Other services?

[John81]

Our church has two Sunday morning services 8 and 10:30. There are 4 or 5 different Bible studies during the week; such as the 5:30 a.m. Men's Bible Study, and a 10:30 a.m. one, a 6:30 p.m. one and a couple others I don't recall the times of.

[Lee-Anne]

Hi Madeline.
Just wanted to write and let you know that I agree with you. The older I get in the Lord the less I enjoy "dressed up", "flowery", "out of context", "emotive", "lack of content" preaching! Give me pure Bible teaching Expository preaching any day. I want to grow in my knowledge of the Word of God. I want the Holy Spirit to teach me through His word. I want the real thing, the 'meat' of the Word. I don't want a "show" I want to be taught from the Word of God.

[kevinmiller]

Hi Madeline.
Just wanted to write and let you know that I agree with you. The older I get in the Lord the less I enjoy "dressed up", "flowery", "out of context", "emotive", "lack of content" preaching! Give me pure Bible teaching Expository preaching any day. I want to grow in my knowledge of the Word of God. I want the Holy Spirit to teach me through His word. I want the real thing, the 'meat' of the Word. I don't want a "show" I want to be taught from the Word of God.

Speaking of out of context, it drives me crazy when preachers make a point based on something that is not even in the passage. This happens all the time... They take a phrase or a possible interpretation from the verse and build a sermon around it. Usually, they make a good point. But that doesn't make any difference to me if that point is not in the verses being used. I want it to be literal and backed up clearly in Scripture.

[Lee-Anne]

My husband was talking exactly about this alst night in prayer meeting. He read a salvation sermon yesterday frome Genesis 1 using the first 10 verses. What the preacher said was true in itself, but not from those verses. Teaching things in context is very important to him and he is teaching our little church that as well.

[kevinmiller]

It seems that most of them do it. I can only assume that is something that they are taught in Bible college. Drives me crazy though. In fact, I hadn't really noticed it much before until a friend of mine(non-IFB) pointed it out.

[Timothy]

Sorry, I'm having a little trouble following the out of context bit. Do you mean taking a couple of words out of a verse to make it mean something out of context or do you mean talking about something completely off topic or just stating something that they are prejudice about that isn't Scriptural and using a certain Passage to support the idea?

[Guest Guest]

I definitely agree with you on the "out-of-context" preaching, Kevin! When someone preaches a message using a verse that has nothing to do with what he's preaching, it may be harmless in some cases... but it can definitely lead to false doctrine (even if the preacher is unaware of it).

It's important for a preacher to gain an understanding of the passage he's preaching from... even if he's only going to preach on a small section of the passage (like a sermon on David's statement "Is there not a cause?", for instance). A message based on a simple phrase in the Bible can be nice to listen to, but it needs to be completely Biblical in order for it to be a good sermon.

[chev1958]

Ahem ... :ot:

[Guest Guest]

Sooorrrryyyyyyy........ :saint :saint :saint

[kevinmiller]

Totally agree with you Kathie. They can take a single phrase and build a whole sermon around it. Drives me bonkers.

Anyway.... :back:

[churchmouse7]

My church has Sunday morning and Sunday evening services. We also have a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights where we pray for an hour...Sweet Hour of Prayer :smile
Our biggest crowd is the Sunday morning crowd. I enjoy all three services and like having the prayer meeting mid week...it gives me something to look forward to and I don't have to wait a whole week to be in church and be around God's people.

In Christ

[gatorpreacher]

............somewhere back a few years, IFB took a left turn on preaching. You can have the right sermon, but in the wrong format, context, and or delivery. Our IFB colleges for the most part today, teach you "how to preach", "how to format a sermon", "how to deliver the sermon, to achieve results".................

Here is how we went wrong............in "panic" efforts in the 70's and 80's, the fundamentalists movement, took the viewpoint of get the Gospel out at any cost; methods over historical tradition was acceptable as long as you did not change the Book......so, in creeps many ideas and programs that set us apart to begin with.

1-It became accepted that we should "format" our preaching instead of using the tried and true, form of expository preaching (verse by verse / precept upon precept) Now, almost no preacher will step into a pulpit without three points and a punch line.

2-When Billy Graham's Campus Crusade came about, things really went spastic; IFB's started falling in line with the Graham movement, because of the numbers they attracted. The viewpoint now, is that if you get more numbers to hear the message, then you will get more confessions in return. I know from personal experience that the way these campaigns were organized, they were not what they appeared to be. When a crusade was planned for an area, "forerunners" were sent ahead to recruit and organize the local churches for support; you would be asked for a set fee, to help pay the expenses / you were required to have a proportional ratio of counselers in relation to your church size / and were instructed to have your counselers sitting "throughout" the audience, so that when the invitation was given, it could be said publicly that people are coming from all over the auditorium.....we were told that this was to "encourage" the unsaved to come forward. / then last but not least, we were told that if enough monies were not received to pay the bills, then the local participating churches would be obligated to pay them. This is why they always stressed "we are all one in Christ"...Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc. And nothing could be further from the truth; the only universal brotherhood in existence is "being lost".

