John MacArthur
From the writings of John MacArthur:
“The philosophy that marries marketing technique with church growth theory is the result of bad theology. It assumes that if you package the gospel right, people will get saved. It is rooted in Arminianism, which makes the human will, not a sovereign God; the decisive factor in salvation . . . The goal of market-driven ministry is an instantaneous human decision, rather than a radical transformation of the heart wrought by Almighty God through the Holy Spirit’s convicting work and the truth of His Word. An honest belief in the sovereignty of God in salvation would bring an end to a lot of the nonsense that is going on in the church. (MacArthur, Ashamed of the Gospel, 85)
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Filed under: Christianity, Jesus Christ, Grace, Church, Holy Spirit, Bible, Holiness, Faith Tagged: | Christianity, God, Salvation, HolySpirit, Arminianism, MacArthur, Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World, Church Growth
I recently left a church because of this. We are supposed to be appealing and we are supposed to let people know that we are in town but some churches are going to the extreme to get people to raise their hands to confirm that they prayed “the” prayer.
Amen, amen, amen, and amen. :).
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
With Baptist-Methodist roots, I could never participate in visitation programs that targeted the non-churched. I could never go to a man’s door and say ‘You need tto be in church.’ Who am I to judge another man’s condition of heart. Don’t misunderstand my point. Sharing Christ is a wonderful things. But I believe He surely desires that we practice it through loving and helpful deeds born of loving neighbor as self.
Good thoughts, Thanks.
Carolyn