Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Brian Shaeffer. Dr. Schaefer is a good friend and an overseer of many churches and pastors. He made a compelling statement to me. He said, "I would rather teach people into heaven than entertain people into hell." To be honest, I enjoy entertainment. I have been to many churches that entertain me. An entertaining church with a charismatic pastor can draw a lot of people. However, there is a scripture that points to the danger involved. 1 John 4:5 - They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. It is natural to want to please people and make them happy. A large crowd has the appearance of success. However, John warned us that worldy people are drawn to worldly messages. As ministers of the gospel, I believe we need to be reminded that the most incredible amount of love and joy we can give to a person is the truth of the gospel and the impartation of the Holy Spirit that makes Jesus come alive in our hearts.
We can enjoy church, the music, and the speaker, but if I am not experiencing God and a touch of the Holy Spirit, I believe we are missing something vital. I have heard the argument from the churches known as seeker churches that the job is to draw people into the church, and then once they get here, we can share the gospel with them. But my experience with these churches has been that there is a lot of wonderful music and a powerful motivational speaker, but I do not see a lot of true salvations, and people become filled with the Holt Spirit. I do not see captives being set free and broken hearts being healed (Luke 4:18). I do not see miracles, divine healing, and edifying prophetic words. I do not condemn the church because Christ loves the church and gave us life for the church, but I call on the church not to forsake the gospel of Jesus Christ, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That is the New Testament mandate that we all have, and it is critical if lives are going to be changed, healed, and blessed. All of these things glorify the name of Jesus Christ. Today's church should follow the clear example of the early church in the book of Acts. It would impact everyone, and the church would grow according to the Lord's will. The Bible gave us the plan, and it is up to us to implement it.
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