6 Practical Things that Mean Your Church is Dying

My title for this blog post might seem a little weird to some people because many think they would automatically know if their church is dying. It has been our experience that people do not know. And sometimes the pastor(s) don't even know. I have made a few observations of dying churches and thought these observations might help some pastor or church member wake up to the fact that their church just might be dying. This is a small list, but it has been very telling for many.



6 Practical Things that Mean Your Church is Dying:

1. The baptismal pool is filled with cobwebs. Spiders don't build cobwebs in places that are frequently filled with water. If your church's baptismal pool is dusty and cobweb filled, it's time to look back and see when it was last used. If it's been a while, get on your knees and pray for the lost souls around you. Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers. Be the first in line.

2. Classrooms are used for storage. We've seen many churches who use former classroom (and even sanctuary) space for storage. If your church is using teaching or classroom space for storage instead of teaching, find out why. Get on your knees and ask God to fill those spaces with eager souls who want more of His Word.

3. The people are more concerned with tradition than lost souls. When the idea and practice of doing things the way they've always been done is more prominent than the winning of lost souls, it's time to get on our knees and ask God for a burden for souls. I guarantee you that if you pray for souls, your focus will shift and your burden will grow like a creek in a flood. People who are dying into a Christ-less eternity couldn't care less about what type of music you sing in your services or which Bible version you prefer. Those things don't matter in Hell.

4. People gossip. If people are gossiping in your church - if you are gossiping - your church is not growing but is dying a slow, painful death. I once knew a church whose members often said, "We don't gossip here." All I can say is, for a church that doesn't gossip, they sure talk about people a lot. Gossip kills churches, causes rifts in relationships, minimizes Christ's work on the Cross and causes younger Christians to stumble. It also slowly destroys those who do the gossiping.

5. The nursery is empty or almost empty. An empty nursery indicates a lack of young families. Once a nursery empties out, churches often move into a maintenance mode and simply sustain what they have.

6. New people are from other churches. If you are seeing new people in your church and you find that they are mostly coming from other churches, that's a red flag. New people in our churches need to be new Christians. We need to be filling our churches with people we've been leading to Christ; new babes in Christ. If most of the new people in your church are simply hopping over from another church in town without a sound, doctrinal reason to leave that church, they will simply hop away from your church when something doesn't go their way there. Be wary of church-hoppers. They are not profitable to a growing church. They will ultimately destroy your church.

The all-encompassing solution to every problem listed here is prayer. Jesus, Himself, gave us the solution to these things. In Luke 10:2, He told us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He would send forth laborers. He said the fields are already white unto harvest. As a matter of fact, He said the harvest is great. Not just ready, but great!  The fields need no prep work; they are ready to be harvested. We prayed to the Lord of the harvest and so far, hundreds have come to Christ, four new churches have been planted and opportunities to preach and teach have increased abundantly even in the midst of personal trials. Do the praying; God will give the increase.

~Tricia

John MacArthur Disagrees with Jesus

I recently heard a sermon by John MacArthur upon the suggestion of a friend.  This was the first sermon I'd ever heard John preach. There is no gentle way to say that it will be the last sermon of his I ever listen to. Some have wanted to know my specific problems with this sermon. I'll try out outline them here. I cannot, however, be as thorough and comprehensive as I'd like to be. Time restraints are preventative to that, but I trust that anyone who wants to search these things out to see if they are true, will certainly do so on their own.

I have a problem when a preacher uses a non-contextualized talk to springboard to a general topic, then promote his own agenda.  In this referenced sermon, John MacArthur made some sweeping, generalized and harmful comments about women that have nothing to do with the passage he said he was claiming to preach, nor with the overall teachings of Scripture.

He said, "The intent of what the Word is saying here is that women need protection." (Referring to Genesis 3:15&16)
And he also said, "She has a certain vulnerability. The need for protection. The need for a leader. She needs a strengthener."
He said that Eve was deceived only when she had gone out of the protection of her husband.
And he said, "A woman has a deceive-ability when out from under the headship of a man. Rulership was intended for man."

He based these comments solely on the fact that Eve first took of the forbidden fruit in the garden as she fell to Satan's deception.

Let's look at God's Words about this. Eve was not deceived while "out from under the protection" of her husband. The Bible says Adam was with her when she partook (Genesis 2:6). Their eyes were not opened, however, till Adam ate the fruit.

