Matthew 16:18
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
The church must be prepared to make critical decisions about societal changes and exercise enough faith to deal with them. The decisions we make will greatly influence the mission of our church for the rest of this century.
CHOICE ONE:
WE CAN BECOME A PROTECTING CHURCH.
1. They boycott rather than relate .
2. They protect rather than proclaim .
“We talk of standing on the Rock of all ages, but act like we are clinging to the last piece of driftwood!”
-H. Richard Niebubr
CHOICE TWO:
WE BECOME A COMPROMISING CHURCH.
1. They are seduced rather than challenged .
2. They identify rather than prevail .
“Many churches are moving at warp speed away from their commitment to a biblical Christology and the historic Christian faith toward any type of religious manifestation that minds can imagine.” -Tom Sine
CHOICE THREE:
WE BECOME AN UNCHANGING CHURCH.
1. They hold to tradition by ignoring the world.
2. They march to Zion while the world is going to hell.
CHOICE FOUR:
WE BECOME A BATTLING CHURCH.
1. They fear annihilation .
2. They believe God ordained them to fight the last great battle on earth.
3. They believe proactive politics can produce change in the world.
CHOICE FIVE:
WE CAN BECOME AN INFLUENCING CHURCH.
1. They see the world as a mission-field , not a battlefield.
2. They see Christians as missionaries .
3. They rightly relate to people in the culture.
4. They believe redeemed people are changed to impact culture.
5. They see their homes as havens of hospitality instead of military bunkers.
6. They believe the gospel will be powerful when love and integrity shine through them.
7. They see “ worldly people ” as created by God and in need of God, not as enemies of God.
“Salvation is not so much about man’s badness as it is about God’s goodness.” -Terry Toler
