The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "Thus saith the
Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein"
(Jeremiah 6:16). Many people don't want the old paths. They want
something new: "Something A Little Different."
That's pretty much to be expected from those in
the world - those who are not true New Testament Christians. What
is really troubling, though, is when members of the Lord's church
start reasoning the same way. If we just preach the old Jerusalem
gospel to people - the same gospel Peter preached on the day of
Pentecost - that doesn't appeal to them. If we want to gain numbers,
we've got to offer them something "a little different."
When members of the church start reasoning this way, it usually
isn't very long before truth takes a back seat to whatever will
bring in the most people. Whatever fad or gimmick can be used
to attract the masses becomes more important than simply preaching
the gospel of Christ, the gospel of which Paul said he was not
ashamed (Romans 1:16). Sadly, it seems that more and more members
of the church are ashamed of the gospel.
If we have to offer "something a little different"
in order to reach people, we'll have to continue to offer them
"something a little different" in order to keep them.
Before long, the message we preach and practice will be so different
from the truth that we will no longer be a church of Christ.
While I wish that our building would be filled
to overflowing and that we would baptize a dozen or more people
a week, to grow in numbers at the expense of truth is not true
growth at all. I deny that the way to reach people is to reach
them with something other than the Gospel and then just kind of
sneak up on them with the Gospel when they're not expecting it.
If people aren't attracted to the good news of the death, burial,
and resurrection of the Son of God for their sins, we have nothing
else to offer them.
Let's do everything we can to preach the Gospel
at every opportunity that presents itself, but let's never resort
to offering people "something a little different" just
to swell our numbers. A building full of people who have not truly
been converted to Christ is nothing more than a building full
of people who are still lost. 215 S. Cumberland Ave., PO Box 328,
Jacksboro, TN 37757.