On Sunday mornings our adults have been studying church life and growth. This Sunday (November 18, 2012) we will be answering a question posed last week: "What causes churches to decline or die?" Here's a partial answer:
Some Characteristics
of Christless or Dying Churches
Based on the Lessons
from
the Seven Churches in Revelation here
are characteristics of
churches where Christ is not central and/or where the
churches are
dying:
1. Lack
of truth
a. Little
orthodoxy
b. Distorting
or perverting truth
c. Unwilling
to guard or keep Christ’s truth (through discipline)
d. Examples:
Revelation
2:12-17 - The church of
__________________________
Revelation
2:18-29 - The church of
_________________________
Revelation
3:14-22 - The church of
__________________________
2. Lack
of love (but they had truth and works)
Example: Revelation 2:1-7 - The church of
_________________________
3. Lack
of holiness
a. Unwilling
to address sin, to discipline
b. Example:
Revelation 2:18-29
4. Lack
of faithfulness
Examples:
Revelation
3:1-6 The church of
____________________________
Revelation
3:14-22 The church of
____________________________
5. Lack
of unity (no truth or
love)
Examples: Revelation 2-3
and the Corinthians
6. Lack
of Christ
a. This is
the heart of it:
Neither Theocentric nor
Christocentric!
b. It is
man-centered (anthropocentric)
Root: pride, setting up and worshipping the idols
of our sinful hearts
The
idols of their collective heart was they had a
self-sufficient apathy.
c. Example: Revelation 3:14-22 The church of ___________________
Note: The subtle manifestation of pride and way to
kill a church are observed in
a lack or absence of truth, love, holiness and
faithfulness.
Some Core Problems:
1.
Core
problems in the church are idols of the heart. Idols are the thoughts,
desires, longings, and expectations that I/we
worship (we believe we cannot
live or be happy without)
in the place of the true God. Things that become
the primary source of my/our
inmost joy more than God himself.
2.
Anything
that stands in the way of my/our idols will meet my proud wrath
(as revealed in
my anger, frustration, depression, bitterness, temper tantrums,
gossip,
slander, false accusations, judging, fighting, leaving, etc.
3. List the things
do I believe that I must have in my/our church in order for it
to be
meaningful, make me happy, be satisfying, etc.?
What Are Some Results of these
Negative Characteristics and Idols?
1. The
church becoming something other than a biblical church that has the
biblical marks (faithful to Word, sacraments,
biblical discipline, prayer, love,
God’s Spirit at work, etc.)
2. God removing His lamp stand from the
church
3. Division and dissolution
4. A Call to repentance, revival and reformation
5. Other:
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