2. Ezekiel 44:23
• 23 Kinahanglan tudluan nila ang akon
katawhan kon ano ang balaan kag
ang indi balaan, kon ano ang matinlo
kag ang mahigko.
3. • Christianity is not a game, it is warfare. We are
called to be sober and vigilant these days
because we have an adversary that seeks to
devour us. This adversary will use any and all
means to thwart the purpose of God in your life
and in the life of the Church, the instrument of
God’s purpose on earth.
4. • The Bible speaks of deception and
the need to be watchful especially as
we near the Second Coming of
Christ
5. • As believers we have to understand that
there are times when the devil uses people
and teachings that are not obviously wicked
to lure us into deception. Often that which is
damaging comes to us in “sheep’s clothing.”
Therefore it is critical that we arm ourselves
with the discernment or skill in judging the
truth from the counterfeit.
6. Objectives:
-to equip the believer to be able to
distinguish the good from the bad, the
wheat from the tares, the profitable from
the unprofitable, and the true from the
counterfeit.
7. Essential Things to Do
•1. Observe the warnings of God’s
word.
•2. Accept the fact that we are all
vulnerable to deception.
8. •3. Apply the tests that God gives to
us in His word.
•4. Maintain a teachable heart and
Lean strongly on the Holy Spirit to
assist us.
9. • And they shall teach my people [the
difference] between the holy and profane,
and cause them to discern between the
unclean and the clean.
• Ezekiel 44:23
10. Ezekiel 44:23
• 23 Kinahanglan tudluan nila ang akon
katawhan kon ano ang balaan kag
ang indi balaan, kon ano ang matinlo
kag ang mahigko.
11. Malachi 3:16-18
• 3 Then they that feared the LORD spake
often one to another: and the LORD
hearkened and heard [it], and a book of
remembrance was written before him for
them that feared the LORD, and that thought
upon his name.
12. Malachi 3:16-18
• And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts,
in that day when I make up my jewels; and I
will spare them, as a man spareth his own son
that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and
discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God and him that
serveth him not.
13. Malachi 3:16-18
• 16 Dayon atong mga nagatahod
sa GINOO naghambalanay. Nagpamati sa ila
ang GINOO kag nabatian niya ang ila
ginahambalan. Ginsulat ang ila mga ngalan[a] sa
libro nga ara sa atubangan sang GINOO, agod
madumduman niya sila nga nagatahod kag
nagadumdom permi sa iya.
14. • 17 Nagsiling ang GINOO nga
Makagagahom parte sa mga tawo nga
nagatahod sa iya, “Mangin akon sila espesyal
nga katawhan sa adlaw nga magahukom
ako. Indi ko sila pagsilutan pareho sang
ginahimo sang isa ka amay nga indi magsilot
sa iya anak nga nagatuman sa iya.
15. 18 Kag sa liwat makita sang mga
tawo ang kinalain sang matarong
kag sang malaot, ang kinalain
sang nagaalagad sa akon kag
sang wala nagaalagad sa akon.”
16. Areas in the Church that
Discernment Must be Applied
• 1. Deception (personal; doctrinal)
• 2. Doubt on Fundamental/ Essential
Established Faith and Practice;
• 3. Shifting to Current Trends and
Practices Influenced by Post-
modernism
17. “Current Trends”
• 1. The word “trend” means “an
inclination in a particular direction, a
general direction, or a bent toward
something.”
• 2. Some of the synonyms in our culture
for this word include the following:
19. Trends can be applied to almost any area
of life.
• The reason why this is true is because all of
life is in a constant state of change. Change
is, in fact, one of the marks of something
that is alive. “The scene is changing, the
unseen is unchanging.” –Plato, 399 B.C.
20. 2 Corinthians 4
18 Kay wala namon ginapasulabi ang mga
butang nga amon makita diri sa kalibutan,
kundi ginapasulabi namon ang mga butang
nga indi makita. Kay ang mga butang nga
makita umalagi lang, pero ang mga butang
nga indi makita wala sing katapusan.
21. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but
on what is unseen. For what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (II
Corinthians 4:18,)
• 1. The world of nature is changing.
• 2. The world of science is changing.
• 3. The world of technology is changing.
• 4. The world of fashion changes constantly.
• 5. The world of politics is changing.
22. You name it; the only thing that says
constant is change.
4. Trends also affect the
church.
23. Trends versus Growth
• If the church is indeed a “living
organism” it automatically changes. One
of the signs of life is change. Change
happens for at least five reasons in the
life of the church.
24. Reasons:
• a. Change happens because of natural
growth and maturity.
• b. Change happens because of a progressive
walk with the Lord.
c. Change happens
because of improvements (from glory to
glory).
25. • d. Change happens because the
church must adapt to a
changing world.
• e. Change happens because God is
always pushing the church
forward.
26. The word “current” is a relative term that
means “recent, prevailing, or present.”
• 1. We will be focusing on trends of the 20th and the
21st Centuries.
• a. We will discuss some earlier trends to learn from
history and see some of the cycles of trends.
• b. We will discuss more present trends and forces
that are shaping the church today.
27. Why are trends evident in the church today?
• A. Some trends reflect an emphasis that
God is highlighting in a certain season.
• B. Some trends represent the
restoration of a truth that has been lost
to the church.
28. Why are trends evident in the church today?
• C. Some trends are aimed at refreshing the
Church with a fresh breath of air from the Spirit
of God.
• D. Some trends are the result of adjusting
methods to meet the unique demands of a
generation or culture.
29. What are some of the trend categories in
the church world?
• A. Some of the trends that we will reference are
doctrinal in nature.
