Search The Scriptures: January 14, 2001
FLUFF WITHOUT FORMAT
INTRODUCTION:
A. Good morning my friends, and welcome to this broadcast of the Search the Scriptures bible
study program. I am humbled that you have invited me to spend these few minutes with you. I
can think of no better way to begin a Sunday morning that in a diligent study of the scriptures.
Later this morning, the Danville church of Christ will be assembling for more bible study and
worship and I would like to extend to you a personal invitation to be our guest. The times of
these assemblies will be given at the conclusion of this morning’s program.
B. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Tim. 3:5 that some professed believers would come along having
a form of godliness but denying its power. This, my friends, is religion of symbolism without
any substance. It’s fluff without format! This kind of religion is syrupy - feel good - power of
positivism - tickle your ears - stroke your ego - entice big numbers at any cost. It offers nothing
but fluff. My friends, let me ask you have you noticed any changes in the dynamics of the church
of which you are a member? Have you seen a shift from emphasizing authority to feelings? Have
you noticed an increased emphasis being placed upon counseling and less on preaching? Have
you recognized how more time and money are being spent on physical structures and less on
evangelism? Have you noted that fewer and fewer sermons are addressing distinct doctrinal
matters and more are being designed to help us cope with things like stress, time management
and downsizing? Have you stopped to consider how many preachers are more competent to help
you with your retirement portfolio than with your soul? Ladies and gentlemen, this should be
something that unsettles us. More time is being spent deciding how to enlarge buildings than is
being spent enlarging the kingdom of God. This, I believe, is because churches are more
interested in fluff they are than in building according to the pattern of the New Testament. It
seems that the shift from substance to symbolism started when churches of Christ began to
become enamored with the growth success of denominations, especially some so-called
Christian Churches. And without exceptions these phenomenal growing churches were following
the marketing advice and example of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington,
Illinois. The Willow Creek Church has a six-stage process ensuring church growth. Their
ministers, Bill Hybels, Mark Mittelberg, and Lee Strobel travel across the country speaking in
seminars showing how to implement the Willow Creek Philosophy. Sadly, there are many
churches of Christ that have been influenced by Willow Creek. Willow Creek has diversified
into mortgage banking and consulting. They have wood shops in which they make crafts to sell.
All designed to be used as tools of evangelism. Also, Willow Creek has its counseling ministry,
which helps men and women cope with the trials of life - including divorce. For some time there
has been a growing number in churches of Christ who have been lamenting - what they call
traditionalism - who have been courting the Community Church philosophy. These people are
looking for the new, the novel and the unusual; Willow Creek offers what they are looking for.
My friends, this denominationalizing of the church must be opposed. Preachers, elders and
members must rise up in opposition to this fluff and demand the old paths again. We must stop
being ashamed of building all things according to the pattern. After all this is what Heb. 8:5
says, see that you make all things according to the pattern. The bible is designed to be a pattern
for us. Peter said in 2 Pet. 1:3 as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. Note carefully,
ladies and gentlemen, what Peter tells us. He tells us three very important things in this verse.
