Brethren, even at HAC I was called to help their victims. So here's a new series, and courteous responses (even if you disagree with me) are welcome.
THINGS THEY DIDN'T TEACH US AT HAC!
1) Not one time in Paul's Epistles did he command us to go soul-winning.
Over and over again, Paul commands us to love one another. He devotes entire chapters telling us to use our spiritual gifts. But he never commanded us to go soul-winning.
Tune in tomorrow for another informative post. And Yes, courteous comments, even if they disagree with me, are welcome.
2) There are no children's ministries in the Bible. Period.
There were no bus routes (wagon routes), no children's church, no promotions. These aren't forbidden, but it helps to know what you're getting into when you get involved in these.
The Christian orphanages here in Mexico have harmed a lot of volunteers who got shot up in the politics, power struggles, etc.
I'll be leaving in less than an hour to pick up kids in my van for Saturday Children's Church. We have kids who have been coming for over three years. We have already had nine kids in church at my house this week, and I volunteer at a nearby Christian orphanage. But after getting the daylights busted out of me at two Christian orphanages that are family businesses , I learned to deal with the fact that these are non-Biblical ministries. There are going to be problems as a result.
True, on both counts.
Paul gave us no such commands.
Jesus did, however, teach us by way of a parable, that God would have His servants go into the highways and hedges, the streets and lanes of the city, and "bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind"
When I first got to HAC, and went out for the first time on an inner city bus route, I felt like that is exactly what I was coming across. The poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind. And I literally felt my heart break for them.
In fact, long after I left HAC that was the one thing among everything else I was a part of there, that I missed the most. And still remember to this day.
It is true, DeepSix, that HAC got us to do more for God than most Christians will do in their entire lifetimes.
3) The key to building a successful IFB church is sheep-stealing, not soul-winning.
With Jack Hyles as a glaring exception, most IFB megachurches were in the Bible Belt. Most of their leadership, donors, and members were Godly Southern Baptists who wanted to do something with their lives. The Convention repudiated the holiness that it had once taught, and the IFBs picked up the ones who wanted to stay holy.
When I went to work for Jim Vineyard, I was amazed that his entire leadership consisted of people who were already saved when they came to his church.
4) The key to successful sheep-stealing is to have an interesting church.
Many Christian dutifully report to church because they should. They compliment the pastor for another boring sermon from which they learned nothing, but they do enjoy the fellowship.
An interesting preacher with good, well-run programs is going to attract a lot of members from other churches.
5) Loving one another is the most important thing.
1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
John 13:34-35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Paul's Epistles overflow with commands to love one another, but John takes it even farther. In his Epistles, John shows the clear link between Godliness and loving other Christians.
6) God give us spiritual gifts to build up the church.
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Pentecostals have botched this doctrine up so badly that many Christians are afraid of it. But the Holy Spirit grants every Christian at least one spiritual gift to edify the church. The Greek word for "edify" refers to constructing a wall. It refers to making the wall bigger (soul-winning) and making it stronger (teaching Godliness). Although HAC taught us to despise growing in Godliness, the Scriptures teach it clearly.
7) Despite their "speaking on tongues" erros, charismatics were the Twentieth Century's greatest soul-winners.
The Rise and Success of the Charismatic Movement
I need to explain the difference between a charismatic and a Pentecostal. Charismatics attach a great deal of importance to spiritual gifts, often emphasizing speaking in tongues, but they can belong to any denomination. There are Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian charismatics. Not all charismatics are Pentecostals.
Pentecostals are charismatics who belong to a denomination that is officially charismatic, such as the Assemblies of God. All Pentecostals are charismatics.
Bursting out of a small American revival in the early Twentieth Century, the charismatic movement rivals the Protestant Reformation in its size and importance. A century later, one out of every 25 people on earth are Pentecostal, while one out of 12 are charismatic (about 584 million). The Assemblies of God is second in size only to the Catholic Church (about 1.2 billion members) among professing Christians. About 27% of professing Christians are charismatic.
There are about 800 million Protestants in the world, many of whom (including Anglicans, Baptists, and Pentecostals) do not consider themselves Protestants. About 100 million people are Baptist (about 1 out of 70 people on Earth).
If spiritual gifts were automobiles, the early American charismatics were driving without a license, while the Baptists rode bicycles. Charismatics clashed, split, merged, fought, united, and grew--so heavily that they rapidly expanded outside the US, forming megachurches (averaging 2,000 weekly attendance) in Latin America and elsewhere.
And the early charismatics had their problems. Power-hungry crackpots would declare themselves to be prophets and demand ruling power, unregenerated charismatics would teach salvation by baptism and/or speaking in tongues, and crazy behavior was sometimes regarded as a manifestation of the Spirit. But colleges were established, doctrine corrected many of the flaws, born-again non-charismatics helped out, competent leaders emerged, and charismatics have left many of those problems behind.
8) Several years after they graduate, less than half of Bible college grads will be attending church.