Small Churches: The Tip of the Spear
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- In this new series, we are going to explain how to defend the faith. And it starts with small churches. On the surface, they may not look like much, but they are the hope for fighting to save Christianity.
I went from a contemporary megachurch to a little baptist church of about 60
Hymnals over praise bands
No lights lasers fog machines
No celebrity pastors
No emotionalism
Just a Bible believing fellowship
...and when people come for the humble things, you know that they aren't there for the hype, the coffee bar, the special effects. Perhaps, they are there because they have business with their Savior.
And the pastor knows all the members❤
9 ok😊@@Mark-in1im
@@Mark-in1imFrom the contemporary to the baptist. From the frypan into the fire ("Baptists" believe God is a cruel merciless monster who fries people who never loved Him or believed in him and never went to a church amongst the stuffy religious in this eon in a hellhole unendingly).
@glennrobinson7193 Well, I absolutely & unapologetically believe the Bible. If the Bible offends you, I know 2 things: 1) you VASTLY overestimate the "goodness" of man and 2) your problem is with God, not me or "Baptists".
We left a big church and left the fluff, the dark room worship, empty teaching. Dont regret it 😊
Amen
I left the hyper faith movement, the money collecting idiots, and their doctrine. I refuse local so called church meetings, now, too. If it's a 501c3 tax exempt, business, it's a corporation and not a church anymore
@@jodykidp5396 There is a lot of truth to this.
i bet that you are not looking back!
@@markbaze2225 If any group has a paid holy man they are not the Church.
Small churches rock. I love knowing friends at church know and care whether I'm there on Sunday morning. I love knowing as much of our congregation as I do. I love not being one of thousands, and so potentially faceless at church.
That, I do miss too.
Remember, believers met in homes with like minded believers, continuing in the doctrine of the apostles. When we trust in man, rather then the leading of the Holy Spirit we fall by the way. Preach the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. We walk by faith, not by sight.
My wife and I left the large church we were attending not because the Pastor wasn't teaching scripture or because they had a praise band. We left and went to a small church because we had grown complacent in the large church because there were so many people and so many things going on it was easy to just "go" to church and not be part of the body and use our spiritual gifts. Now, in our small church we're active, using our gifts and actual participants in a local body, not just attendees.
I get that too. The large church I was once part of actually limited me on my ability to serve. I had 1 job... The church we are currently with, there's much more opportunity to serve, and we grow in our faith as we serve.
Beautiful
Keep hope, keep the eyes on the Lord! I Pastor a small church and we baptized 8 three weeks ago! Seems like we’re seeing a revival.
Seems like we're seeing revival? What died that you have to revive? How many of the 8 people heard and believe the gospel? You don't know.
@@orangeandslinky lol they make the profession, should we not take them at their profession unless we see otherwise? geeze the internets full of internet warriors
@@cole5773 I guess so cole. I come from the Billy Graham years. You walk up, MAKE Jesus YOUR PERSONAL Lord and Saviour at an alter call. (I didn't know that never happened in the Bible) Millions of us did that. Billy might have invented the sinners prayer for all I know. At the end of Billy's life He told Robert Schuller if you never heard the name of Jesus or the Gospel God would save you anyway. What a mess.
Hey Brother, this is Pastor Mike - Associate / Next Gen Pastor at Rima Ridge Baptist Church and I just wanted to Reach out and say I really enjoy you videos. We are also a small church in Ormond beach Florida and I agree with you on the return to the small churches.
I grew up in a smaller church and gradually began attending churches with larger congregations. There advantages and disadvantages to both, the main thing is to find a church where you are being spiritually fed and that can occur in either venue.
Exactly. Some small churches stray from doctrine so that they do not offend anyone to get their membership up. Big churches can get away with preaching doctrine because even if a few get offended and leave it still feels full. Now when you have major mistakes like with a once thriving mega church in Virginia, Mclean Bible Church. Half the congregation left and then you get lawsuits that contend with big corporation lawsuits.
