Im really glad that reverend ng came today and said everything that I want to say, but in a much better way than I ever could. Definitely my kind. Honest, shameless, and unafraid of being offending in standing up for the truth. Some church he preached at 1/3 of the congregation walked out? Nice.
Well here are some of the stuff I remember from his sermon.
The gospel is not the good news of salvation, is not just about Jesus loves you and comes into your little hut, its about the kingship of God, where you come under the rule of God. Christianity today has become cheap and superficial, but that is never what the gospel is all about. Salvation is not by saying a sweet little prayer, and you think everyone is now alright and go do whatever you want. Jesus says deny yourselves, take up the cross and follow me. In short, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it, “when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die”. Salvation does not come from Christ dying the cross and saying the sinner's prayer. Salvation comes from Christ dying upon the cross to fulfill (not override) the Law, and the decision of man to follow Jesus. By the fruit they will be rewarded, those who do not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire.
The roman catholic church has got it all wrong when they used to think (and perhaps still do) that the kingdom of God is about territory. Its about the pope being the ruler, lord over the other Christians, while awaiting the Second Coming. Yet before we put these people down, the charismatic of today is no better. They think to be big and rich is good. Yet that is not the Church, that had never been the Church. No where in the scriptures would you find anything that would support this view. Christianity today has been so heavily distorted and its a terrible pity. Perhaps worse still, even the pastors who may know what is right cannot exactly preach the direct truth for it may cause offense to people and failure to change their mindsets may instead push them further away from Christ.
The church is not the building or even the congregation, it is the community of the kingdom, the gathering of the people. If five people come together and decide to seek God together, they are the church. No need for a pastor, no need for a communion table or even a building to house them. The acts church didnt have a building, they met in houses. The church of philipi started in lydia's house. The church is not an activity, it is not an event, it is not a program, it is not a system, it is not an institution. When mao came into power, the church of China was driven underground, no one became a christian by convenience, they were prepared to die for what they believe in. Yet when China finally opened up, it is discovered that the church grew. They didnt go to church to play games. They meant business.
Jesus Christ is a radical, and like how he flipped tables in the temple and was hit hard in return, so He too would likely offend 90% (reverend ng says 99%, im ten times more generous with my estimated statistics) of the church today and be thrown out by them. Christianity is not religion. The Church today is mostly rubbish, people who dont know scripture, who dont understand the kingdom of God. Where worship is more entertainment than worship. The secret of a successful church lies in the relationships, between the people and God, as well as between the people of God. It does not lie in weekly routines of gathering on sunday for service. Rethink what you think you know as you live as a servant of the kingdom of God.
You do not go to church. You are the church.
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