Page 61 - In His Image

His statement affirms the church as strong, and getting dramatically stronger all
the time. This can easily suggest that what the church is doing is fulfilling biblical
mandate. What is being taught is right, and that which is being taught is being
applied, and that application is bearing Godly fruit. What he was saying, without
actually saying it, was that we are fulfilling the Great Commission! Many will read
this and say "Yes, we are fulfilling God's commands, brother so-and-so said it, and
he is a "general in the kingdom."

Here is what concerns me... IF what my brother has written is true, why…
 Is abortion on the rise?
 Why is the homosexual agenda gaining in strength?
 Why is divorce in the body the same as in the world?
 Why is adultery so common among "believers?"
 Why do we see a form of godliness?
 Why does strife abound in families, communities and society?
 Why are they walking in the front doors of our churches and out the back?
 Why are so many leaving the pastorate?

Where and how is the church affecting the WORLD. If we aren't affecting the
world, are we truly fulfilling God's mandate?

We often diagnose the health of the church by what takes place on a Sunday
morning between 10 and 12! Our flesh seeks immediate gratification. We need
immediate affirmation that our songs, our worship, our message, etc. is "received,"
that we as ministers are received by our congregants. How do we read that, but by
the immediate reactions of the congregation, their postures of raised hands or
weeping eyes, their words of encouragement, "great message pastor," their yells,
their tithe and a myriad of other worldly indicators. How truly can we say "good
service" unless we've seen the eternal fruit born from that service? What happens
when they leave the sanctuary and encounter a fallen world right outside the doors
of the church? Do they model Christ to all? Do they bring the unconditional love
Jesus made available to each of us by His atoning work on Calvary? Is there
unconditional forgiveness in our hearts for those who have offended us? Is our
ministry confined to times convenient to us? Are they Christ to the world? You get
my point. If all of this WERE happening, the WORLD would begin to change.
PROOF - The Book of Acts... as the disciples took the Holy Spirit out of the up-

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