Left my smaller church after 63 years because we were not growing in our Christian faith, no outreach, stuck in a rut, rarely were people being saved. COVID changed many people in and out of the church. We found a slightly larger church that offers a traditional service with choir and a contemporary service with a praise band - no flashing lights just singing about God and his love using keyboard, guitars, etc. The exact same message is preached in both services ad the seats, pews are full. We join together for Bible study, mission projects, outreach, etc. Both ministers at the two churches preached the true doctrine of the Bible but our former church was not being fruitful in bringing others to accept Christ.
I love my small church! Maybe 50 attendees at the most. We all know each other and our hardworking Pastor always preaches the gospel!
I spent 30 years with the same church. When I started attending in the late 90's, it was large but the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming like a close knit family. Now in 2024, they have become the size of a megachurch and I've seen a noticable shift in the mentality of some of the pastors and oarishoners. I am now looking to attend another church that is affiliated with my current church.
They are considerably smaller but the pastor is a great teacher and they still have that family "vibe". As someone who did not come from a close knit family, I value close friendships and I want to be around those who love, support and encourage others. I believe that a church can become too big and like a celebrity, the people can get arrogant and snobbish and that turns off, not only the other church attendees but any potential new members. Small churches are the way to go in my opinion.
I’ve attended two small churches over the past 4-5 years where the focus has been on expositional preaching and local community. Both grew and have continued to grow like wildfire. I truly believe that people’s souls are starved for the Word, and when it is preached accurately and honestly, the Spirit will draw in those who believe and who will come to believe. Truly an incredible thing to see. In a world where it feels like there is so much darkness right now, faithful churches are turning on the light.
Absolutely! Seen the same.. size is irrelevant and a small church will grow when word is preached/taught and lived out in community.
There’s some important points here, but respectfully I think you are making some huge generalisations. There are large churches with sound doctrine and small churches which are literally heretical. Now there are Pros and Cons of small churches. But there are also Pros and Cons of large churches. What matters isn’t the size of a church, but whether they are obeying Gods plan for them. God works through big churches and He works through small churches. All that matters is that Christ is Glorified and the Gospel is proclaimed.
God bless
Mega churches are a pitfall... Because the churches find themselves under pressure the trapto keep their attendees (for the funds they need to run their business model.. They often end up compromising The Truth to tickle ears..
The question is which Christ and which gospel is being presented
2 cor 11:3
"I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily."
Another problem with mega churches is that pastors often become celebrities many end up following pastors or their church leadership instead of Jesus
Also due to the large crowds the chances of cognitive bias increases & the chances of discernment decrease, think of groupthink & halo effect (cognitive biases)
I
You are spot on, I’m in a small church and just yesterday I heard a young man craving a big church attitude and I’m sure it’s something I went through when I was his age but considering the time, I’m afraid for his soul but the small church teaches truth and large churches teach entertainment.😢
Holy Cow! I am in Canada and do not know how I found you but wow this confirms what God has been showing me. I am sharing this vid with everyone I know. Keep them coming.
I'm in Canada, too. We had such a hard time finding a sound church but it seems we've finally found one with about 50-some members. Do you mind if I ask what denomination your fellowship is? Ours is a community church.
"and do not know how I found you"
Oh, you know.
@@guestguest2030 These people in the comments section remind me of the proud pharisee who went to prayer. It's like they're saying "I thank thee oh God that I'm not like those mega churches, that I'm not superficial as those that attend those places".
@@glennrobinson7193 I haven't read all the comments, nor am I commenting on the size of any church. I am, however, bewailing the lack of sound churches here in Canada, at least in my neck of the woods.