3-IFB started preaching "we can differ on the small issues, so long as we maintain the important ones"........but who is to define what is small and what is large or important? To a Holy God.....ALL of His issues with regard to man and his salvation are important ones. IFB has all but forgotten the primary position and purpose of the Holy Spirit. I have long said that all we need to do is present God's Word, and walk away. God is more than able to convict and convert those who will heed.

4- the most damaging thing to be introduced into IFB circles is the acceptance of Psychology; this has brought us seminars, isolation, a demeaning of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and has elevated man up to a "false" equality with the Holy Spirit. We, through our actions, take the position that God cannot do this without us.

Remember, this is all God and none of man; the fact that we are involved at all is pure Grace and nothing else.

gatorpreacher

postscript:

Do I have a problem with Mr. Graham? not personally, however I do not listen to anyone, laymen or preacher who does not trust God enough to protect His Word for me to learn from and hand down to the generation to follow.

To the younger generation on these boards, if you will allow God, and you will stay faithful to "HIS" Word, amazing things can be accomplished for God's Glory and our good.

[kevinmiller]

I agree with much of your post, though I don't see a problem with Christian psychology, by any means. It's simply the study of the human psyche and it's quite fascinating, IMO. And my views on separation may be slightly different than yours. :smile

[Pastorj]

As to the original topic:

We worked at a church that had lunch and an afternoon service. I didn't care for it on a weekly basis.
1. You will never have visitors come to the evening service because you don't have a scheduled time for it.
2. Visitors felt very awkward after the service when everyone headed to the fellowship hall to get the food ready.
3. The afternoon service was shortened and was more of a devotional. This was done because people are tired.
4. I was exhausted at the end of each Sunday. More Tired than spiritually refreshed.

We do the afternoon service a couple times a year and that is as much as I care to.

As to whether having a Sunday PM service or Wednesday service. These services have no Biblical basis and are not required. I have often thought that If I planted a church, I would not have a Sunday PM service, but since I have not planted either church I have pastored, I would not make that kind of change.

[John81]

............somewhere back a few years, IFB took a left turn on preaching. You can have the right sermon, but in the wrong format, context, and or delivery. Our IFB colleges for the most part today, teach you "how to preach", "how to format a sermon", "how to deliver the sermon, to achieve results".................

Here is how we went wrong............in "panic" efforts in the 70's and 80's, the fundamentalists movement, took the viewpoint of get the Gospel out at any cost; methods over historical tradition was acceptable as long as you did not change the Book......so, in creeps many ideas and programs that set us apart to begin with.

1-It became accepted that we should "format" our preaching instead of using the tried and true, form of expository preaching (verse by verse / precept upon precept) Now, almost no preacher will step into a pulpit without three points and a punch line.

2-When Billy Graham's Campus Crusade came about, things really went spastic; IFB's started falling in line with the Graham movement, because of the numbers they attracted. The viewpoint now, is that if you get more numbers to hear the message, then you will get more confessions in return. I know from personal experience that the way these campaigns were organized, they were not what they appeared to be. When a crusade was planned for an area, "forerunners" were sent ahead to recruit and organize the local churches for support; you would be asked for a set fee, to help pay the expenses / you were required to have a proportional ratio of counselers in relation to your church size / and were instructed to have your counselers sitting "throughout" the audience, so that when the invitation was given, it could be said publicly that people are coming from all over the auditorium.....we were told that this was to "encourage" the unsaved to come forward. / then last but not least, we were told that if enough monies were not received to pay the bills, then the local participating churches would be obligated to pay them. This is why they always stressed "we are all one in Christ"...Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc. And nothing could be further from the truth; the only universal brotherhood in existence is "being lost".

3-IFB started preaching "we can differ on the small issues, so long as we maintain the important ones"........but who is to define what is small and what is large or important? To a Holy God.....ALL of His issues with regard to man and his salvation are important ones. IFB has all but forgotten the primary position and purpose of the Holy Spirit. I have long said that all we need to do is present God's Word, and walk away. God is more than able to convict and convert those who will heed.

4- the most damaging thing to be introduced into IFB circles is the acceptance of Psychology; this has brought us seminars, isolation, a demeaning of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and has elevated man up to a "false" equality with the Holy Spirit. We, through our actions, take the position that God cannot do this without us.

Remember, this is all God and none of man; the fact that we are involved at all is pure Grace and nothing else.

gatorpreacher

postscript:

Do I have a problem with Mr. Graham? not personally, however I do not listen to anyone, laymen or preacher who does not trust God enough to protect His Word for me to learn from and hand down to the generation to follow.

To the younger generation on these boards, if you will allow God, and you will stay faithful to "HIS" Word, amazing things can be accomplished for God's Glory and our good.

:amen: