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"WELCOME TO THE CLUB"
by John McArthur, Jr. Talbot Theological Seminary Representative
J e s u s C hrist indicated clearly in Matthew 13 that the church age would be a strange era. He said, by way o f parable, that the term church in its broadest sense would include wheat and tares, the true and the false; those who know the “ lingo” and those who know the Lord; those who like re ligion and those who love God; those who want to socialize and those who want to evangelize; those who play church and those who are the church; those who tip their hat to God and those who give Him their lives. Christ commanded John to write to the church at Sardis what sounds like a description of the modern church. John wrote: “ I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” What is wrong in the church? Has the church a realized purpose? What is it doing today to ful fill that purpose? What is it not doing? What is the popular concept of the church and what im pression is it making? In regard to this last ques tion, there are many misconceptions about the church. The following list might be a cross section representative of current ideas as to the purpose and function o f the church in this day. 1. The church is the neighborhood social cen ter for the purpose o f propagating bridge clubs, suppers, table games, social functions of various orders, and an occasional reli gious service to put some divine salt on the diet of human activity. It is actually quite a bit cheaper than the country club, even if one does drop something in the plate, and it certainly doesn’t make the demands that the local service clubs do. The greatest part is that everything is optional! In summary, one might conclude that it is a general rally
ing point for people who like to socialize, but also like the sensation created by a per vading religious atmosphere. 2. The church is a babysitting and child-de velopment center for the express purpose of dropping off children who tend to disturb Sunday morning inactivity at home, and who, after all, should certainly become ac quainted with God and all that other “ stuff” that we learned when our parents took us. It is good for the kids, and they have a lot of trips, activities, and things to entertain them. 3. The church is a platform for political propa ganda for the purpose o f giving people in sight into what atrocities are being commit ted in Viet Nam, what terrible things the government is doing, and why the “ great society” will never be great. And since the preacher is a right-wing, left-wing, liberal, or conservative patriot who sees and vocal izes with what we believe, we owe it to our freedom-loving nature to go now and then. Of course, he mentions God and that is “healthy.” 4. The church is the meeting place for all who are in today’s demonstration. It is a sound ing board to defend our rights and proclaim to the world the social injustices that our country is enduring. Essentially, it is where the parades begin! It is a beautiful, magnifi cent set of buildings with stained-glass win dows and mahogany pews, carpeted floors and multi-thousand dollars’ worth o f em- bellishments, where we sit each week to 7 hear of the terrible plight of the poor and the needy and how we should fight for their
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THE KINO'S BUSINESS
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