@@guestguest2030 WOW, praise God! you and I are in the same boat! It's very comforting to me to know there are others like myself who are suffering in this manner, and knowing there's a fellow pilgrim out there who is also lamenting, even though you probably live thousands of miles from me. I live in a small town (population 19,000) and have visited around 10 churches since moving here in 2017. I wonder if the state of the church is the abomination of desolation and love waxing cold that Jesus prophesied of. It's most certainly the falling away that Paul prophesied and the leaving of our first love which Jesus spoke of in Revelation. When I say "our" it means I believe we ALL have left our first love (here in the West at least, except for maybe a tiny handful remnant) and that I do not see myself as better than anyone else but I identify with all the church in its woeful wretched condition (Rev3:17).
GREAT! Timely Video!!! Thank you for your work on this! This is a Message Christ Followers in America NEED to hear!
Bless you brother, stay safe with Jesus and let us pray...shalom
You are so correct! I left the large church after Covid and switched to a smaller church. We need to get back to doctrine, prophecy, truth in love, humility, community and loving God and others well. You nailed every point.
Great video!!!! You are right on!
Im in a big Baptist church (in the Bible Belt) now, very heavy emphasis, on “ Tithes and offering” and typical smoke, machines, lights, modern music, AND not as big on the hospitality and friendliness as I had hoped for.
Very cliquey and lots of religious people.
I am praying and seeking a small more intimate, end times minded church that’s teaches the whole counsel”
I believe in small church, especially when it comes to pastoral care and fellowship amongst believers. I do not believe in any flags in church, detracting from why people are there. There is a time and place for everything, and the worship of God is above ALL.
Great video! So true. People often go to Mega churches to have their ears tickled. “ your future is bright… greater is coming.. businesses are about to be opened in your name …”
When the Bible tells us not to store treasures on earth. Some churches are pointing hearts to material things instead of pointing to Jesus.
Social club, country club…
I miss the altar call and kneeling down to worship with a humble heart.
Thank you dear Lord Jesus for your church, that will be known as yours, by how we love one another. Blessings to you and yours from a congregation of about 1000. May He add to your faithful number and lead you in triumphul procession where you are faithfully running your race.
Small churches are precious people have time for each other its so much more realistic
Hm, this is interesting. I go to what is considered a mega church (1000+). We had a major shift in 2018 to what would be considered the “large church” vibe, and quickly our church found that it didn’t not fit us. Our church course corrected, though we lost members in the process. Now, we teach the Bible in an expository fashion, have thriving small groups, and are continuing to disciple others. I love small churches and went to multiple as I grew up, but the notion that big = bad or that technology = bad seems to be a major fallacy here. Regardless, I think your points that doctrine must be taught and that the focus must be taken off the individual is great. But, as other comments have said, I do think there is a lot of generalization that ironically could lead to further dividing the church.
Anyway, I did enjoy the video. I hope all who read these comments are doing well! Hope we all find a church that is a Bible believing and Bible preaching church.
Still a great video.
I just stumbled across your video, and I'm thankful to God for it. It is truly timely in my life, and sadly, accurate to what is happening in America currently.
The small church, if it is teaching and preaching the Bible, is the place to be to actually grow as Christians.
My church is quite small, with roughly twenty people only attending Sunday mornings. This week, however, we began a Tuesday night Bible study. Eight people attended. Small but productive, and it will continue.
My heart is heavy with the need for revival in my own life and in the church, and hopefully, from there, it'll spark across the land.
I love small churches, you actually get to engage with the pastor and his family and of course the rest of the congregation, people who care about you.
I just said this to my wife this morning, as we made our morning walk. Actually I have been saying this for years. The future of the Church is the small communities.
I also serve as a pastor of a normal size church and appreciate your video. This is truth!!
The Bible is in every language so we can read it and pray to God ourselves. Meeting up with non-denominational Christians two or three times a week, works for me. Even Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the time was coming that God would not be worshipped at a place, but instead, He would be worshipped in Spirit and Truth. I appreciate many Christians like to dress up and attend church on certain days each week, but it is too stressful with my circumstances.
