July 29, 2009

Today's church

Can it be said any better?? The video at the end is a 7 minute investment. Well worth it.

"Sanctification starts with the pastor. His responsibility is to feed and protect his flock. As a pastor, I'm not called to be a stand-up comedian, a self-help guru, or a sex therapist. My job is to teach the Bible, thoroughly and accurately. I'm responsible to encourage and catalyze the spiritual growth of God's people. Anything else is a distraction.

Too many pastors today neglect the priority of sanctification for their congregations. Instead of helping God's people feast on the riches of His Word, they throw their efforts into attracting nonbelievers. Shrouding their teaching in pop-culture references and comedy routines designed to appeal to unbelievers, they withhold the only true source of spiritual nourishment from the Christians there who are hungry. Often the people in the pews don't even realize what they're missing, content instead to be entertained into spiritual starvation.

It's my prayer that you're in a church that does stress the importance of holiness - where your sanctification is encouraged and stimulated, and where you're fed throughout the week on the riches of God's Word. If you are, let me urge you to thank your pastor and church leaders for being faithful to their calling and in the example they set for your congregation. Let them know you're thankful for their commitment to God's Word, and that you're praying for the Lord to bless and sustain them." - John MacArthur



2 comments:

Stacey said...

I didn't watch the video, but I agree wholeheartedly. Where else are we going to learn and grow in our faith, so we can take that knowledge and share with others? We like to think of our church as a place to build disciples.

Stacey said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! And thank you for the congrats too :)