Upload
hollie-gardner
View
213
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Are We a Compromising
Church? Series: What Kind of
Church Are We?
September 25, 2011
Churches……strive desperately to remain relevant in the midst of an ever-changing cultural landscape.
A Problem…occurs, however,
when churches strive so hard for cultural relevance that they lose their biblical uniqueness
This is called moral compromise.
Moral……compromise is like loading a map of Detroit into your GPS when you live in Dallas.
You might……enjoy the sights of Dallas, but you will never get to your intended destination.
Compromising…
…churches may have great church but they will never become a great church.
Such was……the problem in
Pergamum –The church wanted to
remain culturally relevant in Satan’s hometown.
–But they allowed false teachers to load the wrong maps into their moral GPS
Jesus has three…
…admonitions for Pergamum and every compromising church
The Word of God is the only map that
should be loaded
into your GPS
Moral GPS
The Word of God…
…is the ultimate standard by which all thoughts and actions are judged.
Old ParadigmF F FA A EC I ET T LS H I
NGS
The Word of God……informs our thinking.
It tells us what is true and what is not. We put our faith in the truth of God’s word, and feelings come after we have trusted God.
ExampleFact: God is sovereignFaith: I believe that God
is in everyone of my circumstances
Feelings: No matter what I am going through, I will not be afraid
New ParadigmF F FE A AE C IL T TI S HNGS
Feelings……constitute my ultimate reality. If I am not feeling it, it is not valid.
Example
Feelings: God is blessing others but not me
Fact: God is not fairFaith: I am leaving the church
Pleasing God
means faithfully following your GPS
Moral GPS
Pergamum…...held fast to God’s name
…they did not deny the faith
You have to……listen to GPS Sally and you have to follow her instructions
Compromise happens
when someone
tampers with the map
Moral GPS
Pergamum…...mixed in the teachings of Baalam and the Nicolaitans
Your moral GPS…
…is only as good as the map that is loaded and your commitment to obey the instructions.