"So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19)
Thank you for the encouragement. As one not even small church, but considered "micro" church, I appreciate it. It is so difficult for us to look at these bigger churches and see their numbers. We need to focus on what is truly needed. My church averages between 15-30 (and a good portion of that is youth). We get discouraged, but we know that we are in it for the gospel. We have to keep on keeping on.
I will say this, in seriousness (as I was talking to one of my members last night about it), for the screens, yeah, we have them, and we use them for what we can, but it has gotten to the point where small churches cannot afford good presentation software as it feels like the software companies have forgotten about us. Monthly subscriptions, high amounts to pay, when a church is struggling financially, just doesn't cut it.
Oh, and as far as showing up in a horse and buggy, with the location of my church, yeah, that could actually almost happen!
Thank you for this video
Great content! A really good idea to focus on this subject.
A bit cheesy at thr start...but solid.
I pastored a small church for a few years and currently seeking the next place the Lord will lead me.
Time will tell.
Anyway, Great points all around!
Big Churches really often do more harm than good
I belong tona small church who wants to be a large church and all the stuff that can come with it. I miss the old churches where i came from
yea, me too.
We have older teen to young adult children, unmarried and desiring fellowship with others their age. Our small church of 9 other attendees not counting our family was stagnant in worship and no fellowship or outreach for the young adults
Cool video man, but be careful putting large churches against small ones. We are all a part of THE Church. There are bad churches that are small and bad ones that are large. It is a tough game critiquing God's church, so be careful not to cause division based upon the number of people that go. Going to a small church doesn't make you more godly than someone that goes to a big one. The inverse is also true.
Exactly! Careful with critiquing larger churches. If they are truly believers there and you are bashing them, you’re bashing Jesus’ bride. How would you like it if someone started bashing your wife because of things they thought she didn’t do perfectly the way she hey wanted her too. Jesus probably doesnt like people bashing his wife.
There’s a lot more this series is going to explore. Stay tuned and I’ll address important matters concerning all churches.
@@markbaze2225
I again want to point out that this person made a valid critique in that you are condemning all big churches for something that not all big churches are guilty of, but yet you ignore this in your reply and only say that you are going to be talking about other churches in the future. I encourage you to take a step back before making future videos until you have time to fully reflect on the valid critiques people have been giving you on here.
@@crw662 there is a large amount of issues. I would not be able to address them all in just a single comment. But, check out my Shields and Arrows daily show. I discuss a lot of those issues on my live streams.
It appears my house is 127 miles from this church. It's comforting to know there are now at least TWO Baptist churches within a 128 mile radius which still sing actual hymns out of hymnals. I get tired of songs without verses that are sung over and over until all the hands go up to demonstrate how truly sanctified we are, then are sung for several more minutes until God is satisfied we are in the right frame of mind.
Come visit us anytime!
I miss this. My wife is only interested in going to a huge church now. I honestly hate it and want to go back to my old one… 3000 miles away.
Awesome!! Love and agree 100%
I was in a small church, small town. Gossip, slander, jealousy, envy, materialism....all in. Left the small church in small town but never stepped away from loving praising our dearest Lord who directed this " bruised reed" that was almost broke me like " the straw that broke the camel's back". I don't build my faith in Jesus based on other people's words/ opinions/ deeds. My faith is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood n righteousness❤
I left a huge megachurch for a tiny Baptist church that is theologically sound and preaches the Word of God, and I have absolutely no regrets.
Fight for the faith!
Scripture teaches that faithfulness will be rewarded, rather than what appears to be success.
We have about a dozen regulars, I pick the music and strive for Hymnal songs only. I also play my 53 year old Epiphone 12 string to accompany the music as we have no one who plays keyboard.
You're singing my tune about small churches brother. God bless
God bless you, brother! Everything you said is true! And I was so very glad that you ended it with the King James Bible!
