Test All Things - Even Churchy Stuff

Friends, just because a campaign or a slogan is sponsored by a church or a denomination, that doesn't mean that we should take it as gospel, so to speak. The United Church of Christ has come out with a new campaign called Still Speaking 2.0 to upgrade its God is Still Speaking campaign.

The first slogan of this campaign says:

"Here's a Revelation: God Didn't End in Revelation." (Source)

Um, yeah. Where do I start? OK, technically, this statement is partially correct: God didn't end. In fact, God didn't begin, either. God has no beginning or ending. He is from everlasting to everlasting. (Psalm 90:1-2). God is the Alpha and the Omega. (Revelation 1:8). However, this statement is not referencing God's eternal state. Remember, this slogan is part of the Still Speaking 2.0 campaign, which is an upgrade of the God is Still Speaking campaign. Did you catch that? God. Is. Still. Speaking. In other words, the book of Revelation is not the final recording of God's Word because according to the UCC, God is Still Speaking 2.0. Does this agree with the Bible? Let's take a look.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. (Revelation 22:18-19)

Further reading from GotQuestions.org: Does the warning in Revelation 22:18-19 apply to the entire Bible or just the Book of Revelation?

Regardless of what the UCC or any other church or anyone else says, God Has Already Spoken. Please listen to Him and read what He has already said.

As if that slogan isn't bad enough, it gets worse. Here is the second slogan from the Still Speaking 2.0 campaign:

"The Bible is like GPS. A brilliant guide. All-knowing. Occasionally wrong." (Source)

Who dreams up this stuff? If the Bible is all-knowing then how could it possibly be wrong? And by the way, which parts are wrong? The stuff that you disagree with? Which parts are right? The stuff that you agree with? But what does the Bible say about God's word:

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The UCC says that Scripture is "occasionally wrong." Scripture says that the word of God is "flawless" and "God-breathed". Friends, ever since the Garden of Eden, the enemy of God has been trying to persuade us to doubt the veracity of God's word (Genesis 3:1): Did God really say?

All of this pains me because I once attended a UCC church. I bought into the God Is Still Speaking campaign the first time around because I was not saved. Yes, you read that correctly: I was not saved. I had been looking for a church - a faith community - in which to raise my children. That church and that campaign appealed to my sinful nature of equating the social justice gospel with the gospel. The social justice gospel does not require you to humble yourself before God and repent of your sins and declare your need for a Savior; the true gospel does. The social justice gospel wants you to work for justice, peace, harmony - the social justice gospel wants you to work for salvation. The gospel says that there is nothing you can do except admit that you can't save yourself and to trust in the finished work of Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection. Ironically, there is no little mention of the gospel on the UCC's web site, but there is a lot of information regarding social justice. The gospel is foundational to Christianity. How can you call yourself a church - or a Christian - if you do not share the gospel?

Honestly, any "church" that wants to cast doubt on the truth of God's word is not a church - it is an organization. The UCC is a social justice organization masquerading as the church. The church is not a building or an organization: it is the body of Christ Jesus who was God incarnate. And if you cannot trust His Word, then who or what are you trusting in? And if you cannot trust the words of the One who saves you from your sins, why do you call yourself a member of His church?

Friends, I implore you to read the Bible for yourself. Get to know the words of God. Get to know and understand what God has already spoken. Test all things using the Bible as the standard. May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

H/T: The End Time: United Church of Christ's edgy 'sorta scriptura' campaign

Looking for a Church Home in All the Wrong Places

There is no such thing as a perfect church, and by 'church' I mean an individual congregation and/or a denomination. They all have their positives and negatives. Now, having said that, some are worse than others. Currently my husband and I are attending (but not yet members of) a small, Southern Baptist church. This is our fourth church. I'm not proud of that. It's almost like saying I'm on my fourth husband. And this doesn't include the church in which I was raised - the Catholic Church. (My husband was raised in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.) Follow me as I recount our church (s)hopping experiences.

