1 Opening Scriptures: Ezekiel 3:16-21, Ephesians 4:3, Colossians 2:19 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. Colossians 2:19 Both of these verses exhort and address the same core value of our faith CONNECTEDNESS. One threat facing the Church in general and believers specifically in these last days is the danger of being DISCONNECTED from one another, but far more serious is the prospect of not recognizing the danger and subsequently becoming disconnected from Christ the Head of the Church! What s responsible for this perilous slide away from the mainstream church and orthodoxy? The Internet and the advent of social Networking! The internet and social networking sites like FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, and GodTube have made it possible for people to do virtually everything they want to do in the real world in a virtual world of their own making! THE CHURCH SERIES The Wireless Church, Parts 1 and 2 READ ARTICLE by R. Albert Mohler, former president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and now syndicated writer for the Christian Post: MEET THE NEW AMERICAN FAMILY Before I read the article, let me ask you If you re asked to turn off your cell phone or other wireless device in a hospital, on a flight, or in Church What is your first thought and/or impulse? NOTE: In each of the above settings, there s potential to be distracted and jeopardize the safety of others! Early in this message, some of you will be tempted in your heart to ask but I can think of a lot of good that can be done or has come about because of these things? To which, I ll remind you of the Scriptures: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matthew 5:13 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; [but] men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 14:34-35 I have several wireless devices most of us have at least one! They are convenient, result in less clutter, and they free us up to do more, but the greatest benefit is they are not tied to or dependent on anything else. This is also true of the wireless Church they are not tied to or dependent on anything else!
2 1. Wireless Church members exhibit at least two or more of these attitudes/behaviors Sees nothing wrong with NOT having face-to-face meetings/encounters with other believers. Instead of we long to see you, their take is we don t have to see you! Are emotionally-detached from their Christian brothers and sisters. In fact, an increasing number have begun to connect and have more in common with like-minded people who are faithfully devoted to other faiths! Views in-person assemblies as bondage and enforcing the commandment forsake not the assembling of ourselves as legalism! Does not see how emotional detachment makes them insensitive and indifferent to the suffering of others. WIVES: How many of you would be OK with a text message or email rather than your spouse coming home? SINGLES: How many of you would be just fine sharing a cup of latte or a fabulous meal in a virtual chatroom? Would rather go-it-alone than bother with the saints and all their issues! we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. Colossians 2:19 God never intended for us to go it alone! In fact, He put the Body together in such a way that each part is necessary and dependent on all the other parts! 2. The wireless Church is also likely to be The most loveless church! It s next to impossible to grow in love without participating in the demands love places on us! Most unforgiving. Many in satellite churches left the organized church because of offense. It s kinda hard to practice forgiveness and humility when you don t have to see or personally interact with people! Victims of not only identity theft but an identity crisis because they re exposed to so much error for which they have no foundation in truth to cast down! Or become involved in inappropriate relationships online without guilt or conviction. Absent from a local congregation without any guilt or conviction. Recognizing this, we put a disclaimer on our website: TO OUR GUESTS: WE HUMBLY ASK THAT YOU USE OUR WEBSITE AS A RESOURCE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ASSEMBLING AND SERVING IN A LOCAL CONGREGATION. 3. In the Wireless Church The pastor doesn t have to be physically present. They can: o Tape next Sunday s message on Tuesday and video-stream it to all its campuses on Sunday! o And, if they have the means and know-how holographically beam themselves before their wireless audience which may be very casually assembled in a local pub, bar, coffee shop, or movie theater! The image can also be transmitted over the internet in less than a second, which would allow a near real-time window into distant events, something the authors call holographic telepresence. Source: Wired.com Fellowship and personal accountability suffers. Active giving also suffers. In many traditional and non-traditional churches, ministry to church members is frequently tied to giving! Loyalty and commitment to a cause and/or good work obviously suffers. It s hard to believe someone is loyal or seriously committed to a work or cause for which they won t even show up! Ministry work itself suffers The I m there in spirit mentality breeds a hands-off approach to ministry.
