Where have all the Pastors gone?

In a day and age in the church where the goal is to attract the un-churched ( un-saved), I wonder how a pastor can be a pastor and not and evangelist.  You see, the more un-saved you attract to your church the more preaching must be on salvation.  The result is that those that are saved and make up the true body of Christ are left with very little teaching or pastoring at a level to "feed the flock amongst you".  If your Pastor is teaching Holiness then the Un-saved get the idea that salvation is by works; not understanding that good works are the expectation of the regenerated.  If your pastor must always preach to the un-saved because that is his mission, to get lost people there to expose them to the gospel, then the flock is starving for something more than milk.
The best evangelistic tool is for saved people to live out the doctrine taught in the church out in the world.
We Are Starving
Allen

Leadership with a following

I hear a great deal today the word leadership.  What do they mean by this term?  If you look in Scripture, you will not see many uses of the term.  Yet, this is the most common word used in Christian Ministrial circles.  You see, for one to be a leader, he/she must have a following.  So is the main goal of these "leaders" to garner a following or do they really hope to lead.  In scripture, those that will lead should be servant first.  If you aspire to lead, you better know where you are going and it better line up with scripture.  Otherwise you are creating a cult.
One of the greatest dangers for leaders are their following which leads to pride.  (we count noses)
WE have worship leaders, youth leaders, choir leaders, small group leaders,etc....
Be careful that you do not let that title birth pride.

Qualified to serve?

Do you know that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, David nor Solomon would be qualified to serve as a deacon let alone a pastor in the New Testment church?  Heaven forbid they try to qualify in a "Southern" Baptist church.  You see, they all were not the husband of one wife.  Not to worry; the SBC is taking the name Southern out of it's name so we won't be Southern Baptist much longer.

Allen

ME'NE ME'NE TE'KEL UPHAR'SIN Daniel 5

ME'NE - God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.

TE'KEL - Thou are weighed in the balances and art found wanting.

PE'RES - Thy kingdom is divided and given to others.

Passage Daniel 5:23

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:


23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house ( Christian Members) before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines ( Staff and Pastors), have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know( Their own Idols of wealth and promenience): and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

Is this a message to preachers of the churches today that use their position to the abuse of God's vessels for their on glory?

May their days be numbered, judged, and their "kingdom" taken from them

Allen

Conformity and Contmporary

  How many people do you suppose are truly saved inside a Church?  I dare say that the only ones are children or those others that have thought they were saved and realized they were not.  Where that leaves us is that the majority are saved outside the church (as it should be).  Those that join a church will join in, western culture, a church that most resembles their worldy lifestyle.  Contemporary churchs will afford these new Christians a venue to be Christian and Secular at the same time.  These will identify with the Worldly Culture easier and no non-conformity with the world is required since the world is condoned in the Church.  Best of both worlds. What a shame and sham.

Allen

SBC Resolution

WHEREAS, For the past fifty years wickedness and family collapse have been increasing rapidly, and at the same time we have seen that programs and strategies alone cannot revive lagging baptism rates or anemic discipleship;



Then go back 51 years ago and do those things again because they were working.  This progressive move we are taking in today's Church is doing more harm than good.

Allen

Compromise Or Conformity?

      When did we as Christians allow the world to take the things, grounded in truth, and pervert them into something secular and now the Church wants a part of it and we have a perverted truth? Romans 12:1 says not to be conformed to this world... Go back to the truth. When the Church local moves from truth, why did not the Godly stay and fight to stay on the foundation of truth but rather leave and go somewhere else? Are the mature Christians tired of the battle against secularism? Please do not abandon your watch tower. Allen

Contemporary -- Just another name for Rebellion

Think back to the 1960's and 1970's and forward. Music, Hair style, Clothing, Attitude. I lived it. It all started as Rebellion to the Traditional establishment.

"The American Dream" Mis-Defined

As I read a popular writer/pastor this week,  I noticed he finally (after 46 pages) defined the "American Dream " he is so opposed and called Unbiblilcal.  I did an informal questioning of a cross section of the people I work with or socially accociate with of  how they would define "The American Dream".  Not one of them gave me the definition defined in the book.  Martin Luther King in his July 4,1965 speech also did not define it the way this pastor defined it.

I think before one uses "The American Dream" term in the title of the book, one should have the proper definition before he accuses people for being wrong and un-biblical.  Many people that I asked about the book were quite offended by that implication.

Maybe the definition is more generational defined than applying to all people.  If his definition applies to you, then read on.  It is hard to move past false accusations to trust anything else in the writing.

RINOs, DINOs, and CINOs

During the election season we heard a great deal about RINOs (Republicans in name only), DINOs (Democrats in name only).  These are not committed to their party affiliation but are just doing their on thing with their party label.  These are using the party label just to promote their on purposes.  What about CINOs?  (Christian in name only)
As we start this new year, lets not be Christian in name only.  We should walk in a way worthy of the name of Christ Jesus.  Consider what He endured for us; should we not live our lives with utmost integrity?  May we (I) not mar the name of Jesus in 2011.