Sturgis Metaphors to Stop 'Em from Killing Your Church!

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

@#$%



@#$%

I picked up two helmet stickers near Sundance, Wyoming for the false sense of security beanie rarely worn to encourage pewsitters/pulpiteers/formers/foes who not so secretly wish I were dead; or as someone recently said to an officer of the church and wasn't discouraged in saying it: "I'll come back when there's a change at the top!"

She meant, uh, moi and our most outstanding support staff.

Psst.

I should be gone in about 20 years or when I fall off my chrome pony and hit my helmetless noodle on Route 66's blacktop; whichever comes sooner than later.

So there's hope for 'em.

Be that as it may be sooner or later, the two helmet stickers: "If you see my bike on a trailer, call 911" and "Jesus may love you but I think you're an ___."

The former refers to posers who trailer their bikes to MC rallies and then try to imitate Wyatt and Billy by ridin' up and down Main Street (apologies to those who trailer 'em to hawk 'em or show 'em for trophies not related to actually ridin' em) and the latter refers to, uh, uh, uh,...

@#$%

Speaking of folks who poison biker culture(s) as a metaphor for those killing your church (and I mean your church), I think of three categories of church killers: (1) unconverted clergy; (2) unconvinced laity; and (3) pharisaical reincarnations.

Unconverted clergy are the ultimate posers in the church; pretending to promote what they don't actually believe themselves: Jesus is Lord and Savior and believing in Him as Lord and Savior means loving Him as Lord and Savior by loving like Him because He is Lord and Savior.

Unconvinced laity are the products of unconverted clergy. While the Biblical model is shepherds don't follow sheep but rather follow the Good Shepherd to guide and protect even if it means being the salt that often stings to heal and the light that exposes the dark posings of too many pewsitters/pulpiteers, too many of today's clergy have produced mirrors of themselves: errand boys/girls for the wandering desires of those entrusted to them who agree with the last persons they've talked to in making their ministries nothing more than sentences ending in unfaithful prepositions.

Pharisaical reincarnations are the idolaters who forget the first two of the big ten inhibit fidelity to the other eight; grossly apparent among those who talk more about Osteen, Warren, Graham, Obama, Palin, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, RCers, AGers, Missouri Synoders, and others than Jesus Himself in keeping with His high priestly prayer of John 17, Indeed, they rarely talk about Jesus by name because they're so obsessed/possessed by, uh, almost everyone and everything other than Jesus as attested in Holy Scripture.

They're killing your church.

@#$%

The reports are in; and another big one is being released today.

8 churches in America are dying every day.

Yours may be next.

Many surviving churches will join 'em because they are poisoned and paralyzed by unconverted clergy, unconvinced laity, and pharisaical reincarnations.

Here's the tough part.

The supposed "silent majority" in churches don't have the, uh, uh, uh, whatever to take on the supposed fewer miscreants for, uh, God's sake.

As I learned long ago in my first polity course with Dean Adams at PTS, abstentions acquiesce to the majority; not just signaling the rare conflict of interest (whose?) or the weenie impulse or feeling it is possible to gain favor with everyone during difficult moments by walking on the razor's edge of duplicity.

In other words, those trailering posers on Main Street in Sturgis have relatives in your...

@#$%

The good news is the church no longer guarantees position, prestige, and vocational advantage in our American culture.

Simply, people who are authentically Christian have no more and often less position, prestige, and vocational possibilities than...

Why do you think authentic Christians who don't hide Jesus in their talk/walk are catching everything but heaven at work, in school, on the athletic field, and...?

Why is this good news?

Because it means people who are coming into churches today - yes, the ones coming in right now - aren't about anyone or anything but Jesus!

They don't care about the idols.

They don't respect the idols.

They are all about abandoning them - anyone or anything getting in the way of an authentic relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior.

God will bless them.

Read Exodus 20.

Read Matthew 5-7.

Look at the churches that are...

@#$%



@#$%

Blessings and Love!