue and thought they are sucking blood.
Heh, forgot this is not my blog.
Adrian - I think a good Christian should be one who is concerned about the TRUTH not just the hype...lol
zewt - If you're ever in MPH, do lookup Joseph Prince. Wait for my hubby to come back, I think I can put up his sermon CD in MP3 for you to listen and you judge for yourself.
As for the church territory, you're so right. I've heard some people telling their church members to ask ppl to come to their church. Nevermind those folks are already good church going peeps attached to another church. Kiasu only.
Seefei - No, no it's the Prince guy. You know which church lar.. I get goosebump listening to his sermons. No, I'm not getting those bumps becos I'm filled with holy spirit..lol It's because I beh tahan the way he said "so many people's life had changed because they heard his sermon.." Yuck. Blowing his own trumpet all the time.
Shireen - No worries, it's always OK to ask lar... :-)
5xmom answered for me liao.. hehehehe In case you're wondering why the figure 10%, it's written in the bible 1/10. I'll stop here because I dun want to confuse you. Lilian answered all the fundamental points liao... lol
Lilian - As a Christian, the 1/10 tithes issue has been baffling me. I do agree 100% Christians ought to contribute to the Church... but sadly, I cannot agree with the way many pastors said it. Pastors love to quote Malachi when they want to ask for tithes. But then I always believe if we now subscribe to the new law and not the Mosaic law, the emphasis should be placed on being a cheerful giver. Not mere legalism.. Of course I still dare not voice out my thoughts becos the moment I said something like this, they'll assume I want to skimp tithes. :-) SUsah only..
Silverstar - one of my favorite commentator..:-)
Now, if we read the whole passage in the bible, you'll know the whole thing was cooked up by those Pharisees to put Jesus on the spot. Under the Mosaic law, both the adulterers were supposed to be stoned. Those Pharisees were the 'experts' in Mosaic law. They knew it. But, did why did they just presented the woman and not the man? The reason is, they were not interested in carrying out justice. They were merely trying to put Jesus in a spot. Remember the bible said Jesus wrote something on the sand?
I was baffled why Jesus would write on the sand. Later when I read up more, only then I found out the reason.(from those bible scholars lar) lol
You see, while Moses wrote his Law on a piece of stone, Jesus wrote on the sand. The Moses law written on the stone signified the nature of the law... it is not erasable. The writings on the sand is erasable because it did not have a foundation. It's merely a ruse.
When Jesus said "those without sin....cast the first stone" he meant those with no pure intention on the truths should not accuse another. Somebody who is not interested in the truth but using the law to get their selfish means has no right to do so.
Therefore, it is not becos people with sin should not judge, it merely meant people with no-pure intention for justice should not judge.
Well, I'm open for discussion on this.. :-P
Oh, Joseph Prince, New Creation Church issit. He is making big news as one of the fastest growing church in singapore. His church leaders are all quite young. The only difference is they r making use of new media to reach the masses.
But his message is nothing new, many local pastors have preached the same message. It's just that he use it as the theme for his church. Grace, grace, grace.
But I can understand why u feel that way, his message is too sugar coated isn't it?
Btw, I have only listened to 2 small parts of his sermons. So I can't judge.
Do u mind me asking, does ur church believe in the baptism of the holy spirit? Speaking in tongues, etc.
We are often reminded not to be like the disciples when Jesus told them He is leaving them. They were fighting over who is better and will take Jesus's place. That's why I dare not touch on the gay church issue and etc.
Adrian - I can pray in tongues but I lost it, I think, cos I hardly go for worship and praise. Too intense for me.
Adrian - I always hear ppl talking how much the mega churches are growing. But then if you sit back and think, Jesus said make disciples not members. You can have a few thousand members but the question is, how many get the true teaching? Now, I know ppl might say how I know they're not getting 'true' teachings? Easy. If a pastor preaches nothing but prosperity, always blame the devil for our sins then there is definitely something wrong. It's just half-truths. Dang, the devil preaches half-truths too, right? lol
My church is a moderate Pentecostal church, but then I do not speak in tongues. :-)
IMHO, the best sermons are from John MacArthur. His sermons are free... http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/archives.asp?cp=2
If you know Mandarin, the best mind provoking speaker is Stephen Tong. I cannot grasp much either coz he spoke in Mandarin. He's an Indonesian preacher. His preaching damn chimm.. lol
Lilian - I understand perfectly about the gay thing. We should not condemn the gays but the act of homosexuality... but then hor, those church authorities should have a harsher stance. It's not that we are against the gays, it's the WOrd of God that does not condone homo activities.
