Pastors, Please Quit Doing This

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K

kaylagrl

Guest
Please, please, tell me where I can find this. I have been praying for over twenty years to witness what you are describing. I will move to that location in a second to be a part of a church like that!
That was in Canada, east coast. Not sure you'd want to move there.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
I read your entire reply. I get it. You put a ton of work into these events and people don't appreciate it.
Although I wasn't there with you, I have been in similar situations. It stinks when people don't appreciate the hard work you put into something that is supposed to benefit them.

But brother, you don't get it. And maybe it's because you have a blind spot. These "events" are opportunities to bring in the lost. While I don't have the stats on hand, the unsaved are more likely to make their first visit to church to see a play, or a special event, rather than just to hear a sermon. I've seen this personally in ministry. Actually had it happen to my own unsaved family members who came to a concert and gave their heart to Christ. If all you saw is what you stated, I'm wondering why you missed the opportunity to reach the lost completely. That's the old fashioned church you said you'd move to attend. Reaching out into the community to reach the lost. You missed the entire point.


But this kinda goes to my point a little bit. As Christians, we're supposed to be looking for the dirt. Jesus didn't call on the sinless to follow him. He called the sinners.
No brother, you missed the point entirely. I could tell you countless stories of people who came to church in
concerts that we did. That is not bragging in the least. Many of these people the church had been praying they
would come and a concert was the perfect reason to bring that unsaved loved one or friend. You are assuming
that everyone in the church building is saved, it simply isn't true. There are many ways to bring a person to
Christ and we ought to use every tool we have.





Those unempathetic souls who came merely for the food were the harvest that our Lord was speaking of. The dirty rotten scoundrels of the world, and yes, even the guy neglecting his wife, are the ones we are to show grace and mercy to.
No brother, they were congregants of the church, who, like you missed the opportunity to bring in the lost to be fed in both body and soul. You have a blind spot that says no ministry can happen within a church. And I'm telling you you're wrong. I've been in ministry many years, I've been in all denominations, I've been in hundreds perhaps thousands of churches. I've done street ministry, I've done outdoor concerts. Every single tool we can use to bring in the harvest, we should. And if you have the heart of ministry that you seem to, then you should agree with me.


I'm not sure how it works from there. I think maybe the Holy Spirit just shocks them into submission after that. :)[/QUOTE]
 

SteveEpperson

Junior Member
May 12, 2018
532
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The Pharisees were all men and they were soundly berated. So no one should whine.
I think you're introducing a strawman argument the doesn't work well here.

However, I will attempt to take you back to my original thought.

Our church leaders may think they're "calling out men" but instead, they are adding fuel to the 50 percent divorce rate among Christians. They do that by berating men in front of their wives. And since Satan is behind every divorce, he's relishing in the destruction of our families.

In the next six months, I challenge ALL pastors, no matter how "effective" they think their ministry is, to stop preaching and show the rest of us how to make two disciples. Then, those two will make four. And those four will make eight, and so on.

Before long, those horrible men sitting on their couches watching football will get activated. Then, watch the Gospel spread like wildfire throughout every nation, just like Jesus envisioned.
 

SteveEpperson

Junior Member
May 12, 2018
532
216
43
How frequent or how serious is this pet peeve of yours? There is a time to berate men, and there is also a time to berate women.
All I am asking is to do it in private. Unfortunately, today's pastors are so inaccessible that it can't possibly happen. So, they are making blanket statements about certain demographic groups, and they are losing their credibility as a result.

And yes, I am fully aware that these are ordained ministers appointed by God. That's why I am so desperate to see it change.
 

SteveEpperson

Junior Member
May 12, 2018
532
216
43
Thank you all for the thoughtful, civil replies.

Blessings.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
4,975
2,901
113
What, you ask? Berating men.

Enough, already.

We understand that the guy watching football on his couch instead of attending your Sunday services is hurting your bottom line. But please, just stop.

You are not going to get him there by telling him it's okay if his wife leaves him and that he deserves it if she does. It isn't okay.

Jesus (remember Him?) told us:

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery. Mat. 19:9.

I have to assume that goes for the wife as well. For example:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Eph 5:22-23

I don't think Paul was instructing the wives in the Church here in Ephesus to run off and take the children if they thought their husbands weren't Godly enough. Instead, he often instructed the men to love their wives, a subject you very seldom hear preached anymore.

I am tired of hearing how horrible men are in the church. Instead, I implore you: GO QUIET FOR SIX MONTHS. I promise your churches will survive the ordeal.

Put down your microphones, step out from the pulpit, and go into your communities. There, you will find that man on the couch, watching football, desperate for spiritual direction.

But now, instead of discipleship, he gets met with an anonymous contact form on a website. If your ministry doesn't care about human connection, why should he?

And I know the old, tired rebuttal about some being the hands versus the feet versus the mouth. However, no disrespect intended, but the mouth has gotten WAY TOO BIG.

You may think you're "calling out men" but instead, you are adding fuel to the 50 percent divorce rate among Christians. You do that by berating men in front of their wives. And since Satan is behind every divorce, he's relishing in the destruction of our families.

In the next six months, I challenge ALL pastors, no matter how "effective" you think your ministry is, to stop preaching and show the rest of us how to make two disciples. Then, those two will make four. And those four will make eight, and so on.

Before long, those horrible men sitting on their couches watching football will get activated. Then, watch the Gospel spread like wildfire throughout every nation, just like Jesus envisioned.
I don't know that the gospel will spread like wild fire. I think the Western world is too far gone for that. But yes, way too little teaching and preaching (if there is any at all these days) focuses on what God has done for us in Christ. Just addressing behaviour is no better than the legalists in Jesus' time. They created a burden but did nothing to help them to carry it. And if you look behind the scenes, a lot of pastors are no better husbands than the men they criticise.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
4,975
2,901
113
All I am asking is to do it in private. Unfortunately, today's pastors are so inaccessible that it can't possibly happen. So, they are making blanket statements about certain demographic groups, and they are losing their credibility as a result.

And yes, I am fully aware that these are ordained ministers appointed by God. That's why I am so desperate to see it change.
I'm not so sure that all ministers are appointed by God. I've met plenty who appointed themselves.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
Isn't it sad how I would have to move to a foreign country to find a church like that :(

Would you mind telling what the pastor you're talking about specifically said about men? Or is it too personal? Was it just men in general, or personal? Just wondering.
 
Oct 10, 2021
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most who claim to be Christian aren't really, Pastors as well.
Playing "church" for an hour a week doesn't fulfill His requirements.
Is it a time limit on fulfilling God requirements?