According to Jim Chapter Three

Written by Zhey Chua |Posted on March 27, 2009 | Comments

You want to see something that’s terribly, terribly heartbreaking? In a minute, I will be showing you a video which I saw from Phil Johnson, he posted the link to it on Facebook and I tell you, first 30 seconds and my stomach started lurching. I could not believe I am hearing words like “fart”, “cool-aide” and “it will rock your face off” to name a few from someone who calls himself a preacher. Here is the video:

According to Jim Chapter Three

Doing a quick research on Crosspoint Community Church, this is what I found out from their profile on vimeo.com:

Crosspoint Community Church is a contemporary church in Decatur Alabama that exists to make passionate disciples of Jesus. We meet in the Regal Cinema behind the Decatur Mall at 10:00am every Sunday. The music is hot, the preaching is practical, and the people are authentic.

The music is HOT? The preaching is PRACTICAL? Really, now? I don’t mean to lace this post with sarcasm, but every bit of my being right this very moment could not help it! Sure this is being “relevant” but what for? Jesus Christ did not come to be “relevant”, he preached and preached without rocking jeans or a shaved head or arm-bands or whatever fashion statement was being advocated in His time. He conducted Himself with righteousness, did He ever call James “Jim”? Yeah, I know we are living in the modern society, you’re probably saying “So what, it’s the cyber age!” but come on, will you ever truly trust someone who is on the pulpit even if he uses cuss words and openly tells his congregation that his church bribes guests and tells you that the preaching for the day will be taken from the words according to Jim chapter three? I guess not. It may sound hip and all, but that’s just not the way a man of God handles God’s Word. How disrespectful and how, uhm, shall I say, gross.

What’s even more ironic is that he chose to preach on James 3, I wonder if he was convicted just by reading the whole chapter? Cases in point:

James 3: 1 : Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

James 3: 5-6 : So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

James 3: 9-11 : With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

Let’s pray for this church, for its pastors and leaders to see that being “relevant” has nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the only thing that is relevant. Preaching the Gospel doesn’t require radicalism at all, it is SUFFICIENT. I pray that they may also see the importance of walking the talk.