The sweeping comment about women having a "certain vulnerability" and" needing protection" seems to go against what God said when He created woman. It was the man who needed assistance. God created woman because man needed help and protection. The word for "helper" is ezer and means assistant, succour and often has military connotations throughout Scripture. The word is used 21 times in the Old Testament and is used to mean strength and power. (Deut 33:26, 29) He created woman as an equal to the man. He gave them equal dominion over the earth and everything in it. (Genesis 1:28)

Any rulership husbands had over wives was a result of the fall. (Genesis 3:16) That is not an overall intent of God for only men to be rulers or leaders. God had women rulers and leaders all throughout Scripture and they ruled over men. They told men what to do. They led the men and with God's blessing and appointment to do so.

Also, because the idea of rulership was a result of the fall, Jesus conquered all that on the cross. A church-age husband is completely out of line to announce his perceived "rulership" on any level because he is commanded in Scripture to love his wife "as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her." Any abuse of this is just that - abuse - and an indication that the man has stepped out of his God-given role as sacrificial giver. (Also, Ephesians 5 calls for mutual submission between husbands and wives, eliminating the submission argument altogether. Besides, do husbands really want the kind of submission that comes from them demanding it? Submission indicates willingness by its very definition and Paul tells the Ephesians it will be mutually given in a proper marriage relationship.) John MacArthur disagrees.

Another general statement he made was, "Part of the curse is that she will desire to control men and he would have to rule over her." God did not say that. God did not say that women will desire to control men and that men, in turn would have to rule over her as though it's a reaction to that. Mr. MacArthur added his own words to God's Words here, changing the meaning of Scripture. (The Book of Revelation tells us what happens to people who add to God's Word.)

He started out saying that he was going to address the role of women in the church, but he branched out big time to include women everywhere. Clearly, women's roles in the church were very widespread in the NT church. Women led. Women taught men. Women served along side Paul, traveling with him and his missions team, were imprisoned with him, etc. Look up these women: Phoebe, Chloe, Junia, Priscilla, Anna, Lydia, Mary (who sat at Jesus' feet with the men), Eunice, Lois....and others. Priscilla went on a missions trip with Paul.  I can see why Mr. MacArthur had to avoid that.

Mr. MacArthur said that Paul was saying that a woman must embrace God's appointed role for her, which, according to John MacArthur, is motherhood. Even though he says that not all women are mothers, he also says that's God's appointed role for all women. Clearly, since men can't have babies without the intervention of modern science and misadventure, motherhood is ONE of the many roles of women. But, Mr. MacArthur's presentation doesn't really allow room for that idea. He wants to put all women in this neat, little box he's created and call it a day. This is spiritual abuse.

Toward the end, he said, "They [women] are delivered from the results of sin and are able to maintain a positive influence in society and in the church by accepting their role as a mother."

Why isn't the Christian world shouting blasphemy about this statement? Delivered from the results of sin by being a mother???? Seriously? The Mormons teach something very, very similar. Be careful, ears, what you hear.

When people of influence make sweeping comments, even on the heels of a disclaimer to the contrary, they are setting women up for abuse, pure and simple. What if a young Christian woman listened to this as a new babe in Christ? It would shape her thinking and it would cause her to stop thinking for herself and fall prey to men whom she perceives as "godly" and cases such as what ABWE, Bill Gothard and others allowed will continue to happen.

Women, do not be afraid to be strong in doctrine and stand up against this type of teaching. You don't have to make a scene when you stand up for it, all you have to do is stop listening to it. Stop reading it. Stop going to a church that teaches this nonsense. Blog about it if you have a blog.

A godly woman fears the Lord (Proverbs 31), not man. Jesus praised Mary for learning at his feet (as the men did in those days) and told her sister, Martha, that Mary had chosen that which could not be taken from her. (Luke 10:38-42)

Like Mary, all we as women have the opportunity to choose what cannot be taken away from us. The underlying tone of John MacArthur's sermon is one of abuse and an attempt to keep women out of sight. I know pastors who take his words to their pulpits and abuse their congregations with this very teaching. It's abusive to the women for obvious reasons, but it's also abusive to the men because such pastors are not strengthening their men in doctrine, they are filling their heads with lies, often turning them into bullies. It's so subtle that unless you've been exposed to it and its devastating effect, you might not realize the full implications it has. People like John MacArthur will answer to God for what they have done, but, in the meantime, we don't have to sit and take it....from anyone.

~Tricia

Stop Buying Bible Study Books!

