Many churches are racing toward ruin as they compete for crowds using worldly philosophies. Don’t let unproven trends cause your church to lose what makes it special.

…
Luke 9:57–62
“And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way,
a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee
whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him,
Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but
the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he
said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer
me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him,
Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach
the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will
follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which
are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No
man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
….

In our text, we observe an intriguing interaction. Our Lord had healed many people in a long day of miraculous ministry. A certain man confessed publicly that he would follow Jesus anywhere. What would you have said to the man? I probably would have said, “Sure! Come along.” However, our Lord gave an unusual answer. “Son, go home. I don’t even know where I’m going to sleep tonight.” Wow! Why would Christ give such an answer?

He called another man to follow Him, but the man gave an excuse. The man had a loved one die and was responsible for caring for the body and settling family business. In this case, our Lord gave a rather harsh answer saying, “Let someone who doesn’t know Who I am do it. You have more important things to do.” Say what??

These curious scenes were not uncommon. Another man in the same passage confessed that he wanted to follow Christ but needed to care for his family first. Our Saviour told the man that if he started serving and thenstopped, he was unworthy of God’s Kingdom. Whoa!

I doubt that we would have handled these situations the same way. What was our Lord’s purpose in these unconventional answers? Jesus knew these men were giving excuses. They wanted to follow Christ with exceptions. They wanted the title of disciple without sacrifice.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not beg people to follow Him. He did not entertain foolish requests or bow to human will. He did not cheapen Himself or His cause with foolishness or frivolity.

Believe in Him and go to Heaven or reject Him and go to Hell. Either way, He is still the Saviour.

Follow Him in obedience or rebel against Him in self-will, but as the Lord of glory, Christ will continue His work.

These messages of Christ sound very different from the “Jesus” preached in most churches today!

A Race to the Bottom

There is a terrible trend among churches today. Churches attempt to make God approachable by removing the requirements for worship. Preachers seek to build a crowd of Christians by removing the requirements of discipleship. Pastors try to win sinners to Christ by making His Bride more worldly.

It is a Race to the bottom.
More than that… it is a race to ruin!

Dress down to be comfortable. Rock out to “worship” Jesus. Come as you are and leave as you came. These are the philosophies of a church in a race to ruin.

Sadly, some churches become hyper-focused on perversion of biblical love and grace while ignoring their complementary doctrines of holiness, righteousness, and justice. In fact, many pastors are teaching their congregations to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.

Jude 4
“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Lasciviousness means “indulgence of animal desires.” It gives one a license to follow their hedonistic whims and fulfill their lusts. Jude 4 explains that lasciviousness leads to apostasy. No wonder there are so many “Christians” who made professions of faith in Christ only to deny him later.

Grace does not give us a license to sin. Quite the opposite. Genuine grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, living a righteous life preparing for the return of the Saviour.

Titus 2:11–13
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

You can’t out-Walmart, Walmart.

I grew up in a small town in southern Indiana. When I was a teenager, the “big” town of 5,000 people next door decided to allow the construction of a Walmart. Everyone was excited about the possibility of selecting lower-priced items without driving an hour. Unfortunately, the community didn’t realize at the time that Walmart would put most of the smaller stores out of business. Why? You can’t out Walmart, Walmart. Walmart undercuts the competition with low prices. If they need to, they can even lower the prices until all the competition is gone and then raise the prices later.

We see a similar phenomenon in churches today. Churches are in a competition for who has the least amount of restrictions or the fewest expectations. There will always be someone willing to expect less or require less. It is a race to the bottom that someone will always win. You don’t want to get caught in that mess.

Someone will always be willing to build things cheaper and sell them for less. There will always be churches in your town that get so far away from the Bible that they stop being true churches.

Never mistake a crowd for church. Never give up what makes you the unique church of Christ to compete with fast-growing “churches” that compromise Christ’s commands and ignore huge swaths of Scripture.

You can’t beat Amazon by trying to be Amazon.

Amazon has become a behemoth in the business world. Much like Walmart, they can crush the competition. In fact, Amazon is the new Walmart! The only way to beat Amazon is to distinguish yourself. Every business must distinguish itself from its competitors if it hopes to survive.

The same is true in church work. A biblical church should never race to the bottom to compete with a worldly church. We must distinguish our ministries by adhering to the Bible and fulfilling the mission of Christ without compromise.

Before we look at the seven distinctions that make a difference, consider the following principles.

1. You don’t reach sinners by acting like them.

Mark 2:15–17
“And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus was a friend to publicans and sinners to reach their souls, but He did not partake of their sins.

He made Himself approachable to sinners but did not compromise His holiness or mission.