Both small churches as well as house churches are the continuation of the original movement of the apostles. Community requires a small church or a house church. Well said and presented brother.
After being in a church with about 300 members, I'm in a small one with about 40 members, but we have so much sponsors, that we can spend money the same way, like a 200 member church. The only problem is, that few people do all serving.
Okay, we doesn't sing from song books, we use lyrics screens.
We are more family, than the bigger churches. We follow the bible, also when it doesn't attract some people.
"You're more Christian than you think when you start denouncing other religious beliefs"
We are very fortunate to go to a large church that acts like a small church. Solid doctrine, sense of community and we have a small chapel for those who don’t like the large church feel.
A lot of the small churches are rural (town populations of 300 or less) up to small cities (populations around 10k to 20k. I live in a town of about 300 but attend a church in a town of around 10,000 that is a 15 to 20 minute drive away. We began to attend there twenty years ago because a large percentage of the members homeschooled their children as we did. We felt like we had a community within a community. We had a Sunday attendance of 200 to 300 people at that time.
Now, in 2024 we are lucky if we have 30. What changed? For our congregation, it has been economic conditions in the region. Most of the children back then, including half of our own, grew up and moved to larger cities for jobs. The demographics in the neighborhood the church was in began to change. Our church did outreach and now we have a dual English and Hispanic congregation. There is a language barrier so we largely have two different congregations and use different buildings on the property. At first, the church tried a dual language sermon time. That was unwieldy. We do still join together for Sunrise Service and breakfast with a dual language sermon and we do have a few joint potluck meals. The Hispanic congregation has many children and the average age is probably 30 to 40 years old. The English speaking congregation has only one family with children. the average age is probably 50 to 60. I think that eventually, the English speaking congregation will just die off and the whole congregation will be Hispanic. I actually think we should actively begin to make that transition. The Hispanic congregation should meet in the smaller meeting space and the Hispanics should now have the sanctuary. That would reflect the community the church is now in. Those of us driving in from 15 to 20 minutes away like my husband and I should probably join the church just a block or two away and build up that congregation and get to know our neighbors better here. It too is aging and our community here is also swinging Hispanic judging by the population of children in our local school which has more Hispanic children that white or black. Perhaps, it too will eventually be primarily Spanish speaking in the years to come. I love the Hispanic people and want to see the community churches serve not one race but all in the community even if the language barrier is a hurdle for a while. The schools manage, so can the churches.
As to small churches being the start of defending the faith, I have been a member of a very large church before moving to this rural area of a different state. I thrived there and so did my family. It was a real church filled with the Holy Spirit. My experiences with small churches have been pretty good as well. An aging church is probably a reality back at the church we used to attend in the metroplex as well. The U.S. population is aging, so this seems normal. However, I do see that the English speaking youth of my own children's generations, even with us homeschooling and definitely raising them to love God and family, have a lot of spiritual warfare aimed squarely at them. The culture has shifted so much compared to 20 years ago. The seven mountains of influence seems to work efficiently in a coordinated effort to pull them away from God. God will rise up, I believe, and take back the seven mountains. The last big revival before the end. Churches will not be able to contain the people coming to Him.
Doctrine is very important but so is the Spirit. And when you don’t have balance. People get bored and leave.
There should be some distinction between MEGA and big. Megachurch has a full rock band during worship, the pastor sits in a stool or stands in open space, and he wears usually skinny jeans. Whereas, a big church has a lot of traditional features but on a larger scale: big choir, big pulpit, large auditorium.
Good information and presentation.
I can't wait to see how this playlist develops. ❤
Choosing whether to attend a small church or a megachurch is a matter of personal preference, as the Bible doesn't specify which is better. I have noticed that smaller churches often have strong beliefs in specific doctrines, which can influence their size. For example, many Pentecostal and Calvinist churches tend to be smaller because they emphasize particular teachings, such as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues for Pentecostals, or the Doctrines of Grace for Calvinists. These doctrinal distinctions can lead to more focused, but smaller, congregations. I believe in the essentials of the Chrisitan faith, but I'm not Pentecostal or Calvinist, so I prefer attending a non-denominational megachurch better than the smaller churches. The most important thing is that Christians go to church to be with other believers, worship God, and hear the Word.
