A Bunny Rabbit Church In A Tiger World
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: The church needs to be more committed and disciplined if it expects to have a significant impact in this very tough world.
Possible scriptures: Revelation 3:1-6, 14-17; Mark 13:9-13 among others you may select.
a. The world is rough and mean. It desperately needs help. There is too much suffering caused by people (aside from natural disasters).
b. One could argue the church is too soft. We are busy with sweet and lovely activities: birthday parties, choir exchanges, quilting, ice cream socials (all of which may be all right and serve some purpose). But are we engaging the real social and spiritual sources of evil in significant battle? The church has been directly and indirectly responsible for so much of the good in history: starting medical, educational, and various welfare agencies, as well as bringing a moral consciousness to all of our social progress. However, few of us today feel that the church is making anywhere near the contribution that an institution that calls itself "the body of Christ" should be making. We have taken on aspects of the world instead of impacting the world.
c. It is time for serious solutions.
1. Get real and down to business.
2. Set challenging goals. Churches might lose members if the church required more active participation in activities that called for sacrifice, change, and risk taking. How many Christians would be willing to go door-to-door talking with persons, or carry a picket sign in a demonstration?
3. Assess the progress: success and failures. Presently, I don't believe that we honestly appreciate how far short we fall of our potential.
Possible scriptures: Revelation 3:1-6, 14-17; Mark 13:9-13 among others you may select.
a. The world is rough and mean. It desperately needs help. There is too much suffering caused by people (aside from natural disasters).
b. One could argue the church is too soft. We are busy with sweet and lovely activities: birthday parties, choir exchanges, quilting, ice cream socials (all of which may be all right and serve some purpose). But are we engaging the real social and spiritual sources of evil in significant battle? The church has been directly and indirectly responsible for so much of the good in history: starting medical, educational, and various welfare agencies, as well as bringing a moral consciousness to all of our social progress. However, few of us today feel that the church is making anywhere near the contribution that an institution that calls itself "the body of Christ" should be making. We have taken on aspects of the world instead of impacting the world.
c. It is time for serious solutions.
1. Get real and down to business.
2. Set challenging goals. Churches might lose members if the church required more active participation in activities that called for sacrifice, change, and risk taking. How many Christians would be willing to go door-to-door talking with persons, or carry a picket sign in a demonstration?
3. Assess the progress: success and failures. Presently, I don't believe that we honestly appreciate how far short we fall of our potential.
