Some thoughts of mine on sermons, revival meetings, etc.. Have you ever got the feeling of being strong armed during those some of church meetings?
You have a person standing up there - yelling at you or using a lot of rhetoric and brow beating to cajole you to put up your hand, come to the front, to be prayed for? etc... Frankly, where is the Spirit of God moving in those instances? Soft light, light music, a mesmerizing speaker ... doesn't that add up to man made conversions?
Lately, I saw some documentaries which talk about hypnosis and motivational speakers - and I see a remarkable similarity the world and how some sections of the church operate. In particular, I was disturbed how one hypnotist laid his hands on members of the audience - and they fell down - similar to how we see people falling over in church.
Hey, maybe it is God's will to reach out to certain sections of the community this way; humanity is diverse afterall.
I'm sure missionaries would reach out to Eskimos a different way than they would to a city crowd.
And please I'm not knocking all forms of pentecostal and evangalical modes of operation. Good Lord, I don't to commit the unforgivable sin and lump the works of God to the works of humans.
But yet I address this message to Christians. Is how the church operates today - worthy of God? And can we change it to be better and more aligned with the Spirit of God rather than the spirit of men? Its worth thinking about thoughtfully.
Here's something for Christians to think about. Do you know how the great magnificent Cathedrals in Europe were built - including the awesome Church of St Peter in Rome? Many of them were built using funds raised from the sale of indulgences.
A bit sad don't you think?
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