There is a need for churches of all sizes. But it is a sweeping generalization to say that a all large churches are large because they abandon solid doctrine. Let's build the kingdom of God up. There are plenty of lost people to fill both large and small churches and the need is there for churches of all sizes.
Im on the board of my small neighborhood parish. Everyone knows everyone else, solid biblical preaching, beautiful liturgy, we struggle to keep the lights on sometimes but i wpuldnt trade it for one of these mega churches for anything. Theres accountability and transparency.
I try to listen to your message, but I have difficulty understanding you through the background music
I love my small church! Jesus is Lord at Zion Missionary Baptist Roland!
Went from a big church to a small reformed Baptist and amazing excited and loving family I never got in the dead big Chuch full of carnal men . Church is about magnifying and glorifying our LORD
I love small churches. 😢i wish i had one to go to where i live now.
I can't get to know anyone or be involved at big churches.
Amen, great points to consider, " Little is much when God is in it. Never give up that sword. May your hand cleave to it. Pipers a menace , he was just at ecumenical religious gathering at " prayer" meeting g outside Planned Parenthood in St Paul , MN. We ( preachers ) let them have it. Glory to God !
Here's four more reasons why for every big church there needs to be a hundred small churches (and why you should be in a small church, not a big one):
1. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35. You're unlikely to know many people in a big church but in a small church you'll know everyone by name, you'll know their struggles and pray for them, their joys and give thanks for them and you'll make a difference in all of their lives.
2. You'll be able to exercise your God-given gifts. Big churches use staff to get stuff done and you'll become lazy and irrelevant, but in a small church there's always a job that needs to be done and God will have made you (and everyone else) with all the right gifts to get all the jobs done.
3. You will be discipled, attend home groups or cell groups and you will grow in your faith.
4. In big churches you can live in fragrant and hypocritical sin and no one will know or care and you'll never grow in holiness or Christ-likeness. In a small church, you'll find it easer to grow in holiness and Christ-likeness because you'll be held more accountable and receive much much more love, support and encouragement.
I believe that small community Churches are better! it's family oriented, brothers and sister are more like a family!
Well said.
Looked up Blue. It is east of Durant on Hwy 70. Having been to both small and big churches, this video is spot on.
Just left a church of 50 that we attended for 6+years. I attended the church more faithfully than the pastor. Our current families church has over 1,600 each week. Our Pastor teaches the Word. Don’t tell me size matters. Size has nothing to do with a good church.
This is why churches being part of a larger institution like the Catholic Church is imperative
I moved from my small church to go serve in a nifb church because even small churches lack in doctrine in 2024. They dont want to step on ppls toes or lose tithe money. Every sermon being about salvation keeps everybody a babe in Christ. I honestly believe these smaller churches are getting their candle stick removed because they are failing to do the great commission. Failure to go soulwinning, failure to teach the whole counsel of God.
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
Excellent points - even for building a strong body of Christ, churches need to be positioned to know and trust one other which is best facilitated in a smaller local church body.
Why is it necessary to have your American flag in the worship area or even on display? Surely all the congregation knows they are attending service in America! Pariotism is another massive problem in America. The 'worship' of the American flag within American churches is taking away that which belongs to Jesus. It is an idol. church attending Americans take as much offence at the criticism of the American flag as they do of Christianity.
Is god there for us or are we there for god.?..As god requires nothing from humans then the first option must be the correct one,,amen
AMEN!
