Daily writing promptWhat’s the first impression you want to give people?View all responses

There is amazing hope for your life. No matter what you have been through or are currently going through there is incredible hope is available to you supernaturally. If you look beyond systematized church and formalized religion, you can encounter the living and resurrected Jesus in a way that will propel you into indescribable inner healing, peace, and joy. Here’s how:

Sermons heard
Fly like a bird
In and out
Of the mind.
But when people
Do God’s Word
It comes alive
And burns in them.
(2 Timothy 1:6)

Who
Will do
Christ’s words
And be
Made new?
Will you?

Listen directly to Jesus Himself, not just to a religious talk about Him. Gather with Christians to together listen to and obey the ever-present Jesus, not to hear yet another sermon about Him. Sermons are shallow substitutes for the supernatural presence of Christ. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The Bible never says: “If you want to go to Heaven, simply say a onetime prayer and be in the audience for a weekly sermon.”

When Christians are true doers of the Word and not just passive sermon-hearers, Christ’s light shines through them (Matthew 5:16) and changes their nation and transforms the culture around them. Then they experience genuine revival and spiritual awakening, and they don’t feel a need to rely on political power. Unfortunately, Spirit-led Christianity will soon shift into structured Christianity if it isn’t kept stirred up. (2 Timothy 1:6)

Sermons are soon forgotten. A direct encounter with Jesus is something that a person never forgets. Seek Jesus not another sermon. If spiritual growth came from sermon-hearing contemporary church attendees would be the most powerful Christians of all time.

For far too long churches have focused almost exclusively on human leadership and ignored the direct leadership of God the Holy Spirit and His supernatural gifts and fruit. The majority of Christians believe that Jesus can’t lead a church service, so they depend on a preacher to program and control it.

How many sermons must someone sit through before he’s allowed to speak up in church and testify about Jesus? No amount will do. To freely speak up in church a person has to either have official “ordination” or start his own church. If not, then people are only allowed to sit and listen (and maybe sing together a bit).

Churches call their Sunday meetings worship services. To me they seem more like sermon services.

Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His right living, (Matthew 6:33) not just to sit and hear a weekly talk about it. Jesus also said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” (Matthew 5:6) not those who show up for a Sunday sermon.

Sermons make audience members. Hands on interactive Spirit-led training makes disciples. Sunday morning audiences are called churches, but is that really what Jesus had in mind?

The Bible tells Christians to meet together (Hebrews 10:25) but when it describes what they are supposed to do when they come together (1 Corinthians 14:26) it doesn’t sound anything like a church service: “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation . . .” That Bible verse is completely ignored or explained away.

Don’t wait till Sunday mornings to sit and hear another talk about Jesus. Allow Him to directly talk to your heart night and day!

Unfortunately, only a hired person is allowed to freely speak in most churches, yet Jesus said: “The hired hand is not the shepherd (pastor).” (John 10:12) Christians are called to humbly and daily demonstrate Christ’s presence and love, not to be bench warmers for a hired pastor’s talk.

I don’t see how anyone can read the Book of Acts in the Bible and then go to a church service and not realize that God wants to do so much more than He is allowed to do in Sunday services. Let the glorious works of God be displayed in and through your life (John 9:3) so they can demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. (1 Corinthians 2:4) Work out your own salvation with profound awe and amazement because God is at work in you to do His will and pleasure. (Philippians 2:19)

Don’t ignore or put out the Spirit’s inner fire. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Always keep God’s spiritual fire stirred up within you. (2 Timothy 1:6) Abide in the vine because apart from Jesus you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) If you love God and are called according to His purpose then consistently trust in and rely on Him to work all things, good and bad, together for your good. (Romans 8:28) Then you will be able to supernaturally rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8) as you continually celebrate His grace (Titus 3:5-7) and redemption. (Galatians 3:13)

Sermon-hearing keeps Christians toned down and quietly stuck in their seats as mere hearers of the word–not doers. (James 1:22) Be someone who always rejoices and praise the Lord, not a toner-downer.

Toner-downers say
Don’t praise Christ that way.
It’s enough to pray
Very quietly.
You should always stay
Calm and dignified
And sit passively
In church on Sunday.
Hear Jesus Christ say:
“Shout from the rooftops.”
Who will you obey?
(Matthew 10:27 & 2 Timothy 1:6)

What I write and proclaim isn’t about church hurt. Because I am outspoken about my belief that Christianity is far more than Sunday sermon-hearing I’m sometimes accused of reacting to church-hurt. However, my belief that the risen Jesus has the amazing ability to personally and supernaturally lead a gathering of His followers is based on Scripture and personal experience. I saw Jesus directly lead a church service weekly for just under 10 years. My belief has nothing to do with church hurt. I even wrote a book about it. Google: Beyond Church–An Invitation to Experience the Lost Word of the Bible–Ekklesia.