Galatians 2:21a
2 Corinthians 12:9a
It appears the new “bogeyman” to be on the alert for is Christian Nationalism. The very phrase is proclaiming warning that if accepted or embraced will lead you down the path of heresy or a “false Gospel”.
I certainly want to avoid a counterfeit Christianity and in no way wish to create a politically partisan Gospel, but before we denounce this monster of CN, let’s be sure we are parsing carefully what we are and are not advocating. I would simply remind the reader that there are numerous labels which, at various times in history, have been both beneficial and detrimental in their usage. Labels like conservative and liberal have vastly different applications depending on the century. The words mystic, fundamentalist, enthusiast, Methodist, Baptist, and even “Christian” have been used as both epithets and proud banners of those adherent’s participating in those movements. I personally am convinced the label “Christian Nationalist” (CN) may be one of those convenient labels.
Thom Rainer, from Church Answers, in conjunction with a new Lifeway Survey, has issued what I believe to be some profound research in an article entitled, “The New very Large Church”.
It blew me away….
I have previously posted the percentage breakdown of church size here on Facebook. It has been fairly standardized over the last 30 years. The numbers and percentages have changed importantly in the last couple of years.
What is a Large Church?
If you are reading this post, I don’t have to write the lengthy list of leadership names that have been disqualified in this recent season. IHOP Kansas City and Forerunner Church are navigating such a time according to social media news. We can debate the appropriateness of analysis I suppose, but in a day of insta-news and social media celebrity, it seems naive to expect some kind of self-imposed mutism from the masses. My discernment is that there are probably more failures yet to be revealed, which is why we need to hear what God is saying to us and understand what He is doing in His Church and with His people.
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 NKJV
I have preached God’s Word for over 45 years now. I started at 19 years old and through an amazing string of events, doors were opened to me that only God could open. That said, those early sermons were raw, unpolished, and admittedly less than stellar biblical expositions. Those messages would be rightly evaluated as simple, superficial, and shallow. I plead guilty. God truly manifested I Corinthians 1:27-29, by using the epitome of a foolish, weak, and simple young man…
