The church service is not supposed to be a concert or a laser light show. (nor is it for "reaching the lost"!. It is for praising God and the edification of the saints).
I want no part of a congregation that feels no obligation for reaching out to the unchurched, and I want no part of a congregation that feels no obligation for reaching out to the unsaved. The exclusivity of what you describe above is the polar opposite of what Jesus Himself did. The ‘members only’ attitude of what you describe above is the polar opposite of what Jesus Himself did. He was even criticized by the ‘holier than thou’ crowd because of the kind of people He chose to hang out with.
Wrong. You obviously have NO understanding of what I am talking about, no understanding of what the church is, and it seems you also have no understanding of what Jesus Himself did. It is not the job of the pastor, nor should it be the purpose of the worship service to evangelize the lost. That is the job of each and every one of us, every day. Admittedly, I ain't very good at it. If someone who is not a Christian comes in to the worship service, he should be welcomed and told whatever he needs to be told, and if he then professes Christ, that's wonderful... but that is not the purpose of the saints gathering together. I had better just stop right there.
With attitudes such as that, it’s no wonder that church attendance continues to decline in this country. Nobody resists churches because they love others too much. Nobody resists churches because they are too welcoming of others. Nobody resists churches because they are too willing to carry others people's burdens. Nobody resists churches because they're so forgiving and so open and so gracious. What many people find so easy to resist about churches is the very attitude displayed by you via your above posts. And it ‘is’ the polar opposite of what Jesus Himself did. People don't resist churches because of Jesus...people resist churches because of ‘Christians’. Thank God following Jesus does not mean following other ‘Christians’.
