Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

12 September, 2006   comments: (0) Today's Pragmatism   Market Driven Church vs. The Apostle Paul - Part 2 God told Jeremiah, "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!". Is there a lesson to be learned about the dangers of "judging by popularity" in that passage? We must look beyond what is popular with man and judge churches, trends, and new movements according to the standards of success outlined in the bible. Paul's letters to Timothy are key. In part 1 of this series based on the book Ashamed of The Gospel, John MacArthur summarized the pastoral commands given to Timothy from the Apostle Paul as follows: Be faithful in his preaching of biblical truth. Be bold in exposing and refuting error. Be an example of godliness to the flock. Be diligent and work hard in the ministry. Be willing to suffer hardship and persecution in his service for the Lord. How Then Do We Define Success? Notice that Paul said nothing to Timothy about how people might respond. He did not lecture Timothy on how large his church was, how much money it took in, or how influential it was. He did not suggest that the world was supposed to revere, esteem, or even accept Timothy. In fact, Paul said nothing whatever about external success. Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success. Contemporary ministry philosophy is infatuated with worldly standards of success. The churches most often judged "successful" are the large, rich megachurches with multimillion-dollar facilities, spas, handball courts, day-care centers, and so on. But not one church in a thousand falls into that category. That means one of two things: most churches are pitiful failures, or the gauge of success in ministry must be something besides material prosperity. The answer is obvious to anyone who knows Scripture. External criteria such as affluence, numbers, money, or positive response have never been the biblical measure of success in ministry. Faithfulness, godliness, and spiritual commitment are the virtues God esteems--and such qualities should be the building blocks of any ministry philosophy. That is true in both small and large churches. Size does not signify God's blessing. And popularity is no barometer of success. In fact, it can be a reason for condemnation. God told Jeremiah, "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!" (Jer. 5:30, 31). Look again at Paul's instructions to Timothy. Instead of urging Timothy to devise a ministry that would garner accolades from the world, he warned him about suffering and hardship--hardly the stuff of modern church-growth experts' aspirations! In Scripture external success is never a valid goal. Paul was not telling Timothy how to be "successful," he was encouraging him to pursue the divine standard. That, of course, is what defines true success. Real success is not getting results at any cost. It is not prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the other worldly notions of success. Real success is doing the will of God regardless of the consequences. Related Information and Resources: MacArthur: Do different times require a different message? Spurgeon: Do large followings indicate ministry success? Horatius Bonar: Pastoral success depends upon personal holiness Are 'decisions for Christ' the mark of a church's success? Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.359   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism