You might be in an emergent church if...

John Farley
Pastor-Teacher
Sunday,
December 3, 2017

 

Featured Ministry

www.villageministries.org

Village Ministries International (or V.M.I.) is a non-denominational Christian Ministry based in Yukon, OK.

V.M.I. takes the Gospel and God’s Word to remote areas that aren’t easily exposed to missionary activity.

Their two main goals are evangelism in various outposts throughout the world, and training rural indigenous pastors.

They have worked in India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Central America, Indonesia, and Mongolia. 

 

Christmas eve service Sunday morning Dec 24; New year’s eve service Sunday morning Dec 31; both regular time –
10 AM

regular Bible study Thursday Dec 28

Christmas luncheon Sunday Dec 10th right after service.

Yankee swap immediately following the luncheon – ladies only.

 

You might be an emergent church if…

Col 2:8-10

The emergent church is a movement to change the methods and the message of the church …

…to appeal to the post-modern world.

 “ This is not just the same old message with new methods.”

 “We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life.”
Rob Bell

Brian McLaren - “I don’t think we’ve got the gospel right yet”.

“What does it mean to be saved?...None of us have arrived at that orthodoxy.”

“Ask me if Christianity (my version of it, yours, the Pope’s, whoever’s ) is orthodox, meaning true,

“…and here’s my honest answer:
a little, but not yet”.

They started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself – “discovering the Bible as a human product”.

 

What Is the Bible: How An Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories …

...Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything.

The Bible is history, law, wisdom, prophecy, and doctrinal teaching.

truths found in the Bible can be found pretty much anywhere else, because “lots of things are the word of God”

“gathering together in tents and homes and courtyards to hear and discuss…

“…and debate and adapt and change these stories, poems, letters, and accounts.”

Silly me – and here I thought that all Scripture is God-breathed! (2Ti 3:16)

2Pe 1:20-21

You might be an emergent church if…

Roger Oakland at www.Understandthetimes.org

Christian Piatt at www.patheos.com

  1. Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
  2. The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods of promoting church growth and a social gospel (fixing society’s ills).
  3. More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the imminent return of Christ and the period of judgment to follow.
  4. Bible prophecy is no longer taught and is considered a waste of time.
  5. The teaching that our Lord Jesus Christ will reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
  6. An experiential , mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the post-modern generation.
  7. They are teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
  8. Bible study is replaced by studying someone’s book and his methods.
  9. While the authority of the word of God is undermined,  images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
  10. There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace, claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to approach God.
  11. In particular, building bridges toward being reunited with the Roman Catholic Church.
  12. People are telling you they finally understand the Trinity since they read “The Shack”.
  13. You chose your current church because they have Wi-Fi and Starbucks.
  14. The pastor always uses his fingers to make air quotes whenever he uses words like “salvation” or “sin”.
  15. You start to answer every theological question with either another set of questions, or a series of deep, reflective sighs.
  16. You start to believe that you will know when you are following Jesus and surrendering to God because your breathing will be consistent in Yoga class.

 

 

  1. Worldly philosophies (Col 2:4,8)
  2. Legalism (Col 2:16-17)
  3. Mysticism (Col 2:18-19)
  4. Asceticism (Col 2:20-23)

 

The pre-eminence, supremacy,
and all-sufficiency
of Christ

Christ’s pre-eminency is described in Col 1:17-18.

Col 1:17-18

Christ’s supremacy is described in Col 1:15-16, 1:19-20, 2:9-10.

Col 1:15-16
Col 1:19-20
Col 2:9-10

And Christ’s
all-sufficiency is described in Col 1:9-14, 2:2-3, 3:1-4.

 

 


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