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    This text file is more than likely going to upset most Christians,
and probably all nominal Christians. I am by no means a scholar and
nor am I trying to be, but through my research and many hours of study
of the CANNON(i.e. BIBLE) I have concluded that it is the only source of
(1)Salvation (Rom.1:18), (2)Joy,peace,etc. (Gal.5:22), (3)Security
(Rom.8:1), (4)Faith (Rom.10:17), (5)Edification (Eph.4:11-13), (6)
Spiritual food (Deut.8:3--Matt.4:4). Since this is TRUTH (alethios),
Why do we hear so little of the word from behind the pulpit??
    Since I began studying there is a constant running theme contain-
ed in the scripture. What is this theme you ask? I believe most devoted
Men of God (gr.anthropos-nuter gender) know. It is that the scripture
is to be held as the inerrant,totally complete (for us gentiles any-
way), irrefutible,inspired WORD OF GOD ALMIGHTY. Since this is the
fundamental truth, then why do we spend so much time singing and so
little time listening to the source of eternal life being expounded?
Why do our pastor-teachers have to take the eternal life(gr.zoe)-
giver and his gospel and give it a backseat to all the peripheral and
sometimes anti-scriptural functions we so ignorantly call worship?
    The apostle Paul proudly proclaimed "I am not ashamed of the gospel
for it is the power of God unto salvation...." This was a proclama-
tion to be broadcast to the believers at Rome and to the church of
all ages, but I dreadfully say that this doesn't seem to be applicable
to a majority of our churches today. I will give you an example. On
any given Monday I could ask 3 Christians how there service was
on Sunday and 2 out of 3 will reply with a spiritually devastating
and spirit grieving response something like this "Man we had one of
the best services I've experienced in a long time. It was so good
the preacher didn't even get to preach",or this one "We didn't have
preaching but we had the `Go Get Em Boys` quartet to sing and they
really got us fired up." The people who give these responses seem to
be genuine Christians and I love them with genuine Christian love,
but I wander if their pastors are ashamed of the gospel.
     There is a philosophy called pragmatism which is used within the
sales and marketing formats of large corporations. This pragmatism is
a philosophy that uses demographics,strategy,polls, opinions, etc. to
conform a technique that will make a product appealing to consumers.
This philosophy in itself used in business and promotion of a pro-
duct is fine as long as it isn't illusive. The bible is very explicit
about our responsibility of Godly living and a chaste lifestyle be-
fore the lost and ungodly world, but nowhere in scripture does it
imply or even hint toward the idea that we believers are to create
an anti-scriptural technique to lure the lost into our weekly assem-
blies. The original word "church" in the Greek is "ekklessia" and
means "the called out ones" or "a group gathered together". In the
Greco-Roman culture it was used as a reference to any people gathered,
but from the first time that Jesus used it in Matt.16:18 and forward,
it was distinctively used to refer to either an individual church or
the universal church.
      The body of believers in the first century gathered together
usually in homes or in catacombs. They could not openly meet like we
Americans have the privilege to do, they had to keep their meetings
concealed from the persecuting Jews and the Roman gov't. My point is
this, no one would dare affiliate themselves with the believers because
they wouldn't dare jeopardize their complacency. The word had spread
about Annanias and Saphira and people that didn't accept Christ as LORD
feared Gods power enough to keep from companying with them also. The
church was much purer those days and thats when the church grew
astronomically. The church leaders today think they are much smarter
than those simpletons during the first century, they think that the
church can't discriminate(this word was originally a virtuous word among
Christendom because it was men that had this virtue that kept the church
pure, but today it isn't virtuous but derogatory because of the nasty,
ungodly and oppressive slavery our country was shamefully involved in)
because they are afraid that by doing what the bible says might run
somebody off and the statistics the pastor reveals at the next convention
might be embarrassing to him.
      The church (assembling on a weekly basis) was not instituted by
God as a meeting where lost folk get evangelized, although this can
happen, but the purpose of the weekly meeting is to equip believers and
to teach them sound doctrine. The scripture should always be the focal
point at every assembly of the brethren(2 tim.4:2).The instructions to
Timothy from Paul were blunt and explicit about what his function as a
pastor was to be in the body. He was to preach the word regardless of
its acceptance or not, regardless if it wasn't in vogue. I can honestly
say beyond a shadow of a doubt that the desire to hear the gospel from
the pews, or to proclaim the gospel from behind the pulpit is obviously
not in vogue.
       The assemblies today are made up collectively of men and women
whose character is undeniably that which personifies worldliness of
every reprobate level. There are homosexual priests  within some of our
mainstream denominations, and of course the lesbians have to have their
representatives present.
      The assemblies have made room for the experientialists, whose
interpretations are based on what angel they've talked to last or the
latest divine revelation they have received, and of course the
assemblies wouldn't dare leave out the feminist that burned their bras
in the 70's and wanted to be liberated from the God ordained ministry
of being a mother, to be equal with men and their God ordained roles as
the leaders of the family(1cor.11:3--eph.5:23). This invasion of the
world into the church has altered the menu of the gospel, which is for
pasturing the sheep, into very appetizing and palatable morsels of
philosophy that is not only easy to swallow but takes very little time
to digest.
       The great shepherd of our souls left us the great commission to
"go ye therefore" into the world and invite people to Christ through
proclaiming the gospel (the death, burial and resurrection). This
biblical doctrine has been totally eradicated by limp theology and by
watering down THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHRIST. The gospel of the bible
is not the "just as I am and stay as I am" message we hear today. When
Christ spoke of trusting him as the Messiah he always spoke of
repentance and a conforming lifestyle. Christ taught that the world was
in need of a savior and not the church because the church was an
exclusive body for believers only. The concept and strategy of our
leaders are anti scriptural, they suggest that simply sharing the gospel
with the sinners in the world is not sufficient to convert the lost.
They conclude that this biblical method is stale and will not work
in our fast paced culture of the twentieth century, but rather they say
if we bring them into the church through different kinds of worldly
entertainment,socials,movies,singings etc., we could fill these
buildings up every Sunday. What a plot from the devil. This has caused
the church to lose its effectiveness in evangelizing the world, but it
has been great for the cause of Satan and his efforts to adulterate
the gospel.
         I urge all believers to consider what I have written and
determine if the church you attend is a place that tickles the itch-
ing ears of its listeners or if it is a place that true believers
are equipped by the simple preaching and expounding of the gospel.
Hopefully your church hears the gospel, but more than likely your
church experiences much entertainment and very little preaching.
        We need to study the heritage of the church from its birth
at Pentecost, to the reformation in Germany, and the origin of the
church in America. Then study why the churches originally were the
blameless and pure institutions that God intended them to be, and what
was the root that caused the downgrade that led straight to the bottom-
less pit of spiritual bankruptcy. Through this research you will con-
clude that the major reason for the downgrade was the direct result
of spineless preaching and lack of doctrinal teaching. This apostasy
is back by popular demand from the unsaved members of our local
churches.


                            CONCLUSION
We as believers should confront the leaders of our churches where the
word of Christ doesn't have preeminence, and plead with them with
Godly love to get back to feeding the sheep instead of petting the
goats.



I would greatly appreciate any comments you have.
Please write to me at:

                                 P.S. Please upload this text file
            SCOTT HOURIGAN
            8650 BRENDA DR.
            HARRISON, TN 37341.