1. You find it difficult to speak to people about spiritual things immediately following the morning service.
You find that the people either run out the door, or they talk about everything and anything except what matters most, that is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Sound doctrine is considered divisive, while it is said that love is all you need.
However, doctrine is divisive; it is so divisive that Jesus said, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matthew 13:12, 13). The church that does not fight over doctrine is the one that will not defend the gospel as it should. “I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me” (Philippians 1:7). A healthy church does not fight amongst its members over nonessentials, but it does defend core gospel truth in a loving way.
3. Sound doctrine is not viewed as the primary means of defining Christianity.
When sound doctrine is primary people are viewed as sinners and needing a savior; a Christian is one who repents deeply and is transformed. People are not basically good and God is holy enough to require repentance for eternal life. Hell is a word that should be spoken in church.
4. You are around people who are more concerned about family, career, house, and car than they are about Jesus, His church and His will.
Even good things that are instituted by God, such as marriage, can become idols. A godly church respects godly things in their proper place, but the church members are not encouraged to idolatry by preaching that does not set proper priorities. (Matthew 10:37)
5. A concern about the spiritual condition of others in the church is viewed as uncommon, meddling, or just strange.
Yet the New Testament is replete with references to “other people’s business,” and in such a way as to care for their spiritual health. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-15)
6. There is an attempt to make Sunday sermons more entertaining and less convicting about sin.
Preachers in the seeker sensitive movement, as it’s called, will generally dumb down gospel words, such as justification, sanctification, propitiation, and others in an attempt the make the gospel more understandable, according to them. Often it does not take long before their is precious little gospel message left. The gospel is offensive when it is preached correctly. (Mark 16:15; Galatians 5:11)
7. Sunday sermons are more personal stories and less about following and obeying Jesus Christ.
The gospel is naturally offensive because it reveals man’s sin, makes clear that man is an unworthy sinner and in need of salvation, that can only be received through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so much easier to entertainment, however entertainment never saves.
8. The church is man centered even though God is mentioned and scripture is quoted.
A man centered “gospel” caters to man’s needs or “felt needs” in contemporary language. The needs of men are important, but they are never meant to overshadow God’s glory, pleasure, and demands.
9. You are around those who will be more likely to elevate people than God.
According to Romans 1, the first sin that causes God to give man over to his sinful lusts is not acknowledging the one true God (Romans 1:21). The church is called to glorify God, which is something that can only be done when full attention is paid to His presence, will, and glory.
10. Salvation is viewed more as an act of commitment on the part of people than a gracious choice on the part of a sovereign and merciful God.
One of the ways that a church gives God the proper glory is by acknowledging that He alone is sovereign in all things. It is God that has the power and authority to choose who is born and when they die, where they live, who their parents will be, and in what conditions they will live. In fact, there is nothing that God does not choose, including those upon whom He will bestow His saving grace. To believe any other thing would be to make God less sovereign than what He is in truth. (Isaiah 46:9, 10)
11. Submitting to authority, particularly in the church is viewed as foreign and not so much Biblical.
All people are to rule their own lives as mature adults, make their own choices, and choose whom they will serve. Church elders should study the word and live by faith as an example to the flock. They should not misuse the Word for their own ambition or selfish gain, and as guardians they should should instruct and if necessary loving discipline those that are unruly. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
12. You are around people who are more concerned about what others think of them than sacrificing themselves for the brethren and the lost. (John 15:13; John 12:25)
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