Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

Jesus set a pretty high bar for his followers to get over if they were to be His disciples (Mt. 16:24-6; Luke 9:57-62).

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desir es to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26 Os Guinn ess states that “far from leading to an exodus, modern church growth often uses the ideology and tools of Egypt to make the people more comfortable in captivity” (pg. 21). Where exactly does “the cross” come in (Gal. 2:20; 5:11, 24; 1 Cor. 1:23-24)? Do we really preach the “cross?” Can we really say that we knew nothing among you but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2)? When was the last time we preached on “mortifying the flesh” (Rom. 8:13)?

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24

5. METHODOLOGY/THEOLOGY

Where do techniques, style and methodology replace or minimize truth and theology (1 Tim. 3:15)?

A famous Christian pollster and prolific author in the area of church growth confessed, “I don’t deal with theology. I am simply a methodologist.” This is fine, but if we are not careful the result of this approach can be a “methodology” only occasionally in search of a “theology.”

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