God is gathering a Remnant especially in these days. If we go by Judges 7, Gideon's example and principle, it is less than 1%. pray for local churches as we all are like Paul wrote in Rom 7:18-25. Praying that Billions would put their trust in The Finished Work of Jesus Christ before it would be late.
If you think your small church is "competing" with other churches, you don't understand what the purpose of a church is.
There's a HUGE DIFFERENCE between,,
Quantity vs Quality
Jesus group was on 12 people
The huge crowd that followed Jesus only followed him for what he did for them.
The huge crowd were convinced Jesus was God
The small 12 people crowd were converted Jesus is God.
I don’t think we know how to evangelize anymore. We don’t know how to grow a church biblically.
1. God Bless Mega Churches. God can and Does use them. Thing is you attend a small Church, its a community. People know You, You Know them. THIS is a Very Good Thing.
2. (and here is where I'm gonna get In Trouble) Doctrine, Had a Pastor (small congregation) who said 2 things that have stuck with me over the decades. "Theology & Doctrine are IMPORTANT, as long as you don't take them to seriously." & "That which unites us (Jesus) is so much greater than that which divides us (doctrine).
As Far The Church Dying here. I'm an unlicensed non-certified historian (sounds classier than A History Nut 🙂. I've seen this movie before. God is In Charge, and has a Plan...And I Trust Him.
One man's opinion freely given and worth ALMOST that much.
My church meets in a tent. We’re like a family. I will never go to a big church again.
Well if I lived in Southern Oklahoma this is where I would attend. Thanks for the video. Often I feel like a dinosaur and a fish out of water at these modern churches. Thank you. keep it up!
King James... YES.... Great way to finish off the video!
Joined the Catholic church. No sparkling lights, no rock band, just pure worship and respect for tradition. Love it!
Flee! Rome is the arch-enemy of God. It is a works oriented religion.
I'm confused. What you're actually comparing is a _big_ church with an _insanely_ big church.
First church was 3,000 people in the Bible.
Jesus sure didnt have all that extreme luxury s.he was very meek man..he came to fulfill hos fathers laws.
You are right on!
This is BANG ON in every respect!!!
The reason we have the "Laodicean" churches everywhere (where our Lord Jesus Christ had NOTHING good to say about them, and ONLY that church among the seven) is because they replaced the King James Bible with modern counterfeits that among many things replace the word "Doctrine" with "teachings" whenever possible. There are far too many examples that I could list, but space here does not permit.
Bottom line: we are commanded to NOT conform to this world, but be Transformed by the renewing of our minds, and that by the Word of God, which is found ONLY in the KJV Holy Bible. (BTW, the initials "KJV" should really be known as the King JESUS Version, as it is truly HIS word, which is not corrupted by the works of modern so-called "scholars".)
I grew up in a smaller church in my youth, and was actively involved as church pianist, but no longer, as the "band" replaced guys like me long ago. I know exactly what he is talking about here, especially with the "worship bands" that consists of "three chord wonder strummers", and "kitchen cookware specialists", and "Celine Dion wannabes" with five note vocal ranges. Pardon my sarcasm, but the talent level of most of these bands is mediocre at best, but never underestimate some of their egos to make up for what they lack in musical ability.
But seriously, take away their mic and PA system, the light shows, big screens, and all the other "props" (as used by the world), and have any of them "stand alone" on stage to "lead in worship", and most will be shown for what they completely lack in ability. They've never spent unseen hours and years preparing for the service of the King of kings that deserves our best.
Then, let's talk about most "pastors", which are "shepherds" by definition, but often not in practice. They are highly "trained" to repeat what they were indoctrinated with in so-called "bible schools", but are never required to read through the Bible even once in the four year programs they get "ordained" from. The vast majority of them are taught to reject the KJV in favour or any and all of the modern versions, ( by the way, those bibles admit to having the spirit of antichrist in them, just carefully compare 1 John 4:1-3, particularly verse 3 which qualifies the spirit of antichrist). Just like he said in the video, they water down the "doctrines" to what itching ears wanna hear for the purpose of gaining numbers, and by that, a bigger budget to work with. Remember, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. So, "Big and successful" does not necessarily mean God's blessing is on them.
