Traditions Of Men In The Modern Church Chart

Author:

This is a part of a presentation I put together for discussions with a pastor of a church I was attending some years ago, and it applies to most all modern churches today.

This is not a systematic study, it was a few ideas pulled together to answer some basic questions.

Download: PDF

Download: Image

 

 

Modern Church Traditions Of Men Chart

1) Church Teaching In The Laodicean Church Period

  • The Laodicean Church has always existed, but now is the new ‘normal’:

Rev 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

  • Paul commanded:

2Tim 4:1 “…I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

2) What Do We Want To Achieve?

  • Sound knowledge of God & Scripture basics

  • Obedience to God

  • Lordship of Christ- God owns us, practically

  • Kingdom perspective

  • Maturity

  • Effective disciples – spiritual & practice

  • Able to share their faith

  • Ready saints – 1 Corinthians 14:8-9 “If the trumpet gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?”

  • Sound discernment

  • A dynamic relationship with God

  • ‘A leader is strong in these two areas; clarity and urgency!’ James McDonald – So what is, clarity?

  • Etc.

3) Are we achieving this effectively?

My proposal: no, we are not achieving this.

  • Lack of effective content

  • Lack of knowledge – biblical illiteracy

  • Lack of authority

  • Lack of clarity

  • Lack of dynamics (‘Scripture’ dynamics not personality)

  • Shallow repetition of old ideas

  • Preaching time used ineffectively

  • Poor perspective of who God is

  • Poor perspective on many doctrines, hell, sin, holiness

  • Boredom & apathy

  • Unchallenged ignorance of the unbiblical

  • Expository study is hard work, so not done

  • Etc.

4) Summed Up In A Picture

These problems would require systematic, methodical, targeted teaching to expose and correct. Anything less will fail, because the traditions of men are so deeply ingrained into the psyche of postmodern Christianity, that anything other, will be like water off a duck’s back.

5) Principles to Consider

A) True teaching dynamics & authority comes from a deep love of Scripture with solid teaching, not personality or gifting

I.e. David Pawson has little charisma, quite a boring personality, but his clarity and authority of what the Bible teaches, is dynamic, and changes people.

Pawson’s clarity: You could say ‘warts and all’ without modifying it for a modern audience. Example:

B) The teaching/preaching may change down through history, but as the sin nature of humans never changes, we must challenge, goad and expose as Jesus and the apostles did in the New Testament.

‘Nice’ preaching will never deal with the sin nature of humans, in the same way that a treat, for an unruly child may get some result, but will not deal correctly with the self-will/sin nature. ‘What’ is it, that needs to be exposed/challenged; and what praised/commended?

In Christianity, teaching the ‘What’ becomes self-educating. We see the sin/failure clearly, we already know what we need to do. Problem is, we do not state it clearly, with examples of ‘what’ we are doing wrong, as Paul, James, John did. You have to point out what people are doing wrong, and give examples, so that it cannot be evaded.

Clarity is confronting as Bible teachers/preachers.

This is not being ‘judgmental’ or ‘beating people down’ it is a standard biblical way of teaching/preaching:

  • Mat 28:20 “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

  • Luke 17:3 “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; [How much more the preachers?]

  • 2Tim 4:1 “…I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage”

  • 1Tim 5:20 But those (leaders) who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.

  • Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom…

  • Titus 3:13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith…

  • Titus 2:15 Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority.

  • 1Thes 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly…

  • Eph 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

  • 1Cor 4:21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,

  • 2Cor 7:8 I don’t feel bad anymore, even though my letter hurt your feelings…9 because God used your hurt feelings to make you turn back to him, and none of you were harmed by us.

  • 2 Cor 10:2 …So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don’t make me treat you that way… 6 And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.

  • Etc.

6) Teaching Revitalisation

Some recommendations:

The Teaching Team:

  • Repentance for sugar-coating the message, not salt

  • In depth sessions on the problems to get all on the same page

  • All on the teaching team to complete hermeneutics course by Dr. Bob Utley or more simple, similar program

  • A number of relaxed, scheduled accountability sessions

  • Etc.