You're a Roman Catholic, does your church encourage speaking in tongues? :-)I know many non-Charismatic churches are against it.
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If God is not concerned with numbers, He wouldn't have one book in His Word called Numbers already :p
2 Peter 3:9 - "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
This verse is proof that God wants as many souls saved as possible.
A church that numbers a 100 members 10 years ago and still numbers 100 members 10 years later or worse still, has 90 members now. Maybe there's nothing wrong with its teachings. But the fact of the matter is: Everything that is healthy grows.
What happens then to those that don't grow?
Jesus said in Matthew 3:10 - "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
Even Jesus Himself said so of being fruitful in John 15:5 - "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.".
It is God's will for us to be fruitful and multiply. He said so in Genesis 1:28 - "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."
Whether we are from small family churches or megachurches, we are all from the same body of Christ. The purpose of a church is to preach Christ and honor His word.
What's the point of small churches and megachurches criticising against one another? Isn't that a waste of time and effort when there's a world out there waiting for us to save?
Mockingbird - "Whether we are from small family churches or megachurches, we are all from the same body of Christ. The purpose of a church is to preach Christ and honor His word."
The fact is, many preachers are not honoring His word. I agree the Lord intended ALl to be saved... but then He knows not all will be saved. That is where freewill comes in. There will be some who reject Him.
Our commission is to spread the good news. Not worry about the numbers. Afterall, it IS the Lord's sovereign decision if an individual is worthy to be saved.
Someone who comes to the Lord with no understanding of His word is not going to repent. The person is not going to be saved. It doesn't matter how many attend church every Sunday... I believe the Lord wants quality not quantity. Remember how many followed Jesus around? Multitudes. Did it mean a thing? No. They left.
Let's put it this way. Jesus died unconditionally for all. But, our 'membership' into the Kingdom of God is conditional. There are certain things we have to fulfill if we want to enter into His Kingdom. This is the rule. If, preachers are not straightforward and let known this condition to all, how will people even try to fulfill the condition? You see, many preachers are only preaching half truths.... how easy it is to enter the Kingdom of God. This is going to give ppl a false sense of security. No one is going to change and bear fruit. (the 9 fruit of the spirit)
As for growth, the condition for healthy growth is in its foundation. :-)
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i agree with you that salvation involves repentance. A so-called Christian who attends church every week but lives his life in blatant sin outside church is probably not going to end up in heaven after he dies.
One of the reasons why small family churches hardly experiences any meaningful added growth is because they are too comfortable where they are. They are not "keen" on bringing others to church. They are not interested in numerical growth. This is how a church stagnates.
I also agree with you that while many are called, few are chosen because most are unwilling to pay the price of discipleship, of bearing one's cross and following Christ.
It's not true God is only concerned with quality and not quantity. Actually God wants both quality and quantity. Just look at Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea which numbered over 800,000 members in 2006. It's the best example of a church that has both quantity & quality. It is possible for these 2 qualities to co-exist side by side. With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
As for preachers that preach half-truths, who are we to judge them? Or are you trying to imply that pastors of megachurches don't preach the full truth? Or are you prejudiced against such pastors just because they lead megachurches?
Mockingbird - No, I'm not pointing at anyone because the size of their church. It's just that more established churches had better means for their sermons to be heard by others. :-)
As a Christian, everyone has the right to discern (and ought to as well) and judge whether anything the preacher taught is according to the Word of GOd. Afterall we've been told to 'test everything.' :-)
Amen. We have to test everything. Can't take everything preached by the pastor wholesale. By their fruits we will know them. A good tree can't bear bad fruits. Neither can a bad tree bear good fruits.
Can't judge on face value between a pastor of a megachurch who has an exciting, fruitful and prosperous ministry and one whose church has not grown for many years.
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