• These doctrinal trends might include such things
as:
• Faith Prosperity Deliverance/Demonology
Spiritual Warfare Grace Etc.
30. Some of the trends that we will reference
deal with church structure.
• These structural trends might include such things
as:
• Discipleship/Shepherding
• Church Government/ Board of Trustees/ Pastoral
Staff
• Apostles and Prophets
• Church Groupings / The Cell Church Etc
31. Some of the trends that we will reference deal
with church methodology.
• These methodological trends might include such things
as:
Church Growth Movement
Church Marketing (Net Caster/ Networking Type)
Seeker-Sensitive
User Friendly (Maximizing Friendly Accommodation)
Felt Needs (Diversified)
Simple Church (Back to New Testament)
32. Some of the trends that we will reference deal
with church methodology.
• These methodological trends might include such things as:
Church Growth Movement
The Church Growth Movement is a movement
within evangelical Christianity that aims to grow churches
based on research, sociology, analysis, etc. The Church
Growth Movement started with a passion for the Great
Commission, and seeing people come to the knowledge of
Christ. Donald McGavran, a figure in this movement asserted
that "It is God's will that women and men become disciples of
Jesus Christ and responsible members of Christ's church".
33. • The church growth movement began with the
publication of Donald McGavran's book The
Bridges of God. McGavran was a third-
generation Christian missionary to India, where his
observations of How Churches Grow (the title of
another of his books) went beyond typical
theological discussion to discern sociological
factors that affected receptivity to the Christian
Gospel among non-Christian peoples.
34. • In 1965, he organized the School of World
Mission at Fuller Theological
Seminary in Pasadena, California, which was the
institutional home base for Church Growth
studies until after his death. It has been the
training ground for tens of thousands of pastors
and missionaries of one hundred mainly
evangelical denominations.
35. • McGavran used statistical research to
show that the typical missiological
strategy of the time, mission stations,
was largely ineffective in reaching people
for Christ, as well as ineffective in
discipleship
36. • The original goal of the Church Growth
Movement was to answer the question,
"How do we reach peoples (as opposed to a
few random individuals) with the gospel in
the U.S.?". The goal was to understand how
to share Christianity in a culturally
appropriate way, given the changing climate
in the United States.
37. Just as Donald McGavran stated that we
must understand the culture of the
people we are trying to reach; we cannot
simply enter a completely different
culture on the other side of the world, we
must seek to understand that culture and
present the gospel in a culturally relevant
way.
38. Paul's missionary journeys, it was argued,
used the same cultural relevance, which
eventually led to the council at Jerusalem
(Acts 15) which determined whether
Gentile converts must adopt Jewish
culture in order to become Christian
39. Stetzer states that the Church
Growth Movement went astray when
it became overly simplified into a
series of formulas for church growth,
and ultimately led to the very thing
McGavran sought to avoid, namely a
new kind of mission station.
40. Stetzer states too many of the churches
following the emerging formulas became
a socially engineered mission station,
which drew people out of their own
cultures, into Christian warehouses and
away from their neighborhoods and
communities where they lived
41. Example of Cultural Relevance
Implication:
(“And Cant’t it be” Written in 1738 Charles
Wesley)
And can it be that I should gain
An int'rest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
42. • Refrain:
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!
• 2 'Tis mystery all! Th'Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
'Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more
43. 3. He left His Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race;
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.
44. 4. Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with
light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
45. 5. No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ
my own
46. Just as I am
(by Charlotte Elliott in 1835)
Just as I am - without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to
Thee,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
47. •Just as I am - and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can
cleanse each spot,
-O Lamb of God, I come!
49. I'm forgiven because You were forsaken,
I'm accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your sprit is within
me,
Because You died and rose again.
(Repeat x2)
50. [Chorus:]
Amazing love,
How can it be?
That You, my King would die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it's true.
It's my joy to honour You,
In all I do, I honour You.
51. Methods:
Two key attributes of Church Growth are a passion
for the "Great Commission" and a willingness to
apply research to attracting members,
including quantitative methods. Scholars and leaders
from many denominations continue to meet annually
to discuss the implications of these insights as
the American Society for Church Growth
52. • The "seeker sensitive" label is associated with
some megachurches in the United States where
Christian messages are often imparted by means of
elaborate creative elements
emphasizing secular popular culture, such as popular
music styles. Such churches often also develop a
wide range of activities to draw in families at
different stages in their lives.
53. Four key approaches include:
1. The "Attractive Church Model", which was set
forth by Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose-
Driven Church". In this model, programs (such
as daycare, sports programs, classes, and
contemporary music and worship) are created
which attract people from the community to the
church.
54. 2. The "Missional Church Model", which was
set forth by Michael Slaughter of
Ginghamsburg UMC. In this model, missional
activities are developed to which people are
drawn to participate. As they participate,
they gradually become involved in the life of
the church.
55. 3. The "Preach God to Friends and Neighbors
Model", set forth by Brian L. Boley's book, "How
to Share the Gospel: A Proven Approach for
Ordinary People". In this model, members of
the congregation begin to preach God to friends
and neighbors. As they preach God, they are
eventually seen as "God-experts", and people
begin to inquire of them about spiritual issues.
56. 3. The "Soul Winning Model" (see the Book of Acts)
has always been trumpeted by Bible-believing
Christians, but heavily more recently with the
announcement of a National Church Growth
Conference being held at Clays Mill Road Baptist
Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Host Pastor Jeff
Fugate is a keynote speaker in Independent Baptist
circles and is well known for his old- fashioned stand
and his zeal for the bus ministry.