Our first stop is the Unitarian Universalist Church (Unitarian Universalist Association). I have heard the Unitarian Universalist Church described as being a mile wide and an inch deep. That is pretty accurate. In fact, I would not call it a church because it can hardly be described as Christian. The UUC embraces just about anything and everything from paganism (CUUPS) to secular humanism with a smattering of Christianity. After our first son was born, my husband and I decided we wanted to go back to church. He was raised Lutheran and I was raised Catholic. Although we both left our respective churches when we were about twenty, we both had fond memories of growing up in church. Understand that at this point in time, neither of us was saved. We weren't looking for Jesus. We were looking for a community to raise our children in that would provide a foundation of good values in Seattle. My friends, it is quite possible and I fear, very common, for people to attend church without being saved because they like the community. (As an aside: this is why I think pastors in every church should preach the gospel every Sunday. You never know who might need to hear it.) In spite of this, we learned the importance of community at this church. It was during this time that my youngest son had been born and suffered a brain hemorrhage at birth. Folks from our community group brought dinners to us and some stayed to comfort us. I remember talking with one lady who had lost her son to suicide. She said she had never believed in God or the afterlife, but one day found herself saying out loud to her late son, "I'll see you when it's my turn." She then reconsidered that there might be more to this life. She was searching. As I'm writing this, I realize that I need to pray for her to find the truth about Jesus.

Next stop is the United Church of Christ. This was the smallest congregation we attended. We had just returned to California from Seattle and we didn't like the local Unitarian Church. We figured that the UCC was just as progressive as the Unitarian Universalist Church, but it emphasized Jesus just a little bit more. The pastor of this church was a woman. At the time, it didn't bother me, but looking back I can see that there were issues. I have noticed that churches that are pastored by a woman tend to focus heavily on social justice issues.  Social justice is fine and dandy, but it's not the gospel and it's not the mandate of the church. Aside from the fact that these churches ignore 1 Timothy 2:11-12, there seems to be less expository Biblical preaching and more topical sermons relating to social justice. No, something was missing at this church so we decided to leave.

Third stop, the megachurch. This church was part of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Honestly, the reason why we started attending this church is because it had multiple service times, lots of volunteer opportunities, and it had a special needs program for kids. In short, it had convenience. However, a funny thing happened to us while we were at this church: we actually heard the gospel and accepted Jesus as our Savior. This was the first church where I heard that I was not OK with God and that I needed Jesus to save me. (This was from a sermon from a visiting pastor. Ahem.) Prior to this I thought I had it figured out: just be a good person. How wrong I was, and I am grateful that God used this pastor to speak truth to me. It was during this time that I learned the importance of Bible study. I was also baptized at this church, so it holds a special place in my heart. Sadly, we recently left the megachurch that we attended for nearly eight years because we grew weary of the constant marketing, the chasing after church fads, and the lack of discernment among the pastoral staff. In short, we got tired of seeing the church run like a business, which made business decisions designed to increase numbers. Funny things happen when you read the Bible...like you gain discernment.

Last stop, a small Southern Baptist church. I never thought I would end up at an SBC church. My impression of the Southern Baptist Convention has always been that it's filled with Bible thumpers (remember, I grew up Catholic). Now, I realize that's a good thing. We passed this little church every Sunday on our way to the megachurch, which was in a nearby suburb. When we left the megachurch we decided to find a church in our city. One day I said, "Why don't we try that little Baptist church? If we don't like it, we don't have to go back." Now here's the thing: when you have a child with special needs, it can be very difficult to find a church home. Truth. Our first Sunday at this church we realized that our youngest son would have to sit with us during the service as there wasn't a Sunday School classroom for him. We panicked, but at the same time, it was too late to leave. Yet on that first day, the pastor was there in the entry way. He told us, "Don't worry about it. If he makes noise, I can still keep preaching. It's not a problem." The next Sunday, we met the pastor's wife right before service started. She introduced herself to us and told us that she was a paraprofessional in a class for severely autistic children. We also learned that the pastor and his wife had a special needs son, albeit he was a young adult. I don't go looking for signs and wonders, but I was very encouraged by this.

We have been at this church for 6 months. We like the preaching, where the pastor actually seems sincere, he seems to take God's word seriously, and he seems to write his own sermons instead of using prepackaged sermon programs. Ahem. For several months, I listened to the online sermons of the pastor of this Baptist church as well as the pastor of a "conservative charismatic" church (the pastor's description, not mine.) Both were very good, and both made me realize just how shallow the preaching at the megachurch had become. We visited both churches and realized that the charismatic flavor was not for us. We settled on the Baptist church because it was in our town and literally, five minutes away from our house.

I can't say that denominational affiliation isn't important to me because there are some denominations that I won't consider, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). However, a denomination isn't the first thing that I take into consideration. I have come to realize that one of the most important aspects of a church is the faithful preaching of God's word. Does the pastor preach the whole counsel of God? Not every church will have good music, multiple ministries, a high profile pastor. To me, the important aspects of a good church are: faithful preaching of God's word, saints who love God and each other, and a strong desire to share the Gospel with others. (Acts 2:42-47)