The essence of Ministry/Church

[RonNicky]

hope I am placing this in the correct forum, if not then there is nothing I can do about it, sorry.       

Lately I have been wondering a lot about church, and how we are being led to God. I feel so frustrated, in the sense that people nowadays place so much emphasis on wordly things such as singing competitions, making money, what happened to simple discussions being held about the bible or teaching the youth to minister, my soul is actually Craving for more of God, People somehow have lost the true essence of  church and its foundations..

#when ministry becomes performance, then the sanctuary becomes a theater, the congregation becomes an audience, worship becomes entertainment, and man's applause and approval become the measure of success. But when ministry is for the glory of God, his presence moves into the sanctuary. Even the unsaved visitor will fall down on his face, worship God and confess that God is among us, 1 Corinthians 14:25 (Warren and David Wiersbe). i pray that you will make a difference in your ministries, May God Grace be with you..

[RonNicky]

13 hours ago, Yowm said:

I hear you. One thing I try to remember that I heard as a babe in the Lord is, "Church is not a Country Club for saints but a Hospital for sinners."

amen, to that my brother in Christ...

 

[BK1110]

On 9/10/2016 at 6:51 PM, Yowm said:

I hear you. One thing I try to remember that I heard as a babe in the Lord is, "Church is not a Country Club for saints but a Hospital for sinners."

That's very true, though it's also important to remember that one of it's primary functions is to serve Christians; growing them so they can be better witnesses, and fellowship and living life among each other. It can certainly get out of hand in terms of focusing on serving members to the detriment of it's ministry to the lost, but both are certainly important.

[FresnoJoe]

10 hours ago, BK1110 said:

one of it's primary functions is to serve Christians; growing them so they can be better witnesses....
and fellowship and living life among each other. It can certainly get out of hand....
in terms of focusing on serving members to the detriment....
of it's ministry to the lost....

but both are certainly important....

Amen~! The Equipping Of The Saints
For Their Service In Love
To The KING Of
KINGS

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16 (New International Version)

[marvalusxoxo]

Ron you are so right! we in many ways have gone astray from the essence of worshiping the true God and had chosen to worship the flesh and we had brought such thing in by the way we attend church, who and how we worship to placing too much emphasis on things that aren't really important. Even attending worship on Sundays can become a routine leaving our souls empty of His presence and full of wants and even doubts or confusion. The church itself can get so involved in so called activities and forgets about seeking and leading the soul in worship, adoration, and obedience to the triune God.

[Ezra]

On 9/9/2016 at 5:59 AM, RonNicky said:

#when ministry becomes performance, then the sanctuary becomes a theater, the congregation becomes an audience, worship becomes entertainment, and man's applause and approval become the measure of success.

This warped idea of worship crept into churches about 50 years ago.  What should have happened is that church members themselves should have objected strongly.  But they did not.  

The idea of "traditional" vs "contemporary" worship was another abomination which was never strongly opposed. Now it has almost become the norm.

Worship is NOT entertainment, but when church leaders instigate such things, most people meekly go along with them.  Changes occur by degrees, but once the downward spiral begins, it simply continues.

[RonNicky]

3 hours ago, Ezra said:

This warped idea of worship crept into churches about 50 years ago.  What should have happened is that church members themselves should have objected strongly.  But they did not.  

The idea of "traditional" vs "contemporary" worship was another abomination which was never strongly opposed. Now it has almost become the norm.

Worship is NOT entertainment, but when church leaders instigate such things, most people meekly go along with them.  Changes occur by degrees, but once the downward spiral begins, it simply continues.

I strongly agree, with what you are saying..

[Marilyn C]

On ‎9‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 9:59 PM, RonNicky said:

hope I am placing this in the correct forum, if not then there is nothing I can do about it, sorry.       

Lately I have been wondering a lot about church, and how we are being led to God. I feel so frustrated, in the sense that people nowadays place so much emphasis on wordly things such as singing competitions, making money, what happened to simple discussions being held about the bible or teaching the youth to minister, my soul is actually Craving for more of God, People somehow have lost the true essence of  church and its foundations..

#when ministry becomes performance, then the sanctuary becomes a theater, the congregation becomes an audience, worship becomes entertainment, and man's applause and approval become the measure of success. But when ministry is for the glory of God, his presence moves into the sanctuary. Even the unsaved visitor will fall down on his face, worship God and confess that God is among us, 1 Corinthians 14:25 (Warren and David Wiersbe). i pray that you will make a difference in your ministries, May God Grace be with you..

Hi RonNicky,

I so agree with you. And also we need to remember that the format of organisational meetings are just one way to come together. Remember the early believers came together in small groups in houses, by the river, etc & each one contributing as the Lord led.

Marilyn.

[RonNicky]

hey Marilyn my soul is longing for small group discussions on the bible and how as a young person i can avoid wordly things

[Marilyn C]

11 hours ago, RonNicky said:

hey Marilyn my soul is longing for small group discussions on the bible and how as a young person i can avoid wordly things

Hi RonNicky,

Well you have come to the right place here to have discussions. Some very good people here who have much wealth of experience & Bible knowledge also. You can always PM my if you want to for a private discussion.

regards Marilyn.