First, he says that God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. That is, God
has revealed to us all that is necessary for life and for godly living. Second, he tells us where
God has revealed this information, and it’s in the gospel. He said it was by his divine power, and
the power of God is the gospel according to Rom. 1:16 that says, I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation. Then, the third thing this verse tells us
is that godly living comes about only through the knowledge of him. This is how we are to live
and this is how we are to teach others to live. This brings us - again - to the admonition for us to
follow the pattern. Heb. 8:5 says as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make
the tabernacle. For he said, see that you make all things according to the pattern. The point
being made was this. Just as Moses was expected to follow the pattern God gave him, Christians
are to follow the pattern given to us. The problem is this, my friends. In the year 2001, many socalled
churches of Christ have decided that building according to such strict adherence to pattern
is archaic and will not appeal to the modern mind. Therefore, many churches of Christ abandon
strict literalism in favor of spongy relativism. They follow what they want and reject what they
don’t want - it’s as simple as that. This, in spite of the notice of God to the contrary. Paul told
Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:13 hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me,
in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Now, hear that again my friends. The apostle of
Christ wrote hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and
love which are in Christ Jesus. Whether those who operate loose and fast with the word of God
like it or not - the bible is a pattern to be followed. Instead of following the New Testament
pattern, many are trying to build faith and churches upon the writings of the likes of Rubel
Shelly who suggests in his book, The Second Incarnation that churches abandon the [quote]
“deep rut” error that the New Testament is a pattern for the church. Regardless of what the bible
says, this notion is gaining popularity and in many places the New Testament is no longer
viewed as a pattern. Also, many are touting the writings of Max Lucado who views the New
Testament as something far less than a pattern to be followed. Lucado is a preacher for the two thousand
member mega Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas, but he is also a
regular in denominational churches and on denominational television programs. Far too many
Christians are devouring everything Lucado writes, which is filled with compromise and
sometimes blatant untruths. Granted, he has a way with words that is appealing and this makes
him dangerous. Lucado has a touchy-feely writing style that appears to be an attempt to get the
reader to identify with the human side of Jesus, instead of the deity-authority driven Christ. The
result is heresy at best and blasphemy at worst. For example, in his book, No Wonder They Call
Him the Savior (a 199 page book written in 1986), Lucado blasphemes the Lord Jesus Christ
with the following statements. On page 131 he writes: “Now, look into the picture. Look closely
through the shadowy foliage. See that person? See that solitary figure? What's he doing? Flat on
the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a
stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead? That's Jesus. Jesus in
the Garden of Gethsemane.” Then on page 132 Lucado continues, “Does this look like the
picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. . . . We see an agonizing,
straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a ‘man of sorrows.’ We see a man struggling with fear,
wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.” Now, consider something, my friends.
Jesus in a stupor of fear? Not likely! Lucado is committing blasphemy, which is defined as the
defamation of the person or nature of God. It appears that in Lucado's attempt to help us identify
with the “human side” of Jesus, he has engaged in gross speculation, in effect rewriting the
bible’s account of Jesus time in the Garden, and by that he portrays to us a different Jesus, he
pictures a sinful Jesus. Check your church libraries and see if Lucado has a permanent place
there. Also, in his Lubbock radio sermon Max Lucado said to his listeners that: [quote] “God is
ready to be your Father. Maybe you never understood that the invitation was for everyone.
Maybe you thought that you weren't worthy. Maybe now you do understand God will make you
worthy and the invitation is for you, and all you have to do is call him Father. Just call him
Father. Just turn your heart to him even right now as I am speaking. Call him your Father, and
your Father will respond. Why don't you do that?” Then, in an effort to recite a model prayer
(with mechanical instruments of music playing) Lucado continues: “Father, I give my heart to
you. I give you my sins. I give you my tears. I give you my fears. I give you my whole life. I
accept the gift of your Son on the cross for my sins. And I ask you, Father, to receive me as your
child. Through Jesus Christ I pray.” Then, the radio announcer comes on the air and says, “And
friend if you prayed along with Max Lucado just now, here on Upwards, we want to welcome
you into the family of God.” Then Lucado returns to the microphone and says: “If today is the
first day you've ever prayed a prayer like that, could you do me a favor? Could you write me a
letter? I don't have anything I am going to ask from you. I do have a letter I would like to send to
you. I'd like to give you a word about the next step or two. I want to encourage you to find a
church. I want to encourage you to be baptized. I want to encourage you to read your bible. But
I don't want you to do any of that so you will be saved. I want you to do all of that because you
are saved.” Tragically, ladies and gentlemen, many so-called gospel preachers are spending
more time drinking from the poisoned well of Max Lucado than from the waters of life contained
within the New Testament. We must get away from this touchy-feely symbolism and return to
the authority of scripture. You can enter the main auditorium (I refuse to call it a sanctuary)
belonging to many churches of Christ and you would think you have entered the world of
Protestant denominationalism. In an ABC documentary on religion and worship a few years
back, Peter Jennings of ABC news visited a worship assembly of a Community Church.
Jennings then commented to the preacher, “It didn’t feel to me at all religious to be in the
auditorium, it’s really more like a theater. Is that intentional?” Without the slightest hesitation,
the preacher answered, “Yes!” A worshiper then told Jennings, “It’s like going to a movie, only
better.” I’ve heard gospel preachers pride themselves on preaching for churches that are so nontraditional
that people forget they are in a religious auditorium. The move today is away from
sacredness and awe toward the casual and spontaneous. Today churches want to provide an
atmosphere of fun instead of fear. Preachers are wearing hiking boots, jeans and sweaters instead
of a suit and tie. Ronald McDonald and his happy meals have made eating fun, Sesame Street
has made learning fun - and churches today have decided to make worship and religion fun
instead of awe inspiring. Now, do not conclude that I am suggesting worship should be boring
and monotonous. Anyone who understands true worship and who engages in scriptural worship
enjoys it greatly. Christians today should reflect the sentiment of the Psalmist who said in Psa.
