Churches have an organic make up that come in different shapes and sizes. They are communities of Christians that gather for preaching, worship, and fellowship. Some are conservatively small congregations while others are magnificently large. Church members can vary in age, ethnicity and socio-economic status. But each church is to have the same basic DNA as a Biblical church. Exegetical/expository preaching that makes the main point of a sermon the main point of the biblical text. It is verse-by-verse teaching with careful concern for the original languages words, tenses and cases.
There is to be accountability among pastors, deacons and members. Protecting and preserving one another in the faith. Bearing each other's burdens. This is all possible in a church with membership, discipleship and discipline. In order to develop biblical theology, godly affections and virtues, to the glory of God.
Dangers of Churches
(1) Theologically shallow.
(2) Frequent low proficiency in exegesis, expository preaching and biblical theology.
(3) Insecurity in Biblical theology thus susceptible to false teachings.
(4) Biblical Trinitarian monotheism practically denied with subordination of the Father and Son to the Holy Spirit.
(5) Idolization of Spiritual Gifts.
(6) Topical preaching with homiletics driven by a topic or idea outside of scriptures that is read back into the Bible for support via proof-texting.
(7) Simple sermons to the congregation instead of gradually lifting up the congregation to greater and deeper insights of the Bible's complexity, beauty and elegance.
(8) Good works are absent.
(9) Love is replaced with pride or fear.
(10) There is concentration of either Biblical theology, worship or service over integration.
No comments:
Post a Comment