The term "missional' with a church is misleading. It is a buzz word for churches going Emergent...definitely seeker-friendly. The big difference between these churches and what I'd call a 'sound' church is ministry philosophy. A 'missional' church isn't missions minded, as in, going and spreading the gospel of Christ. Rather, they have a mind to sell Christianity by doing things like having a 'ministry of presence'.
What??
Yes, a ministry where you go to a church and act like you are a member so others see the 'thriving numbers' and then they say to themselves, "This must be a good church" , so they start going. It is a show. Never-mind that the messages are about self-improvement, how to use Jesus to better your situation/marriage/job...it's not about entering through the narrow gate, it's about marketing Christianity, changing the message of realizing how lost in sin we are without Christ, and changing it to how loving God is and how much better Jesus will make your life. Because it's got to be egocentric to sell to this sin-riddled culture, and the church doesn't need to look completely different from the world anymore. No, the newest craze is to look as much like the world as we can so the introduction into the church is seamless.
I recall when I bowed before God the first time, realizing the massive gulf from where I was to where He was, and learning that the difference in a Christian's life and the world was a contrast needed because people are miserable without the truth, and if you as a Christian look like them, they won't think you have anything to offer...that in essence, God would make no difference in their lives.
Somehow the modern church movements have lost sight of when Jesus says "enter through the narrow gate, for the way is broad that leads to destruction....". Somehow now it's enough to love others, but not in a way that makes them see their sin....but to clothe and feed them and just silently show the character? of Jesus? Somewhere along the line we outsmarted God and found that "how will they know unless someone tells them" became outdated. Somehow now we should have tattoos like the world, especially if they have a Bible verse, so people with ink will want to talk to us. It has flipped from us looking like Christ and Him drawing them, to us looking like THEM, so they don't think we're different and we become chums....then they are supposed to what? Come in to the church and become disciples of Christ? Are we duping them? or are we BEING duped because what is happening is actually something altogether different? Are we thinking being holy is irrelevant now or have we no idea what that even means anymore? Do we even get told that Jesus said, "Be ye holy, for I am holy."? Do we read that and ponder it, or do we just keep working in ways the church says to 'reach the culture'? Are we even supposed to REACH them, or are we supposed to preach the gospel and leave the reaching to God?
Now pastors tell congregations Jesus has more faith in them than they have in Him (make them feel good). Churches have counseling centers where people are flourishing and going through labyrinths. Because flourishing is what Jesus intends for us...it's right there with Joel Osteen and using Christianity to have your 'best life now'. Pastors allow sleazy musicians to be mentioned in their children's memos without any word on how dangerous such trash is to young minds learning about holiness. Music, for worship, sounds like the world's because beats don't matter...it's the words, even if you can't understand them, even during an Easter service....just sway and murmur things like 'Yes, Lord" and people will think you are so in tune with the Lord, your music must be holy and pleasing in His sight....
Stopping sex trafficking is equal in importance to telling someone the horrible news that their life is an offense to a holy God, and we can even call it being a missionary. You can be a missionary now if you just befriend people in another culture where Christianity is unpopular, because if you are a Christian and loving them as a friend, that is enough. You don't need to tell them the actual Gospel--the Good News is merely that God loves them...end of story. The most important thing nowadays is how to grow your church, make Christianity look large and appealing, and throw Jesus' name around so members don't realize you aren't discipling them. Keep sermons full of engaging and amusing stories, which are topical, but don't preach the Word with the goal of edifying the saints as Acts says because that is offensive to those SEEKING. A mile wide and an inch deep is the measure of success.
Yeah, that's it. Be relevant. That's what Jesus said, somewhere in Scripture, right? I mean, I haven't deeply studied what He said, but I keep being told that being relevant is how to bring them in, so that's what I'm doing.
God help us. God wake up the church. Help me see and stay on the narrow path. Help pastors not get bored with keeping the white fence post white, but instead be found faithful to the end. Help them remember cancers often grow fast. We can't sell Christianity as a broad, sweeping show. It is a life lived for Christ's glory, not a self-improvement program. It is dying to ourselves, not adding on an appendage called Jesus. People are hurting in this world, and all the good social causes and work to make Christianity look appealing isn't going to get us on the narrow path. We're losing our souls with all of this concern over getting out the message in a relevant way.
How about we instruct believers in righteousness? How about we not soft-sell Creationism and pander to public school indoctrination, but say the truth about what is happening in the schools? It is an absolute affront to Christian children to be in those bastions of ungodliness, yet how many pastors are afraid to speak out about it? The lies about evolution, homosexuality, abortion...yet pastors still say PRAY for the SCHOOLS. Isn't it a little beyond that? Have they talked to Christian kids stuck in those places? Ask Christian wives forced to put their kids in the schools because their husbands are unbelievers, let them tell you how their virgin sons get mocked all through Latin class by the gays sitting all around him. Tell the truth, pastors! Sex in bathrooms, teachers engaging in lewd acts, Christianity mocked full on...God mocked in the curriculum...it isn't a matter of opinion. The wickedness abounds and yet there you sit, afraid to OFFEND. Is that your calling? Believers need to be instructed in the way of righteousness, and that is unpopular on every front in this day and age.
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
~I write this and my heart is breaking for the multitudes who are being swept away with this tide of self-importance and self-improvement called Christianity. For a concise description of the emerging movement, read on. Be forewarned, once you start trying to alert people to this movement, you are considered a trouble maker or just nuts. John MacArthur has an excellent sermon outlining exactly what will happen to you if you bring these issues up with your church leadership, and he is spot on.
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchandministry/carey_emerging_church.aspx
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