2. The Christian life is a life of sacrifice.

Jesus Christ did not beg people to follow Him. He did not make it easier for people to follow Him.

Matthew 8:18–22
“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

Some Baptists are preaching a doctrine similar to the health and wealth Gospel crowd. “Trust Jesus, and all your problems will go away,” they claim. That is dishonest. If you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your biggest problems (sin and hell) will go away, for sure. Also, your life will be blessed in priceless ways. Nevertheless, you will still have trials and tribulations in this life.

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

God did not promise that you would have no problems in this life. In fact, Jesus Christ told us that we would have problems in this world but comforted us with the fact that He had overcome the world! He will be with us through it all. Once we get to Heaven, we will have no more trials and tribulations.

You will not build disciples by watering down the truth, removing expectations, or giving people license to do what they want. You build disciples by teaching them to obey Jesus.

3. The title of Disciple is earned through devotion.

Ye cannot be my disciple.

What a powerful statement! Yet, that‘s what our Lord said to those who refused to put God first or sacrifice for His cause.

Luke 14:26–27
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

Hate your family? In comparison to God, yes.

When was the last time you told someone they couldn’t be Christ’s disciple? Maybe we should be like our Lord and say it more often.

• You cannot be Christ’s disciple if you don’t go to church.
• You cannot be Christ’s disciple if you don’t forgive.
• You cannot be Christ’s disciple if you don’t read your Bible or pray.
• You cannot be Christ’s disciple if you are unwilling to sacrifice.

…
Jesus Christ
did not beg
people to
follow Him.
…

With preaching like that, you won’t make friends of rebels, but you will make

some disciples.

Before we discuss the distinctives that make a difference, let’s debunk some ministry pitfalls with a few Bible-based common-sense statements.

A. Churches are not created for the lost and should not function for their pleasure.

Why then do many churches plan their services for the lost?

Why do they choose music for the lost?

Why preach sermons palatable to sinners?

When it comes to church services, it seems some leaders consider the desires of the lost community more than the commandments of God Almighty.

The local Church was created for God’s people!

The Greek word for church, Ekklesia, means a called-out assembly. A church is a group of baptized believers called out of a community. Church is for the family of God.

Our services should feel foreign to one dead in trespasses and sins.

Our music is created to be different than the world!

Christian culture should be very different from godless culture in all the best ways.

God’s plan was for His people to attend an assembly full of baptize believers who provoke one another to love and

to good works. Then, those committed believers spread the Gospel throughout the community. Every person that trusts Christ in Church is a tremendous bonus. However, God’s original intent was to win people to Christ outside of church and bring the new believers into the assembly.

Churches are made of God’s people for God’s glory.

B. Churches don’t exist to make people comfortable.

Sinners need to be convicted. If there’s no conviction, there can be no conversion. Comfort is the opposite of conviction. We should not aim to make sinners comfortable in Church.

Every church should be friendly. Every local assembly should make the temperature, seating, and environment

as comfortable as possible. However, preaching should never make sinners comfortable in their sins.

Comfort is the opposite of conviction. Beg God for a spirit of conviction and repentance during the church service. Only then can sinners be saved and saints set on fire for God.

Comfortable to attend? Yes. Comfortable in sin, a big fat no.

C. You keep Church members the same way that you get them.

This is a simple but profound truth. It is an equation like 2 + 2 = 4. Add any activity or idea, and the truth remains.

If you get members through entertainment, you will need to keep entertaining them to keep them.

• Fun
• Excitement
• Activities
• Extra Attention
• Etc.

I intend to be honest with prospective members. I say, “If I have to convince you to join, I will have to convince you to stay. If God convinces you to join, God will convince you to stay.”

I am for every idea and innovation that encourages people to attend church but doesn’t violate Scripture or common sense. Innovation that adheres to the Word is indispensable. We need more of it.

Have as many programs and activities as the Lord directs your ministry to employ, but when it comes to membership, encourage people to join your church for the right reason. Instruct them to serve the Lord through the Church with pure motives and love for Christ.

Make God glorious! Uplift the risen Christ! Preach the whole counsel of God! Seek the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. Teach people to love God and they will follow His commandments.

When it’s all said and done, you will keep members the same you way get them. Choose wisely. If you don’t heed this warning, you will be jumping through hoops your entire ministry.

Distinctives Matter.

What makes your church different from every other church in your town?

Don’t make the same mistakes as some churches.

Some preachers and churches attempt to make God approachable by changing the definition of biblical worship. Others seek to build a crowd of Christians by removing the requirements of discipleship. Still others try to separate themselves from the competition by having the biggest or best of what churches can offer.

