The Slogan Driven Church

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This talk is R-rated, for adults only.

Our world is full of empty words and slogans that really don't do much for any of us.

Examples: “I'm sorry for your loss,” “thank you for your service.”

“How are you?” when you really don't want to know?

Why not try, “Wow, I heard your mom passed. That's such a big change.”

“I'm so glad that I live in a country where powerful young people choose to defend it.” Followed by, “Can I buy you a beer, a dinner?” or “Thank you so much.”

“I haven't seen you in a while. I'd love to catch up either now or sometime soon.”

I'm not really looking for more and better buzzwords. I'm just saying, really talk to someone like they matter, even if you don't know them.

Which leads me to my main topic: certain slogans that are empty and almost powerless. In many cases that we say in church and to each other: “Have faith.” “You must have faith.”

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”

It is not endurance. It is not hanging in.

I have heard people encouraging each other and even going so far as name-calling, saying, “You don't have enough faith.” When really they're trying to say, “You don't have enough determination and endurance.”

Sometimes that wins the day, but often it does not.

In Ephesians 2:8–9 and 1 Corinthians 12:3–9, it says that the gift of God is faith, a supernatural gift that moves mountains. It is not the same as waiting patiently.

Many times church people do not move towards solving a problem that needs to be solved in another way.

Faith without works is dead, as the body without the spirit is dead.

What is the work? The work is connecting with God in a powerful and substantial way so that the gift of faith inhabits your prayers. It does not mean “grab a shovel” in most cases.

What is prayer? It's a movement of power, force, and energy. It is not endlessly begging God to do something on your wish list.

Do your prayers work? Do they bring about change in a timely fashion, at least as a general rule? If they don't, you need to reset.

Many people would rather be given a cup of coffee than an empty “I'll pray for you” or a praying hands emoji. For many, this basically means a symbolic show of support without much power or effectiveness.

When you do empty things, there's no room for you to move toward doing effective things.

The answer is not to go up, but to go deeper with our generous Father, loving Jesus in a way that actually moves you. Like kissing someone for the first time that you plan to marry.

Many of us have been raised on formula. And what do you give a baby when the mother has no milk? Formula. The problem is not that the scriptures are empty. We are—sometimes our lack of connection with a powerful God who loves us.

How many of you love your children because you should, or out of an intellectual assent that you should, rather than joyfully connecting with them because you love them? That's the kind of connection we need with God. The body is dead without the spirit. So are all of our prayers and slogans without the spirit inhabiting and animating them.

It's a good hint, if our prayers don't work, that we're not doing it right.

Slogans are bad because we quit too soon. With a warm sense of satisfaction, without checking, “Did it work?”

Many of us noticed that most of our prayers don't work, and we become discouraged and cynical.

The Bible says, “Judge by the fruits.” Well, what are the fruits?

I know there are some, but don't quit digging; adjust your fire; ask the Father to show you how to pray more effectively, with more of his strength inhabiting what you do.

Jesus said to be as a little child: growing, changeable, interested, teachable. We have enough arrogant, empty adults who talk a good game without much demonstration. Don't settle for that. We were created for much more.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. If you are humble, you will have a demonstration of power.

Look to the past; practice some of the monastic practices: silence, any kind of communion, fasting, meditation, deep prayer, spiritual exercises; put time and intention, and you'll get results.

I remember going to a gym once, and my main contribution was wearing the gym T-shirt. I looked cool, but it didn't do me much good physically.

Going to church and listening to a talk once a week and giving each other a hug at the end is not what the Bible says that we are to do, at least without the following: heal the sick, raise the dead, make disciples of all men, cast out devils, visit me in prison, give me, being Jesus, a cup of water.

I haven't ever raised anyone from the dead, but I've had the joy of doing all the rest.

There is a great hunger in many to speak, but not so much to do.

If we have to look up to a person, how about Heidi Baker or Randy Clark, someone who does a lot more than talk? We used to call it “doing the stuff.” Be a doer of the word, not a hearer only.

You cannot be a successful Christian without supernatural power. It is a supernatural calling, not a physical calling.

Well, I may have made some of you mad, but I, I like the saying—“Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”—will get us a lot further than settling for way less than we should.

My goal is not to make you unhappy. Just take a look at what I'm saying; test and see if it holds up.

If your spiritual life can't be challenged, it must not be very strong.

This is a two-way street. I live this way myself, and I am happy to trade comfort for growth, at least at times, because without it, I've stayed the same, which is boring and leads me to being an ineffective Christian.

Be blessed in Jesus' name and the Father who loves us as we are, as dear children that he wants to see grow, as any good father would.