HOW TO BECOME A COMMUNITY CHURCH

It has become a movement, The Community Church Movement. It probably started with The Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois or The Saddleback Community Church in Southern California started by Rick Warren. Actually, Saddleback is a Southern Baptist (Don’t tell anyone), because they prefer folks not know this because people are turned off by denominational names. Some in our brotherhood are inclined in this direction. So, here is how it’s done.

First remove the name church of Christ or put it at the bottom of the sign. That way folks won’t know that we are exalting Christ (Phil. 2:10-11). Also, they will not know about the scripture by Paul that says, “Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you” (Rom. 16:16). What about this passage, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17). The Apostle Paul wrote, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Why would we not want to exalt the name of Christ since he bought the church with his blood (Acts 20:28). So if you want to become a community church, be sure and remove the name church of Christ.

Second, introduce instrumental music into your worship. Then defend it with a silly argument that “You cannot use the silence of the scriptures to say instrumental music is wrong.” What? See since the Old Testament was a shadow of things to come and in the Old Testament they used the instrument, therefore the instrument in the Old Testament is a shadow for us today to open the door for the use of the instrument since the New Testament doesn’t mention its use. I didn’t take logic in college but that doesn’t seem to even be logical thinking. If you use that argument, then you must confine your instruments to those approved by God in the Old Testament. Many of these folks do not know what the Old Testament says about the instrument (read: Numbers 10:1-2, 8, 10; 1 Chron. 16:4-6; 1 Chron. 28:11-13,19; 2 Chron. 29:25-29). If you are going to use the Old Testament, then do it the way God said. So if you want to become a community church, argue for the instrument to be used in the assembly.

Third, let your worship be an entertainment venue. Advertise your bands, advertise your swaying and hand clapping so that folks will know that the purpose is not to satisfy God but to please man. Paul wrote, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). Remember Jesus said, “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:8). “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). So if you want to become a community church, become an entertainment venue.

You can become a Community Church, but that’s all it will be. It will not be the church of the Bible, the one body (Eph. 4:4), the church of God (2 Cor. 1:1), the church Jesus died for (Eph. 5:25), the church Jesus will save (1 Cor. 15:24). All you have is a place where folks go to be entertained and be lost eternally (Mt. 15:13).

Larry