3 4. Five ways we may be disconnected from Jesus: 1 IN OUR HEARTS `These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' Mark 7:7 2 IN GENUINE LOVE AND SERVICE Remember what Jesus said of the religious elite of His day? 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce Mark 7:7 To the first of the Seven Churches, Jesus reported: But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! Rev. 2:1-4 3 IN OUR THINKING It s too hard to serve the LORD Malachi 1:12-13 What s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? Malachi 3:13-15 By the way, our actions are the manifestation of what we ve been thinking! 4 ABANDONING OTHERS IN THEIR TIME OF NEED Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you won't have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away. Proverbs 27:1 The next time you re sick and need prayer, call for your wireless friends in California to come see you! We are in this fight together. You have seen me suffer for him in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of this great struggle. Philippians 1:30 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me 2 Timothy 4:16-17 NLT Next time you re in trouble or in need which of your wireless friends will come to your aid? 5 IF CHRIST IS NOT BECOMING MORE AT HOME IN OUR HEARTS And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. Ephesians 3:17 Is Christ becoming a stranger in your heart? How about your home? How much cleaning and/or rearranging would you have to do if Jesus was coming to your house right after church today? INVITATION TO ETERNAL LIFE End of Part 1. Stay tuned for part two of this message In part two, we ll explore and examine: Ten things the wireless church cannot do or do well The three things we MUST do to keep from becoming a casualty of the digital generation
4 WIRELESS CHURCH, PART 2 BEGINS Opening Scriptures: Ezekiel 3:16-21 and Hebrews 10:25, Ephesians 4:3 and Colossians 2:19 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. Colossians 2:19 Both of these verses exhort and address the same core value of our faith CONNECTEDNESS. Pastors are watchmen over God s flock and one of their most important responsibilities is warning and steering God s flock clear of danger. As watchman over this flock, one threat I see facing the Church in general and believers specifically in these last days is the danger of being DISCONNECTED from one another. Far more serious is not recognizing that danger and becoming disconnected from Christ the Head of the Church! What s responsible for this perilous drift away from the mainstream church and orthodoxy? The Internet and the advent of social Networking! The internet and social networking sites like FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, and GodTube have made it possible for people to do virtually everything they want to do in the real world in a virtual world of their own making! Because of these modern conveniences, it is truly possible for a man to become a self-sustained, island unto himself and DISCONNECT FROM DIRECT HUMAN INVOLVEMENT AND INTERACTION! Everyone who ignores the prophetic warnings of Scripture will be swept away from the faith! THE CHURCH SERIES The Wireless Church, Part Two Before we get into the Ten Things the Wireless Church cannot do or do well and the three things we MUST do keep from becoming a casualty of our culture, I want to remind us of something else... The example and exhortation throughout the New Testament is not IF YOU MEET but WHEN YOU MEET! Acts 2:1, 2:44, 5:12, 6:2 and 1 Corinthians 11:17-20, 14:26 5. Ten things the Wireless Church cannot do or do well 1. Comfort one another. Acts 14:19-20 Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided that I should stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our co-worker for God and our brother in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 How I wish I was there with you right now But at this distance I frankly don t know what else to do. Galatians 4:13-20 2. Church discipline. Matthew 18:15-17
5 3. Fully grasp the notion: every part is necessary. This is a difficult concept to grasp and even more difficult to practice if we are physically-separated and emotionally-disconnected from one another! 1 Cor. 12:27, Romans 12:3-18 4. Care for the feeble/bear one another s burdens. Home, prison, and hospital visits have become a thing of the past. If the church meets online/no longer assembles, the elderly home-bound will be neglected and fall through the cracks! Those who are incarcerated even for the Gospel s sake will also fall through the cracks and eventually be forgotten! Galatians 6:2-5, Hebrews 10:32-36 5. Those who are not techno-savvy and those who can t afford the latest gadgets will simply be left behind. How do you communicate and disciple these believers without some form of physical contact? 6. Develop those virtues necessary to grow in faith, love, and godly character. 2 Peter 1:8-9 I ve read of people being late for Church, work, or some other important function because of checking and/or updating their Face Book profile! 7. Be actively involved in: a. Hands-on ministry. Acts 6:1-7 b. Corporate prayer and Bible study. James 5 instructs the sick to call for the elders of the church to come and pray over them. Question: Who are the elders in the wireless, virtual church? 8. Mutual discovery and sharing of spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 1 Corinthians 14:26 9. Fellowship of communion. Acts 20:7 The elderly/home-bound are frequently neglected from church communion. 10. Fulfill the Great Commission. The first instruction in the Great Commission is Go ye therefore Matthew 28:19 See how Romans 10:13-17 also applies. 6. Three things we MUST do to keep from becoming a casualty of our wireless culture: 1. REMEMBER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE WORLD AND THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD: Those in frequent contact with the things of the world [internet, computers, technology, medicine, material, etc.] should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away. 1 Corinthians 7:31 o If we don t open Bibles in Church or can t find our way around the Bible because we ve come to rely on the overhead projection system we ve become a casualty of the times. o If we can t praise and worship God because the power or the sound system goes out we ve become a casualty of our times. o If it offends us to have to turn off our cell phone or other wireless devices in church or other public places for the safety and/or welfare of others, then we ve become a casualty of our times! 2. REMEMBER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT JESUS: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas Hebrews 13:8-9 3. REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID TO HIS CHURCH: Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. John 15:4-6
6 CONCLUSION People may change, churches and church leaders may drastically change the way they do ministry because of external pressure to change, but Jesus Christ and His True Church remains the same yesterday, today, and forever! Amen. INVITATION