WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CHURCH?

Many Christians are asking that very question. The church that they knew and loved 20 or 30 years ago is hardly recognizable today. Rather than being a place of worship, the church has become an entertainment center.
Ear plug dispensers are standard equipment for churches that like to crank up the decibels. Complimentary disposable ear plugs are offered to those who complain that the 110-decibel music hurts their ears.

Some worship services begin by dimming the lights and open with a secular song. They turn on fog machines to create an atmosphere that resembles a rock concert.

ATTRACTING THE UNCHURCHED

You might be wondering why churches have changed. The goal was to attract people who were unchurched. The “Church Growth Movement” sought to create “seeker-sensitive” churches. Bill Hybels, a key leader of the “seeker-sensitive” approach to church growth, later confessed that this approach did not work.

Hybels admitted, “We made a mistake.” He said that they should have taught people to read their Bibles and take responsibility for their own spiritual growth.

Unfortunately, the “Church Growth Movement” and their “seeker-sensitive” churches came at a high cost. Since the goal was to attract the unchurched crowd, churches had to be careful not to offend their target audience. Sound Bible teaching was replaced by 40 minutes of music and a 20 minute “feel-good” sermonette about love, unity and tolerance. “Seeker-sensitive” churches wanted to be known for unity and tolerance. Therefore, everything and everyone had to be accepted. The “new tolerance” and “political correctness” became the guiding principles for “doing church.” Entertainment was offered in place of sound doctrine. The gospel was replaced by social justice causes. Relevant issues vanished in many churches. The idea of voting according to Biblical values disappeared from the pulpits. Pastors quit speaking in favor of traditional marriage. They stopped taking a stand against abortion. “Thou shalt not offend” became the new commandment which eclipsed all others. Taking a stand on moral values found in God’s Word was pushed to the back burner. The mantra became: “doctrine divides.”

DOCTRINE DIVIDES

Yes, doctrine does divide. Just ask Martin Luther and John Calvin.

Had these noble reformers not opposed the erroneous teachings so prevalent in their day, there would be no protestant church today.

Doctrine does divide, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. At some point in time believers need to take a stand and say, “enough is enough.”

Ronald Reagan once said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.” Sad to say, many Christians today are paraphrasing Reagan’s words: “I didn’t leave my church, my church left me.”

In the book of Proverbs we are told: “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Prov 22:28). It seems like many churches today have removed the ancient landmarks of sound doctrine in favor of a new way of “doing church.”

THE OLD PATHS

Old Testament prophets were like watchmen on a city wall. They warned of impending danger. Jeremiah was such a watchman. He was tasked to warn the nation of Judah about the dangerous path that they were following. Jeremiah warned: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16).

Judah strayed from the ancient paths and was in danger of destruction. Jeremiah urged the nation to walk in the good way where she would find rest. Unfortunately, the people refused to follow those old paths. No doubt they considered the ancient ways to be obsolete or old fashioned.

Sound doctrine is timeless and should never be considered obsolete or old fashioned. Churches need to get back to the old paths of sound doctrine.

Sanford Bible Church is committed to teaching sound doctrine. We will never water down the gospel of God’s free grace with today’s progressive ideas of social justice. The Bible does speak to issues of justice that “Progressive Christianity” would rather ignore. For instance, God’s Word explicitly teaches the traditional view of marriage. Scripture is also unequivocal about the sanctity of human life in the womb.

Teaching sound doctrine is vital for the life of believers as well as for the life of the church. Our desire is to expound the rich treasures of God’s Word. We invite you to join us as we explore God’s Word together.

2460 S Sanford Ave
Sanford, FL 32771