Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God Sovereign in the Church today? | Rom 1:22 | BradK | 168525 | ||
Hi Mark, Thanks for the reply. I believe your response hits part of the problem- that of not viewing scripture as the inerrantly inspired Word of God. With 10,000 pastors endorsing that view, it's no wonder we have such a dilemma in our Church today! My further question would be: Do you agree with Pink in his assessment? Keep in mind it was written some 80 years ago! Speaking the Truth in Love, BradK |
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2 | Is God Sovereign in the Church today? | Rom 1:22 | mark d seyler | 168527 | ||
Hi Brad, I can't really say how or why people come up with whatever idea of who or what they consider "god" to be, except what is written, (Rom 1:25) "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." I would say that people either worship and serve the God of the Bible, or they worship and serve a god derived from creation, whether that be themselves, or a lizard, or whatever. Whether from "maudlin sentimentality", or sheer laziness, or pride, or lust, or whatever other reason, I don't know. I expect its different with different people. To tell you the truth, Pink, to me, seems to paint with a rather broad brush, and has branded us, who "profess to give heed to the Scriptures", among those who conceive of God as "a miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty of the Truth." No disrespect intended against A.W. Pink, but I find his statement, mainly the second paragraph, somewhat sensationalistic, and not really usable, as he does not speak Scripturally, and speaks of what is in the minds of other's. I really don't know what others are thinking. Even in my church, while we teach that God is sovereign, I couldn't tell you how many times I have heard that when the Bible says we should fear God, they tell me, it doesn't really mean "fear", but it means "revere". I suppose the disciples "revered" the tempest! 2 Pet 3 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. I believe people see the patience of God as weakness, and even as approval of their sin. One day they will know the truth. Either we worship the True and Living God, in spirit and in truth, or we worship whatever it is that we want to worship, calling it whatever we want. My two cents, anyway! Love in Christ, Mark |
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3 | Is God Sovereign in the Church today? | Rom 1:22 | DocTrinsograce | 168534 | ||
Dear Brother Mark, I don't think that A. W. Pink was saying anything that different from what you've affirmed. If you are interested, Pink defines what he means by the sovereignty of God in the following (the source from which Brother Brad obtained the quotes): http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Sovereignty/sov_01.htm What Pink is talking about is the redefinition of the sovereignty of God so as to accommodate human choice. Today we see this in the churches that evolved out of the world observed by Pink: We see those who would limit His omniscience (as in Open Theism), limit His omnipotence (as in Synergism), limit His authority (as in Liberalism), limit His holiness (as in Universalism), etc. I actually heard a preacher say recently that redemption was God's "Plan B" when creation went awry! Regarding the question of what people are thinking: A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. (Proverbs 6:12-15 ESV) "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34 ESV) What is going on in the heart of a man is always made manifest in his speech and actions. He cannot, for long, do otherwise. This is particularly apparent in the public lives and teaching of preachers. In Him, Doc |
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4 | Is God Sovereign in the Church today? | Rom 1:22 | justme | 168541 | ||
Doc:I enjoyed your note and you are right I am sure. However, what percent of the clergy do you estimate live such false spiritual lives that it it manifests in their teaching and preaching. One only has to watch TBN (which we don't get on our antena) and see the WOF false teachers. There are perhaps as many in the liberal denominations that have forgotten what Romans 8 has to say. There are certian Seminaries that when I read someone has attended, cause me serious concerns. Much can be said about the persons lack of belief in Scripture and the Sovereignty of the Holy Father by whom they were taught by. Is it YET, Dear Lord? Blessings to you Doc. Justme |
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5 | Is God Sovereign in the Church today? | Rom 1:22 | DocTrinsograce | 168548 | ||
Michael Foust of LifeWay wrote the following news article: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Barely half of the nation's senior pastors – but a leading 71 percent of Southern Baptist pastors – hold to a biblical worldview, a new study by Christian researcher George Barna shows. The poll of 601 randomly selected senior pastors, representing some 50 denominations and conducted in November and December, showed that only 51 percent of the nation's pastors held to a biblical worldview. Significantly, the entire sample included pastors from conservative, moderate and liberal backgrounds. While Southern Baptists had the highest percentage, United Methodist pastors had the lowest (27 percent). In fact, only 28 percent of pastors from mainline denominations held to a biblical worldview. Mainline church pastors are those in the American Baptist Churches USA, United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. "Worldview" is a term used to describe the belief system by which a person understands or makes decisions about the world. For the Barna poll, the requirements for holding to a biblical worldview were minimal. Those holding to such a view had to embrace the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone and the personal responsibility to evangelize. In December, Barna released another poll showing that only 9 percent of people categorized as "born-again" held to a biblical worldview. "George Barna has discovered a critical issue in the American church today: Many senior pastors do not hold to the basic tenets of historic Christianity," said Thom Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. "In this age of 'doctrine really doesn't matter,' Barna has shown us it does indeed matter. If senior pastors do not believe the key doctrines of the faith, the millions in the churches will never be taught that which defines our faith. It is little wonder that many churches today mirror the values of the world." Among other denominational segments, 57 percent of Baptist (non-SBC) senior pastors held to a biblical worldview, as did 51 percent of nondenominational Protestant pastors, 44 percent of charismatic/Pentecostal pastors and 35 percent of black church pastors. Among geographic regions, senior pastors in the South (57 percent) and West (58 percent) led the way, while senior pastors in the Midwest (49 percent) and Northeast (43 percent) trailed. Pastors under 40 (56 percent) were more likely to hold to a biblical worldview than were those 40 and older (50 percent). Russell Moore, assistant professor of Christian theology at Southern Seminary, said true biblical preaching is essential to a congregation holding a biblical worldview. "All that a pastor must do to ensure that his people embrace an unbiblical worldview is to stop preaching all of the Bible," Moore said. "The culture is glad to fill in the rest. But I am optimistic when I see churches led by men of God who are afraid of nothing and no one but the Lord, and who are willing to shepherd the flock of God with the truth. "Pastors who preach the Bible recognize that the church is not just a collection of religious people; it is a declaration of war on the prince of the power of the air. If that is the case, preaching means equipping men, women and children not just to know something, but to confront the powers of this age with the Gospel of a resurrected Christ." |
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