A Case for Inductive Bible Study

A personal story

          For the longest time I felt cheated.  I couldn’t afford all the latest Bible study books on the market. We had eight kids and the budget was stretched to its max with their needs already. There was simply no room for something as luxurious as a Bible study book.  So I used my Bible, my concordance, my husband’s lexicon and his inter-linear Greek New Testament, a Bible dictionary and other tools to study my Bible.  I had taken Principles of Bible Study in college so I was familiar with the “how to” of  inductive Bible study. But, for the longest time, I felt like I was missing something.  Whenever we would go to a conference or I would go to a women’s seminar, all the ladies would talk about the latest Bible study book on the market and they were so excited.  But, I would return home to my own, independent Bible study methods time and time again, literally for a couple of decades. 

Ok, so the kids grew and some left home and the budget loosened up a bit.  I was finally able to purchase a couple of these Bible study books that were so popular.  Imagine my excitement!  When I got my first one, I was taken aback by its contents.  Why, it wasn’t a Bible study book at all!  It was filled with opinions, Scripture taken out of context and very shallow applications of what were, to me, rich passages of Scripture filled with promise and Truth.  I was sorely disappointed and a bit confused.

I quickly went back to my personal, inductive Bible study, by choice this time, and there I will remain!  Nothing on the market replaces or even comes close in comparison to inductive Bible study.  I make observations, do the interpretations and the Holy Spirit applies His Word to my heart and life.  My portion is observation + interpretation.  I have seen far too many good-intentioned teachers wrongly apply the Scriptures, leading to a false teaching that they, themselves, would never want to teach!  No one can apply the Scriptures to your life – only the Holy Spirit can do that and only the Holy Spirit should do that.  So, my study does not include application.  In the studies I teach, I often teach a Scriptural Truth, then I will ask my students if that Truth will change their perspective, and if so, how?

If you are studying God’s Word, you will learn God. 

Who He is. Why He is. What He is.

What I have learned in more than 30 years of personal, inductive Bible study:

1. Discernment - when we know Truth, we easily recognize error. Discernment isn’t necessarily something that has to be developed with effort.  Knowing the Bible produces discernment; it’s not up to me.  Biblical knowledge is the only way to get discernment.

2. Discipline - a dissatisfaction developed in me if I didn’t study a portion of Scripture thoroughly - I've always had to get to the bottom of it! This led to an overwhelming desire to see a study through to the end, to seek answers I didn't see right away.

3. Consistency - I had to approach all Scripture the same way every time. Even though I am the “creative type” and tend to go more according to my moods (like what I feel like having for dinner, etc.) I have been much more consistent with my Bible study than in any other area of my life.  I quickly learned that Bible study is not about my moods or even about what I want to learn; it’s about Jesus Christ and learning more about Him.

4. Grammar skills - grammatical content and structure is vitally important to inductive Bible study and I found that I lost meaning if I didn’t stop to consider the grammatical structure. This attention to grammar has helped even in my freelance writing, making me a better writer.

It's now easier than ever to do inductive Bible study. There are online lexicons, fabulous software programs and great concordances just a mouse click away. 

Stop buying Bible study books and just study your Bible. Don't settle for someone else's observations about the Bible, make your own, before you read theirs.

~Tricia

"If You Are Happy"

This morning, while browsing Pinterest, I came across a crafty idea about making a heart on an apron with a template. It was cute, so I scrolled down to see all of it, since it was a longer pin with pictures leading up to the final product. It was a cute idea, but not life-changing by any stretch of the imagination. However, the pinner's words struck me. At the end of the picture trail, the pinner said, "If you like this creation, and if you are happy, please visit my site."

When I read this, I pictured this pinner going to her website visitor counter, seeing how many happy people visited her site! And she could think, "Wow, it's good to know so many people are happy." 

I repinned her pin, not necessarily because I want to do the craft project - although I might. I repinned this because I love that quote! 

If you are happy........

It's no secret that happy people are pleasant to be around. Happiness might be hard to define by general standards, but it's not hard to spot when you're out and about, or even in your own home. Happiness is a pursuit, even written in our beloved Declaration of Independence as an inalienable right, paraphrased here: "We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:"

We all have the right to be happy. 

Happiness is an internal choice, and that choice is not given to you by the USA. It is given to you by God, Himself. There are always going to be pressures and stresses in this world that can bring you down and rob you of your happiness. There are always going to be negative people who will drag you down and try to take your happiness from you. (Those people are not happy, themselves, but jealous of you.)

But, when your true happiness rests in God, they simply can't take that away from you. When Mary sat at Jesus' feet, learning, instead of helping her sister, Martha with food prep, Jesus said she had chosen what could not be taken from her. (Luke 10:38-42)  It could not be taken away from her! It can't be taken away from you, either.

So, I hope you are happy.

If you are, I know you are resting in His grace.

And I rejoice.

