Bye, Bye, Pretend Christians

There are lots of people out there who call themselves Christians and say some pretty scary things. I typically tend to avoid the people on TV because I don't want to start to study someone's teachings and then find out that they've missed an important point of theology and then have to go back and evaluate everything else that I've heard from them. I read an article that was linked to KLOVE's website today, though, about a sermon by a famous preacher that I think deserves a second look.

Rick Warren is the pastor at Saddleback Church in California, a huge megachurch that just celebrated its 30th anniversary. He recently preached a sermon challenging everyone in his congregation - all 20,000 of them - to put their money where their mouths are, so to speak - or to find another church home. He's looked at the eight characteristics of the first original church as described in Acts and has set goals for his church based on these.

Warren says that in the original church there was no audience, but that everyone served and ministered in some way. He says that we are all there to support each other and that everyone has a calling, a talent, a gift, and a job to do. The Great Commission is for everyone - and over the next ten years, he's planning for everyone to be serving. He's even planning to send parishioners out to every country in the world. We're talking about radical, word-for-word obedience here.

I think that what he says makes sense. But don't take my word for it. Read the article for yourself and see what you think.

Do you have a gift or a talent that He's asked you to share??