Theological Reflection And Critique

You have put your finger on some of the problems that are affecting the contemporary churches in this post-modern generation. Many of the professors who taught me in both college and the seminary told us to balance the academic aspect and spiritual growth of our Christian life so that we can influence and impact our churches. Today, it seems such an advice is non-existent in many seminaries and Bible Colleges. Therefore, we are producing pastors who are lazy that they cannot study and preach the Word of God with any effectiveness. As such we are producing shallow Christians who cannot defend their faith in the public square. I believe that there should be a balance between the intellectual or academic and the spiritual side of ministry. Pride always brings a fall and destruction of an individual who allows it to take over his or her life. The reason is simple. Since pride was the downfall of Satan, he uses it to destroy any person who embraces it.

Pride is an insidious sin that the Bible condemns vehemently. It can be displayed overtly or covertly. However, if it is allowed to persist in the Body of Christ, then the church has opened the door wide for the devil to make the church ineffective. It can be destructive and deadly in the life of an individual believer in Christ.

OUTREACH AND DISCIPLESHIP
Outreach and Discipleship when integrated and done well will make a vibrant church. Outreach alone without discipleship becomes a revolving door to a local church because the members will not have a solid grounding in the Lord when they are confronted with false teachers and prophets. Discipleship without outreach will also create a stagnant church. Therefore, there should be a purposeful and intentional balance between the two to make the church steadfast and strong both numerically and spiritually.

A SENDING CHURCH VERSUS A COLLECTING CHURCH

A sending church versus a collecting church is a false dichotomy that is responsible for the death of many churches in the Western World. A sending church becomes missional in the sense that every member becomes an evangelist who reaches out to the lost. A collecting church becomes too much preoccupied with the people in their local church. The people begin to think that the work is to be done by the paid staff, which includes the senior pastor, the administrative workers, and the Associate Ministers. It is like we pay you to serve us so that those of us who are not paid become spectators. Many churches that are growing today have become sending churches. These are Great Commission Churches. The collecting churches are dying because they do not utilize their God given spiritual gifts to reach out to the lost people around them.