~Tricia

The Subtle, Sweet Words of a False Teacher

False teachers never come out and tell you they are false teachers. They are clever and subtle and their words are smooth and comforting to the ear. They start out slowly, staying close to the Word so as not to arouse suspicion, but also to gain their listeners' confidence. Once lured in by their initial offerings, people reach a place of comfort and stop questioning the source. They will then read and follow anything that person says, without question.

This is how cults start.
This is how deception gains a foothold in your life.
This is how a false teacher lures you in.

I remember once attending a ladies Sunday School class for a few weeks when my husband wasn't pastoring, and the ladies were studying a "Bible study book" by a popular author. I questioned something in the book and one of the ladies said, "Oh, I can't imagine her saying anything like that! I trust what she says implicitly! I read everything she writes." The statement in question was right before her eyes, yet she still denied that this beloved author could say anything like that. But, she did say it. That poor woman was in denial. She had turned from student to worshiper, and didn't even realize it. Instead of a teacher, the author had become an idol. She dismissed any question about her as though we had no right to question anything she said. I didn't stay in the class.

The Scriptures tell us to watch. There are so very many warnings against false teachers throughout Scripture that if there were literal warning signs posted, there would be so many signs you'd have to watch carefully so as not to hit them! You would have your eyes wide open because they would be so plentiful you'd risk hitting one if you got distracted for even a moment. Why do you suppose God gave us so many warnings? Let's not kid ourselves by thinking false teachers are few and far between. I highly suspect one might be on your book shelf right now.

Here are some words from a false teacher's latest book. This woman is very popular even in conservative Baptist circles. Because I don't buy or use Bible study books, I'd never read anything she's written, though, so I had to seek out her work. I sought her out because some friends had recently had a heated debate about this woman and I wanted to find out about her myself. Fortunately, Amazon gives us 20% of a book to preview. I previewed this woman's latest book and found the following statement:

"I am being as honest as I know how to be when I say that I did not write these words by simple preference. I wrote them because had I not, the rock in my yard would have cried out. What God does with what He's required is His business. I entrust this message entirely to the One Who delivered it while I sat bug-eyed."

In her next paragraph, she went on to say, "Certainly I'm not audaciously implying that this book was written under the same divine guidance as the Holy Scriptures! What I'm saying is that I wrote this message to the best of my ability under the guidance of the Holy Spirit...."

This woman, despite her argument to the contrary, is aligning herself with God, giving her words as much credibility as the very Word of God. To her, I would say, "No, Beth Moore, the rocks in your yard would not cry out if you had not written your latest book." I would also say, "Your empty denial of equating your words with God's is not luring me in." And finally, I would say, "Get behind me, Satan!"

Beth Moore is a false teacher. I did not reach that conclusion by reading all her books, studying her associations or by talking to others about her. I reached that conclusion based on her very own words. As soon as any teacher, male or female, begins to equate their words with God's, they have crossed a line. She may have crossed a line sooner, I don't know but this one crosses the line and in doing so, she's disqualified every book she's ever written as being even remotely about or from God!

Her disclaimer of "not audaciously implying that this book was written under the same divine guidance as the Holy Scriptures" is akin to someone holding a gun to your head and claiming, "I am not a murderer!" as they blow your head off. (This was my husband's example.) Beth Moore is fully aware of how she has exalted herself. She has to publicly deny this, however, because if she didn't say the words of denial, she might face accusation. So, she says the words, but in the same paragraph, she, again exalts herself to God's level.

Her books are best used for kindling, should you have any in your house.

This is why I do not buy or use Bible study books. I have been asked more than once to write some Bible study books and I refuse. The only book you need in order to study your Bible is your Bible.

You do not have to be a Bible scholar to study your Bible effectively. You do not have to have a degree from a seminary. You have all the tools you need to study your Bible and know the Word of God. Colossians 2:8-10 assures you of your completeness in Christ, "Beware lest any man spoil (plunder) you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the basic principles of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.And you are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."

I challenge you to stop buying and reading Bible study books and recommit yourself to the pure Word of God.

~Tricia

How To Have a Nice Day

It hit me during a sermon my husband was preaching last night at the Watch Night Service at our church. He'd been asked to fill in and preach in place of one of our pastors who is in the hospital. He said it was a huge honor to fill Pastor Emmanuel Ephraim's shoes in that pulpit. I had to agree. Pastor Emmanuel, in the short few months we've known him, has taught us so very much already. We praise God for him.

Back to the sermon. David was preaching on Hebrews 13:7-9. Most of us are very familiar with Hebrews 13:8, which says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever." Powerful words; powerful Truth. Sometimes, it's enough just to rest in that Truth and nothing else. But, a real follower of Truth simply can't do that; we always want more. And there is so much more.