It's often the tragic case of the "duped duping the dupes". May God help us all and bring us back to our roots. Jesus councils the Laodicean church to buy from Him the things that will heal them (Revelation 3:14-22). Notice also that Jesus is "standing at the door of His church, knocking to see if anyone would let Him in", meaning that He is OUTSIDE His church!!! This often describes what is really going on in these "Mega-Churches". I believe many of them are part of the program to form a one world religion for the end times when THE ANTICHRIST will have his hour.
Be on guard for your souls, that they not be swept away into eternal damnation by the lure of fancy lights, loud PA systems, motivational speeches that never lead to genuine conviction and repentance. Many will say "Lord, Lord" but will be replied with "I never knew you". Don't be one of those. Eternity is a very long time to ponder a poor choice you made by being swayed by the things this video pointed out.
Excellent video, sir, keep up the good work and the faith.
I like small groups. People know me, I get to know them. I have a place there and people are really missed if they don't show. Someone will check up on you.
I grew up in small churches I think of a small church between 10 to 500
The problem with all the churches is the one thing they're supposed to preach and uphold:
God - the truth. They're so focused on doing the right thing, that they would rather ignore the truth and follow in their traditions, rather than growing in the Word and be a mature adult like the Bible teaches. Nobody cares anymore about the Truth anymore, even in small churches. All they do is preach how united the apostoles were, while we are so divided that no one cares to help one another.
I've attended both. IMO, small churches are loving, welcoming, and supportive, but also the place where you are most likely to hear radical social and political opinions in the pulpit. There are still small towns with racially segregated churches today.
I love the people in small churches but I don't support the politics thereof.
Not all big churches are bad. There are some that preach sound doctrine. I love going to small church but as with anything else there’s pros and cons. The best thing is find a church that preaches sound doctrine and lives what they believe. People don’t seem to value church doctrine it’s more of a social club..
I get where you are coming from in this conversation. And I appreciate that you speak the truth about many churches struggling to stand on strong doctrine. But Bigger churches aren't the issue here. I go to the bigger church in the area and they have the low lights and the band and the big live streaming setup and all that stuff and they love Jesus and they teach the word properly and they want salvation through Jesus Christ.
Unless we sit down and speak with the leaders and people ourselves we cannot know their hearts fully. And unless we watch or hear all their sermons every week we cannot say what they teach or don't teach. The North American church has failed in many ways and it has nothing to do with lighting, fog machines, and rock music.
We want everyone to hear the gospel but want small churches. When we go to heaven we only want that 136 people to be there.
I think this is wrong. Completely. I’m from India and have lived in Kuwait, Dubai, Canada and now in the USA.
If I wanted everyone to hear the Gospel and come to church to worship. My church walls must expand to accommodate them. My administration must expand to accommodate them. My schedules must change to accommodate them.
If I stuck with small churches are the way, nope. That’s not in the Bible, I’m sorry.
Background music was a distraction.
The only answer is the Roman Catholic Church, which Christ established. Embrace the Blessed Sacrament
How could Christ have established the Roman Church when He never came within a thousand miles of Rome?
Good presentation. The rock music you chose to add in at coffee house seine but especially at end..not a fan weakens message. Love the old hymnal.
The coffee bar music was its own music from the clip.
Christianity is practiced in the streets, in the towns, in the hedges, as our example Jesus taught us, the fellowship is for the saints, if you are in willful sin, coming to fellowship with others in willful sin, unrepentant sinners fellowshipping together while living in sin is not the church. The church are those called out of sin who walk in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Everything else is rebuked by Jesus Christ. Jesus never told Peter and Paul to go build buildings, but they were a fellowship, who preached the truth not caring if it offended every single person they came in contact with.