122:1 I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. But when churches
decide the thrust of their worship assemblies is to provide fun for the worshipers they have
perverted worship. The call for some time has been to change worship in order to make it more
relevant to our times. Jaroslav Pelikan, in - I’m sure - what is speaking for many wrote,
“Tradition is the living faith of those now dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of those still
living.” Therefore, many churches of Christ are seeking to make their worship periods “more
meaningful” and less traditional. This is accomplished, in part, by focusing upon the trendy and
eliminating any need to be guided by the rigidity of the scriptures. Even though the bible
demands over and over that we be directed by the inspired words of God. To illustrate this let me
remind you that the words “According to” are found more than 660 times in the Old Testament
alone. Gen. 6:22 says Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Now, my friends, I ask you when God told Noah to build the ark using specific dimensions,
which of these dimensions would Noah have been permitted to disregard as merely traditional?
Or would the commands to make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and
cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark
shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, constitute a
pattern? You and I both know that when God told Noah the dimensions to be used, the wood to
be used and the design of the ark, these constituted a pattern to be followed. Also, Noah
understood these equaled a pattern thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him,
so he did. Whenever you read about someone doing according to all God commanded, you can
believe he was following a prescribed pattern. After Nadab and Abihu were killed by fire for
their disobedience, God told their families and the nation how to mourn. Lev. 10:6-7 says, do
not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the
people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord
has kindled. You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for
the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. If
many of our modern preachers had lived during that period of time, it could not have been said
they did according to the word of Moses - because they would have felt at liberty to disregard
what did not suit them. They would not have understood that when God said what he did he was
giving a pattern to be followed. To them, it would have been too traditional. However, those
people who lived then and saw firsthand what happens when someone disregards God’s pattern,
knew it was imperative to do according to the word of Moses. Also, in Josh. 1:7-8 we read
these words of God as he appointed Joshua successor to Moses. God said only be strong and
very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant
commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper
wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
God said his words were to be followed to the letter. They were not to swerve to either the right
or the left of what God’s word revealed. They were to know the word and meditate upon it so
they could do according to all that is written in it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a pattern. God
told his people over and over that they were to be guided by the words he had spoken. Men have
never been permitted to ignore any part of God’s word. As we enter the New Testament, we soon
find that God’s expectations have not changed. He continues to demand that men and women
follow precisely what is revealed in his word. God still intends for men to respect his word as the
pattern it is. Peter said in the second recorded sermon he delivered in Acts 3:22-23 For Moses
truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your
brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every
soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Someone
would need help to misunderstand these words. Peter said Jesus was a prophet of God and he
was to be heard and obeyed in all things. That is, everything Jesus taught either personally or by
his chosen ambassadors is to be heard and obeyed. As a matter of fact, Peter told us that
whatever he says to you is to be heard and obeyed. There isn’t one person listening this morning
who does not understand what Peter is saying. He’s reminding us that regardless of what the
words of scripture tell us we are to hear and obey them. This is saying that the words of Jesus are
a pattern to be followed. This is telling us we must do all things according to the pattern of the
New Testament. Today you hear that the bible doesn’t mean what it says. Today we hear that
Jesus really didn’t say what the bible reveals he said. Today we are being told the New
Testament might have been a pattern for the church in the first century, but today things are
different and therefore the bible must be looked upon - not as a pattern - but as merely a flexible
guide. This is why we see not only the country but churches struggling with right and wrong,
with the moral and the immoral. The very idea of a rigid code of ethics is frightening to those
who want to be free to engage in any type of behavior. I am not talking about giving someone
the power to force compliance. I am simply addressing the fact that God has given us a pattern,
which is the bible. Yet, people - including most preachers - are not willing to follow the pattern.
