Acts 29 Today

HELLO AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF

ACTS 29 TODAY

(now its your turn)

It is clear that the Protestant order of worship did not originate with the Lord Jesus, the Apostles, or the new testament Scriptures. This does not mean that the order is misguided, it just means it has NO BIBLICAL BASIS.

Pews and carpets also have no Biblical support either and are of pagan origins, but who would argue that chairs or carpets are wrong just because they have no Biblical support.

So why is Sunday morning any different than the type of chairs or color of the carpeting?

BECAUSE IT IS UNSCRIPTURAL AND DOES NOT LEAD TO THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH THAT GOD INTENDED.

Consider the following.

The order of protestant services represses mutual participation and the growth of the Christian community.

It puts a choke hold on the functioning body of Christ…BY SILENCING ITS MEMBERS.

If you operated scripturaly in the meeting you would be declared out of order and ask to stop you sharing or ask to leave.

The protestant order of service also STRANGLES THE HEADSHIP OF JESUS, THE ENTIRE SERVICE IS DIRECTED BY ONE PERSON.

You are limited by the knowledge and gifting and experience of ONE PERSON…THE PASTOR ( or PLASTER as they say in Thailand, kind of prophetic if you think about it).

So once again the service turns into one HUGE TONGUE…THE PASTOR, AND MANY LITTLE EARS…THE CONGREGATION.

Hardly the vision of what Paul was talking about where EVERY MEMBER IN THE BODY FUNCTIONS.

For many members of the congregation the Sunday morning service is shamefully BORING. Without variety or spontaneity, highly predictable, highly perfunctory, and highly mechanical. Little freshness or innovation, and has remained frozen for 5 centuries.

To put it bluntly…….the service empowers the power of ROTE, and the rote quickly decays into the ROUTINE, that in turn becomes TIRED, MEANINGLESS, AND ULTIMATELY INVISIBLE.

is it over yet

Seeker sensitive churches have taken a large market share of the American protestant population. They realized that something had to change, and so they (MAN) added A VAST ARRAY OF MEDIA, THEATRICAL, and ELECTRONIC PRODUCTIONS INTO THE SERVICE.

But despite the added entertainment factor, the service is still held captive by the Pastor, song leader led worship, and the people remain muted spectators ( although now they are more entertained in there SPECTATING.

The Sunday morning meeting that you sit thru year after year, actually HINDERS SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.

Because it:

encourages passivity.

limits functioning.

And implies that putting in your 1, 3, or 5 hours a week is the key to a victorious Christian life.

The new Testament NEVER LINKS SITTING THROUGH AN OSSIFIED RITUAL THAT WE MISLABEL….CHURCH….AS HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH.

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.

WE (THE CHURCH, YOU AND I ) GROW BY FUNCTIONING, NOT BY PASSIVELY WATCHING OR LISTENING.

REMEMBER NO ONE CARES HOW MUCH YOU KNOW…..UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

Until next time.

Larry