10 Ways for Worship Leaders to Hinder the Church

This is good:

The New IDOLATRY?

This comment from Keith on the comment section of the previous post says that the new idolatry of today is the idol of my rights, my freedom.

"It's amazing how many professing christians seem to become more like the world in their appearance after they are saved. They have little or no concern that their freedoms might affect younger believers in a way that would cause the weaker (the youth) to violate their own conscience (going against their parents' rules). This is in violation to scripture (1 Cor. 1:9). That person's freedoms/rights, in hands of a young person, will often be used as a weapon of rebellion against the parents. And just think, it came in through the church doors.

The new idol for many of today's church goers is the god of my RIGHT, my FREEDOM. I have the RIGHT to choose, I have the FREEDOM to do! This is IDOLATRY."

-KCO

Is body piercing the same as the idolatry of self-will and self rights? When it comes to piercings, how much is too much, how much is permissible, if any at all?

Should a christian youth worker insist upon his "right" to wear body piercings even though he may be influencing a child to go against God's command to honor his parents? If a youth leader ladened with body piercings gets up in front of kids to speak, I don't care what anybody says, he is condoning body piercing simply by the fact that he decides to display them on his body. I have to wonder... how many of the parents of the kids in that youth group are OK with body piercing, especially multiple ones. O, I know the kids aren't getting them... yet... but according to their youth leader's example, it is OK. There is nothing wrong with it.

We have to draw the line somewhere, even though nobody seems to want to do it.

This video talks about the idolatry of self. I am not saying that this is perfectly applicable to body piercing in every circumstance but in the context of Keith's comments above it can be a valid argument:

A Revival of Tribalism?

Alright, what's the "real" issue with body piercings? Is this an issue of so-called "christian liberties"? When do the christian liberties stop and a disconnection from worldliness start?

I just hope somebody who is really really smart and very spiritual would tell me just how far a person should or could go with this body piercing thing. Somebody tell me where to draw the line. This is one "christian liberty" which I do not understand.

How is body piercing neutral?

When I see a christian involved in youth ministry pierced all up and down his ear with a variety of different types of studs, rods, and shafts through portions of his body I have to ask the question no one else seems willing to ask... "why are you doing this, and what kind of statement are you trying to make by piercing yourself all over? Just what kind of cultural or social statement are you making?"

If I ask such questions am I being "judgmental"? Is there ever an occasion to ask or do we just keep quiet and not say anything ever to anybody because the greatest sin anyone can make is to sound too legalistic.

What if a kid happens to like the look and design of a swastika? Let's say he doesn't believe anything the Hitler stood for he just likes the graphic design work. Isn't it his right to wear this symbol? Well... actually, people would be outraged, and rightly so. This symbol has meaning and it carries a strong statement in society.

What kind of meaning and statement do body piercing carry? Do a search on google "piercings", the image section, and see what comes up. Let me know what kinds of social statements speak to you when you see the search results!


Come on, please... somebody bring this up and deal with it! As we keep quiet, young people keep pushing the envelope and gradually little by little the bar gets lowered until there is no ability to say anything, we've been intimidated by accusations of judgementalism and silenced to making any stance for fear of repercussions of making waves. And all the while our kids are on rushing toward Sodom like a buy one get two free sale at Hollister.

Let's be honest, there was a time when NO PIERCINGS would be tolerated amongst christian youths, much less from elders or youth ministers and youth workers. Now it is acceptable, as long as it is limited only to the ear(s). And maybe a small one in the side of the nose. However if it is in the brow, it might be an issue. Small studs are OK, but a two inch shaft through the upper part of the ear is not OK... wait...that kind may be OK now too, sorry...my bad.

Where are these rules of where to stop? What is guiding how many, what kind, and on what parts of the bodies piercings are allowed? Also is it "OK" for some christians but not for others? Maybe if you're from the ages of 18-30 it's OK but older or younger than that would not be appropriate?

I wonder what a guy like Charles Spurgeon or Jonathan Edwards would have to say about christians with body piercings.

I could go on and on but HERE is an interesting article dealing with this issue.

Below is a quote from the article:

"In some of the most unexpected places we are confronted by a revival of the old tribal practices of body scarification, body piercing and body mutilationNose rings, eyebrow rings, belly rings, tongue studs, multiple earrings, nipple rings, tattoos and other disfigurements are more than an identifiable sub-culture – it is all part of an aggressive fashion statement which is challenging the Christian Church."Do not cut your bodies … or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. " Leviticus 19:28

Unfortunately, most Church leaders have remained silent on this practice, even while some youth leaders and Bible College students are giving themselves over to body modification."


MY QUESTION IS "WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE AND WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE DOING IT?"

The Church is a Soul Expert, Not a Social Agency

HERE is an excerpt from Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the purpose of the church posted on OldTruth.com:

"... the business of the church is to deal with the real problem of men and women--not to give alms, but to offer a cure for the paralysis. This is the unique message of the church, and this is what differentiates it from every other institution under the sun. The church is an expert on the soul. It is not a cultural center or a psychological clinic or a social agency. No; her calling, her commission, is to deal with the souls of men and women"
--Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This doesn't fit so well with the social gospel advocates running rampant through the churches today.

As the Home Goes, So Goes the Church…

"Prayer is the Hardest Thing in the World"

"Our people don't get off the door step of the church - "Hey, do you think the Cowboys will win today?" It's dribble! It's nonsense! When did you last tiptoe out of the sanctuary when you dare not say a word?

The church has to rediscover two things.
One, the majesty and the Holiness of God, and
the other, the sinfulness of sin.
Prayer is not the easiest thing in the world,
Prayer is the hardest thing in the world.
Prayer is the most demanding thing in the world."

--Leonard Ravenhill, Weeping Between the Porch and Alter

We Are Bad

GOD'S WRATH & JUDGEMENT:

Romans 3:10-20 & 23-25

As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."

"The poison of vipers is on their lips."

"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."

"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

GOD'S HOPE THROUGH JESUS:

Ephesians 2:1-8 says:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Romans 5: 7-10 says:

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

IS THIS AMERICA? Part 2

This is an excerpt from an interesting article from Crossroad.to:

COMPULSORY "RE-EDUCATION" IN AMERICA

David Ott used to be gay, until he converted to Christianity. While at a gas station in Madison, Wisconsin, he shared his testimony with another man. The other man charged Ott with a "hate crime" because of what he had said.

David Ott was convicted and sentenced to a $10,000 fine and one year in prison. After an expensive legal battle over his sentence, he was ordered to attend "re-education classes" (presumably as an alternative to spending a year in prison). The "re-education" class is at the University of Wisconsin, and is taught by a lesbian.1

(It was fortunate for David Ott that the Federal Hate Crimes bill had not been passed. Otherwise he would have been charged with hate crimes under both the Wisconsin state law and the Federal law. That would probably have resulted in a much longer prison sentence.)

Note that David Ott did not commit any "crime" in the normal meaning of the word. He did not assault the man, or steal from him, or threaten him with a weapon. All he did was to talk with him. The "crime" consists of saying something. So whatever happened to free speech?

The intent of the "re-education" was to get David Ott to think the way that he used to think before he became a Christian and changed his life style. So whatever happened to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience? For Evangelicals, evangelizing is part of their religion, and it includes sharing their testimony.

This particular case happens to involve sexual orientation. However, it could easily have involved other things that are included in the Federal Hate Crimes bill, and in many state hate crimes laws.

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