"Let them
alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch." Matthew 15:14
It seems like over and over this question has been
coming up lately. As this email list has grown, folks from all over have
been asking about this. Almost all the older generation is
against this innovation... They just can't seem to figure out why! Since
this is a computer distributed (emailed) article let me recommend that you try
an experiment to answer your own question.
Run a word search on your Bible using your computer and see if you can
find a contemporary worship service. Did you? Me neither.
“Contemporary” doesn’t even occur in my version of the bible
(NASV) or a KJV. What does that tell you? Churches going this
direction are going where they have no instruction from Christ!
Normally the churches instituting this
“contemporary” worship service have long ago quit looking to the
Bible for direction. Almost always, they institute it as a separate
service…. Why? Because if they didn’t the “old”
people would walk out! And the leaders know it!
Like the segregation of the deep south… Today the churches need the stability of the old but don’t want
shackled by their life gained wisdom! They simply “segregate”
their “older” members by bringing in “separate but
equal” services.
If you ask many of these older people, “Why?” They can’t
tell you their objection. They have not been taught for many years the
questions that God actually gave to His people. How can you tell the
difference between a “good” idea and a “bad”
idea. The bottom line is that they have not asked these questions
for so long they have forgotten that the Bible literally gives you the
questions to ask.
What questions? That’s the problem!
This ignorance is the most obvious failing of a congregation, and
it’s leadership. Let me propose another experiment. If you
are in one of these liberal congregations go up to your elders/bishops/pastors
(in the Bible these are the same person). Now, ask them to show you
in the bible where to find God’s questions to determine right and
wrong. Ask for one passage to give you a basis to determine if something
like this is a good idea… or straight from the devil’s heart!
If your elders can show you an appropriate passage…. You should
walk away with three or four basic principled statements/questions from the
Mouth of God. If they can’t… they are unfit as elders!
Why? Because (I Timothy 3, Titus 1) gives the qualifications for these
men. Your Bible states what “must be” already within
them. They are specifically required to make these determinations.
Note Titus 1:9-11
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."
That’s
pretty hard to do if you don’t know the rules by which God expects you to make
those determinations… wouldn’t you agree?
Unfortunately these elders have begun making these decisions
without consulting God’s Word. The only way Jesus can
“Head” His church is if His Word is the rule for His people.
These decisions are then to be made based on what they want… Rather than
where Jesus leads us!
The
disasters of the Old Testament loom large on this approach to God!
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4: 6.
Yes, today we suffer because of forgotten
knowledge… even rejected knowledge.
When you ask for authority for this new fangled “contemporary
thing” you are a nay Sayer, you are an Anti, a troublemaker etc.
Try to bring up the Word of God and you will have a hard time receiving a
hearing.
For
those of you experiencing this situation my heart goes out to you… I have
lived through it.
I was raised in the Christian church. In the 1970’s I was
there when they ordained their first women elders. They went on to
institute women preachers etc… even though the Bible explicitly condemns
such. Even they didn’t have a “contemporary
worship” service then. Yes, they do now.
My wife and I left and began a search for a people that would be
satisfied with what the Bible said…. Even if we didn’t understand
why it said some of the things it said. We knew that if the Bible was the
Word of God… It was all or none. Anything less is not Christianity.
I was 20 at the time, I am now 50. I have to confess it was a lot
easier for me then than it would be now.
So why does each
generation have to keep facing these same questions?
Well, this is nothing new. Jeremiah answered that question directly
Jeremiah 5: 31.
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will
ye do in the end thereof? Hmmm. “My people love to have
it so.” It wouldn’t be tempting if it didn’t have
something desirable to the senses.
So, what
is a contemporary worship service anyway?
As we noted I absolutely can’t use my Bible to give you an
answer! You will have to look elsewhere to find your answer.
You may say, “But I thought God promised that the man of God
would be thoroughly furnished for every good work?” (II Timothy
3:16-17) Well… Actually He did. But this
didn’t come from God’s leadership. It was conceived in the
mind of man to make us just like the world.
That’s a pretty sanitized explanation. Some of them have, yelling, clapping, skits, plays and pretty much anything else you can come up with. Most denominational groups (including denominational churches of Christ) seem to differentiate it by the music offered. None truly appeal to scripture for examples of their behavior in scripture. That is a pretty telling statement.
This question really is a modern day Trojan horse! As an observer rather than a participant, I would define this behavior by noting the one thing that they all have in common:
The “contemporary
service” gives up the dignity needed to approach God!
The respect that should
be displayed is tossed.
That is what the
“older generation” can’t seem to put their finger on!
Deep down they know
it’s wrong… they just can’t figure out why!
What
is God’s take on all this? Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.' " So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
That
was the assessment made after God struck Nadab and Abihu dead for approaching
Him improperly in what they would have termed as worship. They offered
“Strange fire.” That’s pretty similar to offering “Strange
worship” isn’t it? It is definitely strange!
In our worship…
We
are approaching our Creator. He loves us, but we must never forget our
place. He will enforce said respect. OT or NT. Did I say New
Testament? Yep! Acts 5. Ask Ananias and Sapphira!
Disrespect, public disrespect is something God absolutely will not
tolerate.
Now,
God didn’t go around just striking people dead then, anymore than He does
now. He did it to make His point, then . . . He let the rest of us wait
on the judgment.
The
angels understand this check out Isaiah 6. Yes, I can take you to the
Word of God to make this point. When arrogance comes into the presence of
God, it is not pretty. Daniel 7:8ff
What is the cure?
The
reality is that after more than 30 years… I have never seen a church pull
back from this liberalism once it is entrenched. This particular behavior is
part of what is loosely called the “community church”
movement. It has swept through various denominational churches, including
the liberal (denominational) churches of Christ.
You
won’t find “community church movement” in the Bible
either. It is basically a process by which the standards are set by the
community’s desires rather than the standards being “of
Christ.” When this comes to it’s full end “Of
Christ” is even removed from the sign and a public admission is
made…
It
is now a “Community Church.” In a practical way, Jesus is dethroned in
favor of blending in with the “community!” Obadiah
once cried out (1:11) “You too were as one of
them.” Noting the “family” of God’s people is to
be a different people.
The
only effective fix that I have ever seen is personal… to leave it.
Martin Luther tried to do with the Catholic Church what many try to do with
various churches today. He failed and spent
the rest of his life… running for his life!
Earlier,
there was hope. By the time it reaches this stage the reality is that
darkness has won.
When
the eldership institutes a “contemporary worship service” they are
fully prepared for people to leave. They have decided to pursue the
“broad way” and to mingle with the multitudes on the multitudes own
turf. Even though Jesus has directly warned us the broad road is
destructive… The “narrow way” is no longer desirable…
and if you speak up, neither are you.
Here is Paul’s advice in such
situations.
II
Corinthians 6
14. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16. Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17. "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.
My advice?
You
need to find people satisfied with Jesus’ leadership and worship with
them. Even if that means starting a new congregation to do it. This
has had to happen many times in the last 2000 years!
There really is a time to
“give up.” God did... Romans 1:
24.
“Therefore God gave
them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity”
Hi I am glad you stopped by our blog. These articles are from an emailing that we did several years ago. Today most of our work is on facebook
You can follow my personal page on Facebook by clicking on this link ...
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If you wish to worship with us....
Las Vegas church of Christ
709 Dora Celeste
Las Vegas, NM 87701
Our meeting times are
10am Sunday morning for Bible study.
11am Sunday morning for the worship service.
6pm Wednesday evening for Midweek Bible study.
If you wish to contact me...
yakipreacher@gmail.com
Be well
Jerry Blount
