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Purposefully Driving to Hell

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Hate to break it to you Tony but everyone unsaved will be thinking get me out of here because they are unsaved! The things of God are foolishness to them it does not matter what order you choose for your service. It does not matter how many parts there are to it. I agree that a church service should run smoothly but to be honest I could care less if it is not as long as I hear the Gospel.

"5. The message is too long. Especially if there were already a lot of other service elements (see the last point), I'm not gassed up for a 45-50 minute message. Tighten it up, add a story, make it applicable, and send me on my way." -- Tony Morgan

Not gassed up for a 45 minute sermon? Too bad. The notion that proper exegesis of Scripture might take 45 minutes does not indicate a need to "tighten it up." If anything, watering it down to 20 minutes is "loosening it up." Add a story? What is this nap time at a day care center? Make it applicable and send you on your way? How does this work:

You are a hell-bound sinner in desperate need of a Savior.

Is that applicable enough for you? This is a prominent problem within the purpose driven mindset. The church is not supposed to entertain people. Seriously. There is not supposed to be a cutting edge worship band with all classically trained choir voices. There shouldn't be disco lighting and smoke machines. There is no need for hipster pastors who can relate to "where you are at." There doesn't need to be 20 minute sermonettes about how this is our best life now or seven steps to a better marriage. All of that serves only to distract from what is needed -- the Gospel.

"6. Lack of application or next steps in the message. I've given you an hour--give me something specific to take away that applies to my real life today." -- Tony Morgan

Once again the arrogant transactional attitude on display. We must understand what is going on here is that the purpose driven models of church growth have taken out the offense of the Gospel. There is no discussion of sin, the cross or the need to repent. As such, church no longer is dealing with eternal issues so it must pivot to temporal ones. Tony Morgan actually believes it is a good idea for churches to be in the business of application to real life today. A few years back Rick Warren wrote an article for pastors giving tips for how to make sure Easter visitors came back the following week. One of those tips was to NOT preach the Gospel. Instead he said start a sermon series that speaks to their lives now such as finding significance or having better relationships. He said you had to give them a reason to want to come back and Gospel would not work. Wow.

"7. Lack of security in the children's area. If I can walk off the street into your kid's area, that's a problem. My team often finds unlocked, dark, rooms in the same hallway as kids programming, along with unattended external exits. This is an issue we see far, far too often." -- Tony Morgan

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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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