Emergent Church Issues

As for "Emergent Church" topic, like any other denominations and movements, false teaching often come from WITHIN of each local church. The way the Emergent Church is set up, some leaders are more than likely to depart from biblical standards and creating their own agendas. Emergents advocate public activism in social causes such as environmentalism, international human rights, and reduction of Third World debt. For YEARS, Christians have been focusing on the social, economic, political and military crises which have confronted our lives. We have commited actively for public policies that reduce militarism, war, and political and economic inequities for years. This will not changed since government systems around the world have been evolving to many different levels and some are really bad. Government is not the problem. Its PEOPLE. Christians, non-Christians, Extremists, Liberals, Conversatives and the list is so long. Politically eveyone is so divided. We ALL are Christians first and everything else after that is secondary including political party. We must careful not to identify the gospel with any political parties because Jesus Christ have HIS OWN Party which is HIS KINGDOM. Christ stands alone, above and outside of every ideology of any political parties. Jesus does not and will not join any of our parties. I am having a major problem with people today using God for their own interests into man-made political issues. Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). Christ have not given us a political agenda, but a spiritual mandate to proclaim the Gospel and disciple the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). As Christians, we should hold our political views be guided by the Bible and Holy Spirit. When we voice our political views, our views are ours individually based on our understanding the Bible and how we view the world. I noticed that we all disagree one way or another politically therefore, you and I can view differently on the "details" matter. Christians should use their Bible and their relationship with God by adopting a biblical perspectives which are God's views in all aspects of life through the help from the Holy Spirit. Politics and ideology have come in the form of the separation in our minds of "sacred vs. secular". I am what some of my relatives and friends called "Liberal Republican" or you can say "Conservative Democrat". I am the type of person who steers away from Christians' views are so far right (extremists) and those Christians who are in the far left (liberalism) who are also blinded and not seeing the bigger picture. Many of the views are so narrow and very dividing. What do you think would bridge the gap between the rights and the lefts? What would be the solutions between believers and unbelievers? As a Christian, we don't need intelligence to decide because we have the Holy Spirit that convicts us to listen rather than focusing on our own pride of political reasonings. The Bible reminds us Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Jeremiah 17:5 (NIV) This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." We ought to look at God's providential care in the life of our nation. God controls everything regardless what we do. God governs (controls) the world (Isa. 40:22-24), the nations (Isa. 40:15-17), and us (Proverbs 16:9) that WE have nothing to fear. We want to be zealous for Jesus Christ, but not too being zealous politically. There has to be a balance politically. These kinds of programs within a local church often taking away the REAL ministry of a local church. I often stay way from any churches and denominations that are too political or to involved in the political process. This is where Church leaders are moving away from biblical practices of being a Christian as 2 Corinthians 5:20 states where the Christian is referred to as an ambassador for Christ (rather than politically) - "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ." One of the issues that I have learned about Moral Laws and Civil Laws when I was studying God's perspective in "governing" is abortion. An illustration I used earlier if a man hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury. According to the Old Testament law (Exodus 21:22-23), the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. If there is serious injury, you are to take life for life (capital punishment) I don't agree with some of today's government laws because in relation to abortion, is part of Exodus 21:22-23 law, our authorities (United States) have made it legal to abort babies. Regarding to "Homosexuality" and "Abortion" are the major issues morality is based on a human view rather than God's view. lf law is, in fact, some form of legislated morality. The question is whose morality will dominate. Corruption effects every aspect of a person's being. Corruption (sin) have a beginning which root is located. To me, root means a beginning source which is a starting point. Corruption's root is in my heart which also commonly known as the core of our being. The corrupted person do not have the moral ability to understand God's holiness. Without Salvation, a person cannot and will never understand God's holiness. The question becomes when a person say: "I am a believer in Christ" and practice what God calls it sin is where God will meet this person in the core, in the heart. This also means a person's opinion who disagree with God about certain sin (i.e. homosexuality). There are bigger issues than Homosexuality and Abortion. Christ gave us THE GREAT COMMISSION which is SALVATION. Politics are not even connected to the commission. Christ have not given us a political agenda, but a spiritual mandate to proclaim the Gospel and disciple the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). The Government's role is to "govern" while the Church's role is to do the GREAT COMMISSION. If God was in your local church meeting today to discuss solutions to human reasoning? How would you react? What would you say to God when you are using this reasoning? Many Christian liberal thinkers have differed regarding this from their own perspective rather than God's perspective simply because of man's doctrines rather than truth. Ecclesiastes 8:17 I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it. When you look for solutions through church such as Emergent Church is doing, this is not new and this have been approached many times over the years under different category if we study Christian History. We CAN'T comprehend and solve solutions but we CAN have faith in His decisions in all situations and solutions. Rather than finding solutions to the world's problems, b grace God brings us into the spiritual family of God and starts the process of transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:28,29). The Biblical process of solving problems begins with God's Word revealing our hearts (James 1:21-25, Heb. 4:12). At that point we can then go to the real Christ for grace, mercy and help (Heb. 4:13-16). Then as the real Holy Spirit ministers in our lives through the Word of God, we will grow in abundant life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3) and become adequate for every good work (II Tim. 3:16,17). Read Romans Chapters 12, 13, 14 and 15 and Book of Galatians because they teach believers to have a real relationship with God. Emergent Church cannot solve Christianity problems but separating and moving onto political and social solutions through human means rather than Christ. A.W Tozer's quote made it very clear to me, "The Lord will not save those he cannot command." By surrendering our wills to Jesus will not solve our problems but rather to sancify us.