More trash talking on the Granger survey from the ODMs. This time it comes from Way of the Master Radio. Once again, I love how these guys spend so much time critiquing everyone else in the world. As if it was their mission from God to inform the world on the shortcomings of once church in Indiana. They are little better than paparazzi.

It all comes back to this (and I completely agree with Bill Hybels and the pastor at Granger over these results), the job of the pastor is not to feed the sheep. The job of the pastor is to make self-feeders. Here are just a few things going on a Granger in a given week that I picked up from spending one minute on their website:

* Midweek Bible Studies at 6:30pm
* Four Services on Sundays & Saturdays
* Weekly Small Groups
* Core Classes
* Ministry Teams to serve with

Are the ODMs really going to expect me to believe that if someone connects with these services that the church offers, they are NOT going to hear once that Jesus is the only way, or that the bible is the word of God? That there is just fluff and happy feel-good sermons at each of these things. Really folks? Use some logic here. It seems like there are more than enough opportunities to connect to the Word of God and to good Christian people with these events.

Todd asks the question of who is the shepherd and who are the sheep in his broadcast. It’s not the pastor and the congregation, it is Jesus Christ and His people. The truth is that there is a lack of self-motivation and self-initiative in ALL churches today, regardless of theology, style or tradition. While Granger is struggling get people’s theology straight, traditional First Baptist Boondocks may be ignoring the alcoholic father, the apathetic mother, and the kids that do all kinds of nasty every night with their girlfriends. I see it all the time when I travel, and those of you in small town, USA can probably testify to that.

The disconnect between church attendance and biblical living is certainly not reserved for those in seeker-sensitive, purpose-driven, emergent, circus churches. It’s a problem we all face. And, until we get past all of our nice church facades and trying to save the Christian masks we hold so dear, our buildings will be filled with people who hear the Word, but are not transformed.

Tags: Way of the Master

Oh the burden it must be to carry the duty of accuser. Ken in his on going campaign to establish himself as the purveyor of all things right continues to make the assumption that Ray Comfort needs his assistance. In his latest missive, No, Ray Comfort the issue is not closed, Ken let’s us know what a mistake it was for Way of the Master to not listen to him.

At first glance this would appear to be on target concerning the “issue” Comfort has now decided to close. The problem is that Comfort doesn’t get to close the issue because he isn’t the one who opened it. Unfortunately I did. Sadly, in my efforts to be a help privately CHRIS’ NOTE (accept for posting the whole dialog online) behind the scenes Ray Comfort’s personal assistant Mark Spence would later publicly attempt to impugn my motives and in the process let me know that WOTM wrongly assumed I was some “heresy hunter” looking for dirt with which to shoot down Ray Comfort. And that now turns out to be critical mistake on their part. (emphasis mine)

It all kinda reminds me of this story:

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”

Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. (emphasis mine)

Recently I told someone “I’m always suspect of anyone who starts a sentence with ‘The Lord told me that YOU need..’ ” Not that I don’t believe the Lord gives people insight into situations its that those phrases usually end after a tongue lashing and some variant of “As a sister/brother in the Lord” or “I really care about you”. Or as Ken puts it in his admonishment to Ray Comfort.

And as you read this once again consider that Comfort is using the same type of rhetoric he often uses in his WOTM presentation upon his sister in Christ who wrote him with a legitimate concern because she cares about him: (emphasis mine)

Tags: Ray Comfort, Way of the Master