Comments on: Southern Baptist membership not showing up at the weekly sugar shack.

By: Don

Don — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:05:45 +0000

Exactly! Church institutions generally have become gathering places for spectators but the true Church is a body of believers empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s will on earth. Our work today is really little different then it will be in the Kingdom. If we are not using our gifts in this dispensation of time what makes anyone think God will give that person more authority to rule and reign with Christ in the coming Kingdom?

By: Aquila

Aquila — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:46:40 +0000

The mindset of going to church to get something needs to be changed. As you mentioned in your article, members are to move in the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to help one another. It is shocking to realize that many Christians do not know the teachings of 1Corinthians 12 on the gifts of the Spirit. They don’t even know what those gifts are, much less that they are supposed to use them for the good of others.

Many of the churches, instead of being one Body, are divided into the priesthood and those who sit in the pews. Maybe many are dropping out of church because they don’t feel needed or a part of the Body of Christ. This is also why many pastors burn out: they’re doing all the work that the Lord meant to be shared by all.

When Christians learn who they are in Christ, what their responsibilities are in the Body, that they are to go to church to give(yes, they will also receive but it’s about the correct motivation of the heart), and the pastors learn to share the workload; then church might be more like it was during the days of the Book of Acts.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:55:33 +0000

The Bible says we are not to forsake the gathering of ourselves. We have all done it, myself included. Attending church is not mandated, yes, but it is more difficult to live a godly life for Christ without attending a Bible based church.

By: Joel

Joel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:59:09 +0000

When I was about 7 years old I told my Mom I didn’t want to go to church, she simply stated “no you don’t have to go to church, you get to go”. That simple statement has stuck with me ever since. The Lord reminds every day “no you don’t have to serve Me, you get to serve Me”.

How many situations like Rob’s have we as believers in Christ do we run into during our day to day activities? Just because you can not find a body of believers to meet with every Sunday in 501c3 sanctioned building does not mean that you are not walking with the Lord in the manner that churches in the U.S. think you should. A true believer in Christ is or should be aware of the fact that we are suppose to all be priests, the priest goes into the inner sanctuary to come before God bringing the thanks, burdens and requests of those that don’t know or are unable to do the same.

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:01:26 +0000

You are very right Don. I have seen people who used to be at church and now they have gone wild and rebellious. And there are many church members that are currently living in sin. So I would not blame anybody if they started having services in their homes because the churches that stay inline with the Word are very few in America.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:44:08 +0000

Within the past year, my wife was suffering from cancer and I could not attend church every week since I had to stay home and care for her. I don’t know about the Southern Baptists but the last two churches that I attended were Charismatic and Independent. The services were fine, some very spiritual with good worship and teaching. The thing that bothers me is that, if for some reason, I can’t attend for a week or two, I never receive a call from anyone, nothing, nada. This bothers me. I even suggested to one of the pastors that someone should be designated to give follow up calls, especially to new people. I personally volunteered my services to make the calls. He listened and that was the end of it. I sent emails to one pastor and never got a response. Sometimes, I get fed up and stay home and think, what is the purpose of attending church. I can worship at home. No one will miss me anyway! Well thats not entirely true. When i do return, even after a month, the pastor will ask me how my wife and I are doing. What about in the interim? Suppose something happened to me; maybe I was in an accident or worse. I could be dead and buried and no one would know. Would they care? Would anyone bother to find out? You see what I am getting at? The church cannot be like that in my opinion. We have to be more caring and responsible. I’m not advocating that the church call you every day. That is the opposite side of the coin; but there should be a balance.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:04:05 +0000

My point was that at the church I attended, there was no visible/discernable attempt to obtain a decision for Christ. Music, sermon, then dismissal. The alter call appears to have gone out with the ’90s.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:30:06 +0000

You cannot tell if someone is a true believer with an altar call either. Only God and hopefully that person knows if they truly believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior or if they are just on some trip or a great pretenders. The lives being lived and the denial of the faith by some who claimed to have been saved in an altar call is one reason why many pastors have stopped giving altar calls. Jim also talks about this in the article I quote. There are no altar calls in the Bible just a response to the message.

I knew a very gifted pastor in a mega church that used to talk a hundred people each Sunday into getting saved in his lengthy altar calls. After several years of this he realized that they were going out the back door as fast as they were getting saved. He stopped giving altar calls.

John talks about the pretenders. I am sure these people in the early church went through all the motions and had everyone convinced that they were believers as well, until they left. Therefore, The proof of belief is perseverance until the end not if one responds to an altar call.

1Jo 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:13:13 +0000

I personally attended an S.B.C. megachurch in Macon, GA for a few months last year. No alter calls, and women actually shaking their rumps to the music in the stadium seating. It was truly sad to not see anyone make a decision for Christ. We are definately in the last days of “Laodicean” churches. I firmly believe that the churches are more interested in attendance numbers and tithe money than they are in winning souls for Christ. I also firmly believe that some people think they are a believer if they have an “experience”.

With no alter call, how can we tell if one is truly a believer? So sad.