The sin of the suburban church!!!!

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

There are many dangers of having heroes in Christianity! There are many destructive paths of thinking you know everything. I came home and entered into a deep discussion with my wife about the things we are discerning with our church (www.hopebiblechurch.org). Our conversation provoked me to think about how in Christendom today, especially among what I call ‘the suburban church’, is this form of spiritual elitism and superhero worship. There is an underlining hypocrisy traveling around which says: “I have got all the biblical knowledge because my church teaches sound doctrine, we exegete the scriptures and expound the Word and you do not. We hold to the teachings of so and so….” Let me say this I am not against expositional teaching, nor sound biblical teachers. In fact I love learning what the scriptures teach and expounding on it, that’s wonderful, Praise the Lord. I am also not against the small home church which gathers around and learns the bible together, asking questions and sharing in a good meal. Or the charismatic Baptist preacher who does topical sermons but loves His flock so much, he’s given his life for them. See, this is where this suburban church mentality fails. Two areas the suburban church holds high to: Their superheroes of their church and their knowledge. These two areas are filled with pride and idolatry. Let’s get truthful; Yahweh is not pleased with these things at all.

THE SUPERHEROES

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)

Who are the superheroes? Well you would ask someone in the African American church and they will tell you quick; T.D Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Fred Price, so on and so on. But the suburban church has its heroes too! Oh we don’t want to admit it because we really adore these men, but they are heroes. John MacArthur, John Piper, James White, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Paul Washer and Mark Driscoll, who some people despise, are some of the superheroes the suburban church has developed. These men are enthroned as the Christian Elite which define Christianity for us right? Wrong. These are just mere men, like you and me, and the One who is the definer of Christianity is the Head of the Church: THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. That’s the real Solos Christus!!!!!

Usually at this point the suburban church will become ticked off because mentioning of their hero’s name. Accusations of slander may follow, but truth is we know none of these men I have mentioned. I know not how they live, neither do I care, nor have I seen any of them speak against Jesus Christ. They are not my Lord Jesus Christ, nor will they define for me what Christianity is. They can sell their books and have their conferences, what am I doing for the Lord Jesus? Jesus is should be our Hero. I am warning you not to set these men above the Lord Jesus Christ. I had a friend of mine, Bro. Lawrence D tell me that he got shot down for making a statement because he disagreed with John MacArthur on an issue. This is the exact behavior from a suburban church member when he/she has created for themselves a hero. I am not called to defend John MacArthur. I am to stand firm and contend for the faith in Jesus Christ (Jude 1:3).

idol - eidolon - an image, likeness: i.e. whatever represents the form of an object, either real or imaginary. Used of the shades of the departed, apparitions, spectres, phantoms of the mind, etc.

From the Greek transliteration, we can see a man can become our image. Remember what happen with Paul, and noticed how he responded when men tried to make him a superhero:

And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. [Which] when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard [of], they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: (Acts 14:11-15)

Does the suburban church not do the same? When MacArthur writes a book, which I got one listed on this blog and his website as well, we begin pumping the book more the Word of the Lord. Come on, let’s get real here.

I focus on MacArthur (Today’s Suburban Church superhero) now because I hear about him a lot. We have made MacArthur to be a god. He’s not our Lord, nor our Savior. His books and his conferences are dung when it comes to the Excellency of our Lord Jesus Christ. I used to get so excited about wanting to attend a Shepherd’s conference. The fact of going to California and meeting John filled my mind. I also had another friend I wanted to meet as well, but now I see why the Lord kept me over here on the East Coast. See, I listened to some of MacArthur’s stuff and he started saying the same stuff, over and over again. I would see men come back from the conference saying they were “sooo refreshed”, I thought “I can get that reading my bible at home, why go 3000 miles and spend hundreds of dollars?” Oh yes, come one we have to get honest with this, this sickens God! We have placed a man above the Most High.




Knowledge (Elitism)

I praise God the pastor of our church, Thomas Leake, doesn’t want to not fall into this category. Knowing this my wife and I are praying and seeking to stay far away from this as well. When you get so much knowledge, a man can tend to get pumped up in the head. Then, the I-know-it-all attitude can take effect. After which follows an elitism of knowing it all. The suburban church has adopted this so well. We take our elitism and look at other churches as lower than us as poor and struggling. We may see a Christian with tattoos all over his body and think he needs sound biblical teaching. Or the African American churches are the ones falling for the gimmicks and the false teacher scams, and are in need of good sound bible teachers. And who made us judge? Yet we judge and begin to hold other Christians to our standard because of we think we know.

Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Now in context, Paul is dealing with questions concerning things being offered to idols. It is relevant for today, because we get a little bit of biblical knowledge in the suburban church, and we think we are somebody. Yeah, I am guilty of this. I have been humbled by the Lord Jesus Christ on several occasions, one time after bashing my former church. If we in the suburban church would live in humility and love, oh the amazing things we would do for Jesus Christ!!!

This elitism causes the suburban church to believe they have arrived. They become the judges, and their knowledge to them becomes superior. It is the sin of pride. Just let someone considered lower, or not smart in the Greek/Hebrew come around, and we seek to crush them in our arguments. Great, you won the argument, but you murdered a brother. I was telling my wife how the Lord has brought me to understand these questions: What are you doing with all that knowledge? Are you sharing? Are you loving the brothers deeply? Or are you just talking smack? Here’s the verse He debunked my know-it-all thinking:

And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

So suburban church, or any church, we must wake up and return to loving the Lord Jesus Christ. We must love the people. We must not hold any man higher than the Lord Jesus Christ, He alone deserves our worship and our praise. MacArthur, Piper, Washer, my friend John Coleman (you too pastor John), and more, none of these men deserve our praise. If they point you to Christ Jesus, listen. Don’t you dare bow down and worship these men. I leave with what an OT verse explaining what we should do in the suburban church, God bless you all in the grace of Jesus Christ:

And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which [were] in their hand, and [all their] earrings which [were] in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which [was] by Shechem. And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that [were] round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. (Genesis 35:1-5)