Verse seven tells us to remember those who have led us, those who have taught us the Word. But, we aren't to remember them in following them blindly, but only after we see their end result; i.e. if we see them being faithful. The author of Hebrews admonishes us to imitate their faith, but only if they remained faithful. Discretion is important. As we look at their faith, we must see Jesus. Verse eight clearly points out that Jesus Christ is the same....yesterday, today, forever. He does not change. He is constant. In his sermon, David said, "You can count on that!" and the room resounded with "Amen!" from every corner.

Verse nine, coming on the context of that assurance of Jesus, tells us exactly how to have a nice day. "Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace..." This verse is a clear acknowledgement that there are varied and strange teachings out there. We are warned to not be carried away by them. We are told what they are....varied and strange. To recognize varied and strange teachings, we must be aware of and familiar with the teachings of Christ and His absolute unwavering consistency, which is our Anchor.

"It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by food..." How do our hearts get strengthened by grace? Verse eight tells us.....focus on Jesus Christ, for He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

Varied and strange teachings cause unrest in our souls. They leave us questioning.

Grace rests our souls, giving us peace and satisfaction.

Because we can rest in His grace, our hearts are strengthened by that grace. It's a peaceful place to be.

So, don't listen to varied and strange teachings. Stay to the "old, old story of Jesus and His love" and you will, indeed, have a nice day, today and every day. Guaranteed.

So, have a nice day! It will be easy now that you know how.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
~Tricia

Mary, You Did Know

I love the popular Christmas song, Mary, Did You Know by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene, sung first by Hayley Westenra and since by others. The song speaks to my "mother-heart," that place in me that cherishes my children beyond human comprehension. That whole process of carrying them in my own body for nine months (ok 10 with one of my sons!), feeling them kick, watching them grow as my belly stretched out, the birth process (intense) and then nursing, gives moms something we ourselves cannot even comprehend. Many times, we are told that Mary "pondered things in her heart." I can relate.

Did Mary know? As she saw her pregnancy progress, did she comprehend the magnitude of the life growing inside her? Did she realize the full and eternal implications of that life? Did she know? The song asks.

The Scriptures tell us: Mary did know. Luke 1:46-56 tell us what Mary knew.

Mary knew the Lord. Verse 46 tell us she said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord." She knew His Lordship. She knew Who He was and she magnified Him with her soul. Her soul was lifted up to Him. She knew exactly Who she was magnifying. She magnified Him because He lifted her up to Himself.

Verse 47 tells us she knew she needed a Savior. She said, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." This is a clear acknowledgement of her own recognition for the need of salvation. She knew the coming Messiah was coming to deliver even her. She knew He was a personal Savior and she shows us that by using the pronoun "my."

She recognized her own low estate. She recognized that she was just an average Jewish girl to whom the world paid no attention, but she also recognized her position in Christ as she knew she could now count herself among the known. She went from an unknown girl to highly blessed woman and she knew it was He Who made her that way. She claimed that all, not just some, but all generations would call her blessed. Indeed. This shows us that Mary knew her theology. She may have been a humble Jewish girl, but that didn't stop her from knowing God's Word and proclaiming it.

In verse 49, she recognized His great Name and His holiness, while at the same announcing His personal relationship with her. "He has done great things to me." The use of that personal pronoun is not a small thing. It's personal; Mary knew it.

In verse 50, Mary talked about His mercy that was shown from generation to generation. She saw how He fulfilled His mercy toward mankind and brought them a Savior, as yet not born when she proclaimed this. She knew her conception was the fulfillment of the mercy that generations had looked forward to.

She shows her political prowess in verses 51 - 53 by realizing that the proud have been scattered and the mighty have been put down from their seats. This is a massive recognition. She did not say "they will be," she claimed "they have been!" This is huge. She knew He had already come...and was already growing within her and she knew the fulfillment of mercy this represented. Mary was very theologically strong. Realizing what she knew is literally breathtaking!

In verses 54 - 56, she acknowledges His mercy toward Israel and the fulfillment of that mercy. She spoke of the fathers of the faith and specifically of Abraham.

Indeed, Mary knew Messiah had come. Indeed, Mary knew the full implications of the Child she carried.

As you look at Mary in Scripture, you don't see a shy, withdrawn Jewish girl/woman with little to say. You see a bold woman who is not afraid to speak out, to stand up to naysayers and proclaim her own need for the Savior she carried in her womb.

Indeed. Mary knew. Sing the song with great understanding and turn that question on yourself.
Do you know Who He really is?

Merry Christmas!
~Tricia