Church Blight

[WebersHome]

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New construction has outpaced the infrastructure in my area to the point where it now qualifies as a blight area. This is one of the very reasons why I oppose ambitious church expansions. Churches that grow too big risk outgrowing their britches.

For example: In my experience, there's a serious shortage of Spirit-enabled Sunday school teachers. Many of the teachers I encounter are making do with lesson materials that they themselves did not author, nor have the ability to author were they required to; and that's no doubt because they've been okayed to teach by their church rather than okayed to do so by Christ. They might be serving their church, but I honestly do not believe they are serving Christ because the Spirit has not given them the necessary grace to do so.

● Rom 12:6 . . We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

● 1Cor 12:11 . . All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.

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[Andrew4jesus]

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New construction has outpaced the infrastructure in my area to the point where it now qualifies as a blight area. This is one of the very reasons why I oppose ambitious church expansions. Churches that grow too big risk outgrowing their britches.

For example: In my experience, there's a serious shortage of Spirit-enabled Sunday school teachers. Many of the teachers I encounter are making do with lesson materials that they themselves did not author, nor have the ability to author were they required to; and that's no doubt because they've been okayed to teach by their church rather than okayed to do so by Christ. They might be serving their church, but I honestly do not believe they are serving Christ because the Spirit has not given them the necessary grace to do so.

● Rom 12:6 . . We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

● 1Cor 12:11 . . All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.

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So what are you proposing?

 

[WebersHome]

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So what are you proposing?

1Cor 12:8 speaks of a spiritual gift that enables its recipients to give wise advice. Well; that's not me; viz: I have no proposals for your consideration relative to fixing church blight.

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[Andrew4jesus]

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1Cor 12:8 speaks of a spiritual gift that enables its recipients to give wise advice. Well; that's not me; viz: I have no proposals for your consideration relative to fixing church blight.

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Are you just having a general moan about the state of Christianity in the modern world or do you want advice ?

 

[WebersHome]

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do you want advice ?

This thread wasn't set up for personal counseling. It's for discussing church blight relative to spiritual gifts.

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[WebersHome]

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According to Rom 12:6-8 and 1Cor 12:4-30, the ability to teach for Christ is a spiritual gift. And according to 1Cor 12:8-11, it is the Holy Ghost's prerogative to select who gets it.

● 1Tim 3:1-2 . . If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be . . . able to teach

The koiné Greek word for "overseer" is episkopos (ep-is'-kop-os) which essentially refers to superintendents, i.e. department heads.

Seeing as how teaching is a prerequisite here, then I'd guess that the department heads in view are the ones responsible for Christian education, i.e. the various Sunday school classes; e.g. children, teen-agers, young adults, married couples, singles, and senior citizens, etc.

I think it's reasonable to assume that Christian education department heads lacking the gift of teaching quite naturally gravitate towards, and select and appoint, under-teachers who also lack the gift of teaching; which is no doubt why Paul said, via the inspiration of God, that an overseer's ability to teach is a must.

Can you just imagine the mess a church would be in if not only its education departments lacked the gift of teaching; but on top of that its pastors lacked the gift of pastoring? From the pulpit to the pew, everyone in that church would be totally out of sync with Christ.

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