Feel Good Christianity

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4: 2 - 5 NKJV

A bad television series rarely brings rave reviews.  Likewise, we all too often find ourselves changing our radio stations continuously until we find that song we like.  So it is with christianity as well.  For many a pulpit pounder will try and try to maintain the intrest level of his congregation while preaching the word of God.  I've witnessed pastors resort to everything from jokes to riding a motorcycle down the center aisle of a church in order to grab the attention of those in attendance.  At what cost?  If a congregation member feels they are not being "fed" at their present church, they will undoubedly find another church that is more to their liking and style.  The very number of churches in our towns and cities testifies to the different styles of christianity among us.  We have everything from lutherns to southern baptists.  Each with their own style and way of doing things.  I've often wondered just how many branches of christianity we need.  Which christianity is the RIGHT christinaity?  Surely God has His favorite line of believers, right?  Yes, if we fall in line with mans standards.  For as the apostle Paul warned young Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, people will ultimately seek out teachings more in tune with their beliefs "according to their own desires, because they have itching ears."  So, due to our own desires to hear what WE  feel our Lords word should be is that standard we use to choose a "Good" church.  Still wondering why it is that we have so many churches around town?  Since when did our Sunday morning worship become more about entertaining the masses than preaching the word of God and our relationship with Christ Jesus.  Is Jesus that boring that we need to spice up our sermons on Him in order to get to people to listen?  I'd say no simply because rarely is our relationship with Christ {Galations 2:20} taught in the modern church, but that's beside the point.  So it is that we immerse ourselves in feel good christianity.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being.'
Acts 17: 23 - 28 NKJV

Don't get me wrong, I've sat through many a boring sermon in my time.  In fact, it is often the standard family practice to eagerly await many a post church activity on Sunday once that "boring" sermon is done.  This is the arena where the modern pastor finds himself.  For it is indeed a fine line to preach Christ Jesus and yet hold the interest of his flock at the same time.  It is my belief that it is not Christ that is boring, but how the truth about Him is presented.  There is a good reason why 28.6% of our population now considers themselves to be unafilliated with any religion.  Indeed, one of the most common complaints heard from those who have left the church is their weariness of "Organized" religion.  Those traditions and practices which we once held so near to our own hearts we've suddenly found to be not important.  For it is not within the buildings or traditions we surround ourselves with where we will find our true relationship with Christ Jesus.  If this were true, then perhaps that 28.6% of people leaving the church may not have done so.  Obviously they were seeking something they were not getting from their local pulpit pounder.  I believe that this true relationship with Jesus comes from within and not from what we are surrounded with.  For when that veil is lifted and we fully realize that we are one with Christ Jesus, we won't need the gimmicks of a motorcycle riding pastor.

~Scott~