Whenever we discard a pattern, then we become emotion driven. Whenever we discard a pattern,
then we have a form of godliness but without any power at all. Whenever we discard the New
Testament as a pattern, then we have chosen symbolism over substance. Let me frankly address
my spiritual brethren this morning. There are several things setting us apart from
denominationalism. One is, our respect for the sanctity and authority of the bible, and another is
our distinctiveness. These two are inseparably intertwined. We are distinctive because we respect
the authority of the scriptures. Whenever we stop respecting the sanctity, integrity and authority
of the bible, then we stop being distinct. We begin to blend into the religious landscape. Let me
illustrate what I’m saying this way. In Matt. 19:9 Jesus says this about the permanency of
marriage. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and
marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits
adultery. Nothing complicated about this statement. Divorce is permitted only for sexual
immorality (or fornication in the King James Version). If a divorce is granted for any other
reason, sin has occurred, because it is without scriptural authority. This statement of Jesus also
tells us that if one disregards the Lord’s prohibition against divorce and secures one; then
remarries that both the divorced one and his or her new spouse are committing adultery. Today
the divorce rate is nearing 60 percent. Some divorces are, no doubt, granted because one spouse
has committed fornication or sexual immorality, but the far-reaching majority of divorces are
granted because of some other reason such as incompatibility, irreconcilable differences or
simply because two people no longer love each other. Now, let me ask you this morning, when is
the last time you heard your preacher read Matt. 19:9 and speak out against divorce? Be honest!
What you hear is something like this. Divorce is a reality and what the church needs to do is
have a ministry so that divorced people do not feel disenfranchised. Often, pulpits are filled by
men who have been divorced and remarried, perhaps several times. For men like this, the bible is
not a pattern, instead it’s a story book. A book with some wonderfully inspiring stories but it
isn’t to be taken too seriously. Then there is the statement of Jesus in Mk. 16:16 pertaining to
being saved. Jesus said he who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned. Now, I ask you, is this hard to understand? There isn’t any part of
this statement difficult to understand. Oh, there are some preachers who do everything they can
to confuse you, but they know and understand what the verse says. Let’s analyze the statement of
Christ. Jesus says “he,” this makes it individual. That is, salvation is personal and not dependent
upon being part of a class or race of people. “Who believes,” indicates mental stability and
maturity. Something must be believed personally by the one seeking salvation. The body of truth
to be believed is identified in verse 15 when Jesus said go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. That to be believed is the gospel, which is the power of God to save
according to Rom. 1:16. “And” is a coordinating conjunction tying two words of equal value
together. This brings us to the second imperative within the verse “is baptized.” This has
reference to being immersed in water. It was the man from Ethiopia who, when he understood
his spiritual needs, said see, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Next, we note
the phrase “will be” this is future. This means that belief and baptism will bring about a definite
result. And that result is summed up in the word “saved.” This is an illustrative way of saying
that God forgives a sinner’s sins. Now, consider what we have discussed so far. The man or
woman who believes the gospel and is baptized in water will be saved. Now, I ask you which
part of this statement of Christ can we ignore? Max Lucado, the poster boy for many so-called
gospel preachers today, says we can ignore most of it. He says that belief in Christ is essential
but that baptism in Christ is not. This is why there is controversy brewing in many churches
concerning denominational baptism. After all, if one sincerely submitted to sectarian baptism,
then that’s good enough for many preachers; after all he or she is a believer. Some churches of
Christ have as part of their membership men and women who have never submitted to the
pattern of New Testament baptism. Some churches of Christ have members who were baptized
Nazarene, Baptist or some other denomination. And people are acting as if nothing is wrong! My
friends, something is dreadfully wrong. If one is to be saved, he must comply with the pattern.
Paul encountered some in Ephesus who had been baptized, apparently by Apollos, into John the
Baptist’s baptism. Instead of ignoring their lost condition and openly accepting them into
fellowship, the bible says in Acts 19:4-5 that Paul said to them, John indeed baptized with a
baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who would come
after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. This is because the pattern cannot be ignored. They complied with the pattern and
were saved. We do not have the right to ignore anything that is revealed in scripture as mere
traditionalism. The New Testament is a pattern that must be obeyed if we hope to be saved and
have eternal life. Anything less is fluff without format. Therefore, we close by revisiting a verse
we noted earlier from 2 Tim. 1:13. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard
from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
A. Thanks for joining us this morning on Search the Scriptures. Stay tuned for some closing
announcements. Be with us next Sunday morning at 7:00. Until then, this is J.R. Bronger saying
goodbye for now.