Some recommendations:

Church Teaching:

  • Identify the ‘gaps’ in doctrine

  • Identify the gaps in perspective

  • Identify the ‘traditions of men’ (below) imbedded in corporate & personal paradigms – could even use questionnaires.

  • Systematically target errors

  • Prioritise blunt, biblical teaching on the character and attributes of God, to set a foundation. Who IS God

  • Create a weekly teaching class for those that want to learn more

  • Work towards a 2 year plan to complete

  • Etc.

Traditions of Men that Annul Scripture:

Mark 7:7 “…and they worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ 8 Having neglected the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And He was saying to them, “Neatly do you set aside the commandment of God, that you might keep your tradition...”

(In no special order)

  • Text Proofing Theologies

  • Literalism – Bible Is Inerrant, in that there is Not One Word Incorrect

  • Judge not lest you be judged

  • Evangelize With God’s Love, Not Repentance

  • Fear Of Genuine Challenging To Change – Focus on Wealth, Career, Hobbies, Partying

  • Project Exciting, Trendy Church To Attract Saved And Unsaved; Habitually projecting ‘exciting, fashionable’ church/Christian experience, not obedience, holiness, defeating sin, perseverance…

  • Appeasing the Fleshy Members

  • Accept homosexuals in the Church, do not challenge them

  • Unconditional Love

  • God the Father and Jesus our Saviour are really nice

  • Must Be Nice As A Christian

  • Pastors will not preach hell or end times

  • Believe and live in material prosperity

  • Immoral TV & movie viewing

  • Protect Sinners And Believers From Offensive Truth – no proper clarity

  • All opinions are equally valid

  • No church discipline

  • Modern Church Ethics of Never Having To Listen To Anyone If You Declare They are Not Saying In Love (“Not Enough Niceness for my liking”)

  • ‘Feelings worship’

  • Biblical illiteracy

  • Lukewarm Church is acceptable

  • Undisciplined children (and they belong to God)

  • No conviction of sin with tears of repentance any more

  • Constant Affirming Encouragement – You Are Favoured

  • Push Self-Belief and self-improvement

  • True Holiness Is Regarded As Legalism

  • True Obedience Is Regarded As Works

  • Over-emphasized relationship with God over obedience

  • Spiritual conceit – presume on God

  • Dumb down ‘fear of God’ to mere respect, reverence.

  • Dumb down ‘be ye holy as the Lord is holy’ to ‘God knows we are only human, lighten up.’

  • Appeasing pastors of civil authorities and ‘the woke’

  • Prosperity doctrine not exposed

  • We are so definite, bold, presumptuous and flippant about being so safely saved – God Keep Us Safe

  • Youth are favoured and spoilt members of our Churches

  • Will Not Stand With Persecuted During Lockdowns

  • Perception That We Are More Enlightened, More Spiritual Than Past Generations – Evolution

  • Christians Blindly Vote For Murderous (Abortion) Politicians Seemingly Unaware Of The Problem

  • Not Talk About Politics

  • We Put Our Parents & Grandparents In Old Age Homes

  • Children’s Church

  • Youth Groups

  • Little discerning of the times we live

  • Worship band placed prominently on stage

  • Etc.

7) Possibilities

  • Revitalise church – greater sense of purpose

  • Effective disciples

  • Convert goats to sheep

  • Silence the carnal, give voice to the zealous

  • Creates a self-discipling church

  • Accelerated growth/maturity

  • Etc.

8) Obstacles

  • Fear of man

  • Executive church mentality

  • Goats

  • Traditions of men

  • Live Streaming – inhibits preaching

  • Social media

  • Etc.

9) Dangers

  • Live streaming

  • Welcoming the world into the church

  • Displeasure of God

  • Social media

  • Etc.

