I Just Want to Be Fed!
Jason Moon

It has happened twice in the last three days. The first time it was a godly woman who told me "I want to be fed, not entertained." Then it happened again last night. A friend called from Colorado and told me the same thing: "I just want to be fed."

What do people really want out of a church? Answers vary with varying attitudes. Some want to be entertained. They are only interested in a worship service that gives them a bang for their buck. If worship isn't dramatic, they'll go somewhere else. Others want to be coddled. They are searching for the, church that will give them the "programs" that best meet their needs. Others want to be sweet-talked. They want a message solely consisting of love and grace, something positive, and certainly nothing about sin and sanctification. Others want to be humored. They believe a good sermon is mostly jokes and good stories. Too much Scripture is boring. Others want to be browbeaten. They have been given a message of gloom and doom for so long that anything otherwise seems questionable. Hell fire and brimstone is the only acceptable style of preaching for them. They want to hear how bad people have become, the church is, and how degenerate "our schools" are. Others want to be secluded. They are searching for the church that hold all of their "views." This church is closed-minded enough not to ever change a thing. This church is issue oriented above all else. On and on we could go...

Lest I'm misunderstood, I believe in an organized, smoothly flowing, enlightening worship service. I'm not against good programs that minister to special needs. I'm not against positive preaching. I'm not against humor in sermons. I believe there is also a time for rebuke. And I believe in standing firmly on biblical issues and never changing the Gospel message. However, any church that seems to specialize in one or more of these, to the exclusion of scriptural worship I ship and practice has lost its priority. When we become more concerned about what people need than what God wants we have caananized the church.

I appreciate those who know that true worship is doing the right things with the right attitude (John 4:24). 1 appreciate those who know Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). I appreciate those who abide by his Will (Hebrews 1:2) - not adding to or talking away from its plan and precepts (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 21:18-19). And yes, I appreciate those who "just want to be fed" (I Peter 2:2; Matthew 5:6)! ❦

Deception
Randy Kea

First, can a person be misled religiously? Listen to Jesus: "Beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15), "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:14), "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4).

Second, one might ask: "Why are people often misled?" Two basic and fundamental reasons would be: (1) they take someone else's word for what they believe and practice and (2) they never study to prove and verify what they believe and why they believe it.

Third, what does the Lord want us to do to avoid being mislead? (1) We should search the scriptures (John 5:39; Acts 17:11). (2) We should, using the Bible as our standard, put to the test every religious teacher, preacher, doctrine and leader (I Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 2:2; 11 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 4:11). (3) We should always remember that it will be the Lord's word that will judge us in the last day (John 12:48; Revelation 2 0: 10-11). ❦

Change Your Directory
Please make the following change in the “Extended Family” section of your directory:

Anne Brock. . . . . . .(931) 815-3744
744 Shelbyville Rd
McMinnville, TN 37110-7572

Men’s Breakfast
The monthly Men’s Breakfast will be hosted by the men of the 5th Avenue congregation at the N. Jackson Avenue building in Bartow, this coming Saturday morning (Sept. 16) at 8 am. All our men are invited to attend.

"The power of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doings."    —Blaise Pascal