Following Jesus 85

In Acts 2:14-41, the Apostle Peter preached the very first sermon containing the good news of the gospel. It was the first time the gospel was preached by an individual following the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. What Peter preached is an enduring example for each and every pastor called and commissioned by God to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-5). Like Peter on the Day of Pentecost, a pastor is commanded to preach a (1) Biblical sermon; a (2) Christ-centered sermon; a (3) logical sermon; and (4) an obedient unto God sermon. 
 
Close to twenty years ago, a former Episcopal Bishop wrote that Christianity must give up its allegiance to the Bible unless it wants to become irrelevant to the culture. In effect, Christianity must change or die. 
 
More recently, new methods of evangelism have been introduced into the church for the purpose of the church not to become as extinct as a dinosaur. The perspective is for the church to use the culture in order to win the culture. This perspective has been used by preachers in history (19th century revivalist Charles G. Finney) as well as those in our present day. 
 
Recently, a well-known former mid-west mega church pastor said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that “Christians need to strop relying on its holy text” (as a basis for opposing sin in general and specific sins in particular). He continued to say “I think the culture is already there and the church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from 2,000 years ago as their best defense (against sin in general and in particular) when you have in front of you flesh-and-blood people who are your brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and co-workers and neighbors…” 
 
Dear friends, the only way the church of Jesus Christ will continue to be relevant to the present culture (as it was in the past and as it will be in the future) is through the preaching and teaching from the Bible; the Word of God. If the Word of God is not the foundation of what we say, mean and apply then the church is no longer relevant to the world. We cannot win the culture by using and embracing the culture, but rather by preaching and living out the Word of God. 
 

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