I shudder every time I hear the testimony of a Christian who grew up in church and only later came to understand some basic points of faith. Of course, some things are hard to understand. We must drink milk before we eat meat. I am not disappointed by people who have never learned the word propitiation or who have never known the difference between active and passive obedience to Christ. These are extremely important concepts and we must teach them from scratch. But I’m talking about the basics, the things every Christian should know the other way around, things we should be hearing in church all the time.
People certainly don’t remember everything they should remember. La culpa puede ser tanto de los oyentes como de los oradores, pero aún así, es un incentivo más para aclarar ciertas cosas como el agua. We can’t assume you’ve heard what we think we’ve already told you.
- As a pastor.
- There are some things that I hope members of my church will never say and have never heard of.
- These are not necessarily the most important doctrines of faith (although some are).
- However.
- These are things that we easily assume that our members know.
- But are often still missing.
And when they miss those things, they can end up losing everything else.
1. “Being a Christian is more than going to church and being a good person. We need to clarify this in an absolute and repetitive way. I can assure you that there are people in your church (and mine) who think that Christianity It is about attending religious services with some regularity and not making big mistakes. Make sure they know the gospel, that Jesus Christ lived the life we could not live, and died of the death we deserved so that, just by faith, we could reconcile. with God, make sure they can also articulate the gospel.
2. “We must be born again. I am surprised that history shows that awakenings often follow when preachers return again and again on this subject. Do your members know that they died in sin and need the miracle of regeneration?
3. “We must develop a personal relationship with Christ. We may be tired of the term “personal relationship”, but try to find something crucial to the Christian life. We really need to know Christ, love him, walk with him and listen to him. To him.
Mature Christians develop Bible reading and prayer habits throughout their lives. It may all be my fault, but somehow I didn’t know until I met good fundamentalist Baptist friends in high school who started every day with something called “moment of silence. “
5. “Christians are suffering. ” Our suffering is aggravated in this country because no one tells us it will come.
6. “God can please me”. Christians who understand numbers 1 through 5 often have difficulty accepting this truth. Often tell your members that God is satisfied with their obedience. Tell them that God is a loving Father who enjoys his faithful, if imperfect, children.
7. Beware of false teachers. We do not form our young people well if they leave our environment safe and assume that all those who present themselves as “Christians”, or publish Christian books, or teach in Christian schools, are trustworthy.
8. “There is a God in three people”. What is more fundamental than God himself?And yet how many churches properly and frequently instruct their members about the Godhead?
9. “There are many people in the world who do not believe that Christianity is true and some of them are very cool and intelligent. If we have been in churches all our lives, we can learn that there are other people who disagree with us, but their beliefs and arguments often present thee badly. It is easy for people to grow up in the church imagining that other worldviews are quite stupid and/or that those who defend them are obviously bad people. Prepare your members to know that they will find decent, intelligent people who disagree with them. Prepare them to think beyond stereotypes.
10. There is a reason why we love the way we worship. Of course, this may not be the case in all churches. Some services are provided under the basic title of “everything I like and seem to work”. it’s probably better than that. Take the time to explain why he still sings ancient hymns, why he tries new songs, why he has a confessional prayer, why there is a pastoral prayer, why the sermon is as it is. Worship is ridiculous when members have never learned why we worship how we worship.
If you are a pastor, parent, Bible study leader, EBD teacher, or anyone who teaches others in the faith, do not assume that your children or group know these things. Repeat them, sing them, pray to them, what you just said. Get them up, have them repeat after you. Do whatever it takes to make sure your group never says they’ve never heard the most important things about you.