Don’t get in a race to the bottom that leads to your ruin.

Allow me to mention seven distinctions that will separate your church from the crowd, help you create genuine disciples, and protect you from compromise.

1. BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES

I’m glad I’m a Baptist. It means something.

These modern church names are so nondescript! “The Oasis” sounds like the name of a bar. “The Harbor” sounds

like a place to park your boat. What is “The Tabernacle?” Is this for practicing Jews? There seems to be no limit to the imagination when coming up with names for churches.

In Northern Indiana many years ago, there was a church literally called “The N.I.C.E. Church.” The acrostic stood for “The Northern Indiana Church of Encouragement.” The intentions were probably pure, but what kind of church was it? What do they believe? What do they stand for?

Don’t follow the worldly trend to take the name Baptist off of your sign. In fact, some baptistic churches would do well to put the name on their sign!

The Baptist Distinctives are seven truths that separate Baptist churches from all the others. Many churches believe some of them. Baptist Churches believe them all. Teach your members the meaning and importance of the Baptist Distinctives.

• Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.
• Autonomy of the local church.
• Priesthood of the believer
• Two offices – Pastor & Deacon
• Individual soul liberty
• Saved, baptized church membership
• Two ordinances – Baptism & Lord’s Supper
• Separation of Church and State

Keep the name on the sign and tell people why it matters.

2. THE KING JAMES BIBLE

The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice. It is the anchor of our beliefs. It is the source of doctrine and spirit. Satan cannot destroy God’s Word, so He offers counterfeits to it. Things that are different are not the same.

Don’t join the Bible-of-the-Month club. Don’t fall for the slick marketing of “new versions.” The King James Bible is the proven Word of God. The King James Bible has been the foundation of every significant movement of God in the English-speaking world over the last 400 years. Why would you use anything else?

3. POWERFUL PREACHING

God has chosen Spirit-filled preaching of God’s Word as the mechanism for massive change in our world.

1 Corinthians 1:18–21
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

Teaching has its place. Discussion has its place. Drama is useful for special occasions. But never forget that nothing can replace the unashamed preaching of God’s Word by a Spirit-filled preacher making real-world applications of eternal truth. Preach the Word!

4. SACRED MUSIC

There is a vast difference between sacred music and worldly music. Many modern churches are tacking spiritual language to the rhythms and harmonies of the world. This practice will get a crowd but will ruin your church. Stick with the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that contain sound doctrine and sacred melodies.

Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

5. CHRISTLIKENESS

The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to be like Jesus. Christianity should not just change your Sunday. It should change your Monday through Saturday, too. Preach holiness and righteousness. Teach people how to think, live, talk, walk, and dress like Jesus. Make the Bible come to life in their hearts and teach people how to live it.

6. SEPARATION

Separation from sin and uncleanness is a central theme of God’s Word. Too many preachers today are buying into the lie that separation from the world is not a vital Bible doctrine. They talk about “gray areas.” They say things like, “If the Bible doesn’t mention it, you shouldn’t preach it.” That sounds sensible, but it overlooks the fact that the Bible is a Book of principles. The Bible is already big enough that most Christians don’t read it faithfully. Imagine how big it would be if it mentioned every sinful thing humans would imagine for the past 2,000 years!

God gave us principles that teach us how to discern right and wrong in every generation. Study the Bible. Preach the Truth unashamedly. Teach Bible principles with authority. Explain your preferences. Strive to live like Jesus.

7. SOUL WINNING

We believe in personal, confrontational soul winning.

How many churches in your community are aggressive and unapologetically taking the Gospel to the streets? Very few, if any. You can distinguish your church from others by seeking sinners outside your church walls.

Every town needs a church that boldly proclaims the Gospel in the community. Your church should have an organized program of soul-winning and visitation.

Schedule soul-winning times on the church calendar to make evangelism a priority. Constantly work to train new soul winners.

Knock on doors systematically to reach every home in your community.

Visit places like parks, outdoor markets, busy sidewalks, and apartments where people congregate to speak to them personally.

The Bus Ministry is a soul-winning ministry that distinguishes a church in a community. As soon as finances and personnel allow, use a van or a bus to serve the poor and underprivileged in your community. A bus ministry will help you obey the Great Commission and teach your church members to have a heart for the poor.

Conclusion

There is a race to the bottom among churches as they become more pragmatic and worldly in the search for a crowd. Be not deceived. Don’t get caught up in that drama.

Don’t let unproven trends or unbiblical philosophies cause your church to lose what makes it special. A race to the bottom is a race to ruin for churches. Practice the seven distinctives that make the difference to set your church apart from the crowd and accomplish Christ’s mission in your community.