Thanks for sharing this Moe.
I'm wondering if anyone has felt the opposite impact in recent months?

I've heard so much about this in local reformed churches and I've seen them moving to the opposite extreme.
Avoiding any organized ministry effort because being organized it might be called a 'program'.
Mastering on the Sunday morning 'Program' in what appears to be an attempt to distinguish ourselves form those other churches.
Moving toward a 'high-church' liturgical worship, with kneelers, robes, single-file communion, table fences containing no scripture that scare off more naïve lambs than deceiving wolves, and visitor pamphlets that explain why our 'reformed' worship looks different than what you would expect to find in those other churches.  Even church plants that are established by studying this unique style of worship.

This kind of reaction seems as bad as the problem it runs from.
Has anyone else observed drastic reactionary responses?

Steve
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Moe Bergeron<mailto:moebergeron@...> 
  To: soundofgrace@...<mailto:soundofgrace@...> 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 9:51 AM
  Subject: [soundofgrace] Piper on Minimizing the Bible


  My Brethren,

  Ever wonder if you are the only Christian that's getting the feeling
  through careful observation that something is missing in the church
  you've found yourself in? At times you can actually put your finger on
  it. Some years ago I was visiting my older brother Joe's church in a 
  neighboring community. His much loved pastor was giving a message from
  1 Timothy and Titus on eldership. After the service was complete and
  we were about to head on home I said to my brother, "You know Joe your
  pastor Dell is leaving and he's preparing you for his departure". Poor
  Joe never heard the message for the swan song it was. Within months
  Dell was off to a new church. The church was quite shaken by his
  "sudden" departure. They just didn't hear what I told them months
  earlier.

  As was true of Joe's church many folks go to church Sunday after
  Sunday and never really hear what is being said. They have no ear for
  content. They hear the points but never really get the entire package.
  The wrapping paper effectively concealed the truth and robbed the
  hearers of their discernment. The same is true in the way some men
  manage to present their versions of the Gospel. God's people need to
  wake up to what's going on in many of our churches. In a recent
  thought provoking "Fresh Words" message John Piper wrote the
  following:

      "...in recent weeks I have received a steady stream of testimonies
  from aching saints who say in so many words, Our pastor doesn''t
  proclaim to us what the Bible says and means. The messages are not
  revelations of the glory of Christ. They are advice-talks with a
  religious twist." And then I have been reading about certain kinds of
  gospel contextualization in missions that seem to minimize the
  fullness of the biblical revelation which converts should share with
  others. So I have been pondering whether there are connections."
  (Fresh Words, John Piper Sept. 28, 2005 - You can read Piper's entire
  message if you follow the link below. - mb)

  Before I had even completed the reading of Piper's observation I began
  to weep. I never expected him to be so sensitive to a problem that
  seems to be invading our people hungry churches. I have observed this
  first hand and now someone with a respected voice in the Christian
  community has the guts to address the problem.

  Mind you, the people in those churches carry Bibles. They all speak
  the lingo. They sing the same songs. They are warm and caring. They
  greet you at the door and kindly shake your hand as you leave. They do
  their best to make you comfortable and wanted. They believe they are
  evangelical and orthodox though they want to be relevant and are quite
  resourceful at finding ways to get new folks in and at keeping busy
  those that are in. Their rough edges are polished over and their folks
  are all mellowed into one nice sanitized group of loving saints. They
  think they know what unction means but their methods have no fire.
  They speak much of the Spirit but know little of God. I don't think a
  Martyn Lloyd Jones would be welcome in their churches nor would he be
  comfortable among them. They'd be much happier with a motivational
  speaker who dabbles in the Bible. Taken together, the people, the
  programs, the music, and lastly the leadership come across as one neat
  package to be sold to the local community. I suspect it's really about
  packaging and success.

  Piper asked, "Minimizing the Bible?". I think it is more like "Minimizing God".

     Moe

  http://desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2005/092805.html<http://desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2005/092805.html>


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