10) Spot Light On The Issues

We, the modern Church, are always looking for the ‘new’ dynamic ways of preaching to bring back some life and dynamics to our church. But it is not what is ‘new’ that is missing, it is the foundations left out that are missing.

But we do not like the old basics, so we keep looking for other ‘new’ ways and dynamics to bring back some life and dynamism to our church.

But, if we were to bring back the basics, to ‘despise the shame’ of the establishment Church and the world, in order to firmly establish the most foundational teachings of God and Scripture, our church would become very dynamic and full of life (that is, after losing a bunch of goats at first.)

Foundations i.e. that: God IS so holy, and truly hates our sin; hell is real and is eternal torture; that many in the Church now, will go to hell because they are lukewarm(foolish virgins); that God is far more concerned about His Plan & Kingdom than He is about our self-esteem; that God if far more concerned about the lost that He is about our material prosperity; that to be an obedient worker in the Kingdom, along with loving another another, we MUST judge all things; that Jesus is a Warrior, not a cuddly Lamb; etc.

11) Other Voices On The Issue

‘The Church is Dying Because Her Pastors are Afraid to speak in all Truth and Clarity.
We are Afraid of the media, Afraid of public opinion, Afraid of our own brethren! The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.’

Robert Cardinal Sarah.

‘A pastor afraid to upset pleasant nominal Christians w/the costly demands of God’s Word for fear that they’ll leave the church, & take heads and dollars w/them, will end up losing serious Christians instead & lead his church into a “nice” but vomit-worthy, luke-warm Christianity.’

Jeff Wiesner
@jeffwiesner

 

‘Many pastors love the middle there is no conflict there. They attempt to hold hands with both the church and the world. But as the divide visibly increases, they are being revealed for who they really are-cowards, hirelings,
and wolves.’

Dale Partridge
@dalepartridge

 

‘The Christian church was designed to make sinners sweat. I have always believed that, and I still believe it. The messages preached in our churches should make backslidden Christians sweat. And if I achieve that objective when I preach, I thank God with all of my heart, no matter what people think of me.’

AW Tozer

 

‘After living in America for a matter of months, a Christian Iranian couple decided to move back to Iran. The wife told her husband: “There is a satanic lullaby here. All the Christians are sleepy and I’m feeling sleepy.’

Dustin Benge
@DustinBenge

 

‘That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which god abhors.’

Charles Spurgeon

 

‘When the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.’

-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 

‘Those who would send out thousands of questionnaires asking the unconverted what they would desire most in a worship service should realize that ten thousand unanimous opinions of carnal men do not carry the authority of one jot or tittle of God’s Word.’

Paul Washer

 

‘Many “conservative” pastors known for a careful focus on scripture avoid practical controversies. They put their heads down and preach through the Bible, ignoring that half the Bible is the refutation of contemporary
heresies and sins. They focus on the Bible’s words, but ignore its example. They build churches that are comfortable homes for regime Christians.’

Nate Fischer
@NateAFischer

 

‘Satan’s strategy is simple … make sin look normal and make righteousness seem strange. Do not be deceived. Every single one of us are being transformed either into the image of Jesus or into the image of this world.’

@mimihomemaker 94

 

‘Lectures which really teach will never be popular; lectures which are popular will never really teach.’ 

Michael Faraday

 

‘I will not violate the teaching of the text in order to somehow sound more appropriate for the culture.’

Voddie Baucham

 

‘Those who would send out thousands of questionnaires asking the unconverted what they would desire most in a worship service should realize that ten thousand unanimous opinions of carnal men do not carry the authority of one jot or tittle of God’s Word.’

Paul Washer

 

‘People often tell me Doctrines divides, and I say “Yes, it divides Truth from Error.’

John MacArthur

 

‘In many cases, individual feelings and personal experience have replaced sound biblical interpretation. The question “what does the bible mean to me?” Has become more important than “what does the bible mean?” That is a frightfully reckless approach to scripture.’

John MacArthur

 

‘Of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament, twenty-six of them condemn false doctrine.’

Justine Peters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Charts