Lacking the Noble Truth of the Gospel
(A caution: one naughty word used at the beginning... yes, by the pastor.)
Mike Porter over at A&OMin posted a good response to the video about the starvation of Christ's sheep and Perry Noble's general attitude. I agree with it, and recommend that short read to you.
On the one hand, I appreciate what Noble might be getting at in this vid, because I have been often tempted (especially in my earlier ministry) to want the "deeper" stuff with little regard for application. Similarly, I've met folks who have heads full of religious knowledge but have no clue about what they would call "the basic stuff." So, I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt there.
On the other hand, he claims to say this to everyone. I hope that is not true. Porter is right; honest Christians desire more, growing thirstier the more they drink. With the current famine sweeping American churches dry of the Word, I weep to imagine a hurting lamb being turned away as a j******* for clinging to the um, crocs of the one charged with preaching God's truth.
To a backdrop of contemporary music and decor, Noble may dress in comfortable clothes on Sundays and pepper his language, but he is just as legalistic as the black-suited, red-tied fundamentalist. Whose ministry is he modeling if he is tying heavy burdens on the backs of people who come to him for something more than a moralizing sermon?
Should we challenge people's pride they disguise in religiosity? Of course, and that is what we are doing here. The gospel leads us to thirst more for God, but what Nobel is encouraging pastors to do is to quench that thirst with a performance-based system. He is more the Pharisee than that head-strong youth, for he should respond to the request to go deeper by leading folks to more refreshing waters of the gospel.
That's what the people need when they ask to go deeper. Telling them to tithe or "worship" more just doesn't cut it. They need to hear the Bible preached, not condemnation for failing to meet some "Noble" standard.
Mike Porter over at A&OMin posted a good response to the video about the starvation of Christ's sheep and Perry Noble's general attitude. I agree with it, and recommend that short read to you.
On the one hand, I appreciate what Noble might be getting at in this vid, because I have been often tempted (especially in my earlier ministry) to want the "deeper" stuff with little regard for application. Similarly, I've met folks who have heads full of religious knowledge but have no clue about what they would call "the basic stuff." So, I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt there.
On the other hand, he claims to say this to everyone. I hope that is not true. Porter is right; honest Christians desire more, growing thirstier the more they drink. With the current famine sweeping American churches dry of the Word, I weep to imagine a hurting lamb being turned away as a j******* for clinging to the um, crocs of the one charged with preaching God's truth.
To a backdrop of contemporary music and decor, Noble may dress in comfortable clothes on Sundays and pepper his language, but he is just as legalistic as the black-suited, red-tied fundamentalist. Whose ministry is he modeling if he is tying heavy burdens on the backs of people who come to him for something more than a moralizing sermon?
Should we challenge people's pride they disguise in religiosity? Of course, and that is what we are doing here. The gospel leads us to thirst more for God, but what Nobel is encouraging pastors to do is to quench that thirst with a performance-based system. He is more the Pharisee than that head-strong youth, for he should respond to the request to go deeper by leading folks to more refreshing waters of the gospel.
That's what the people need when they ask to go deeper. Telling them to tithe or "worship" more just doesn't cut it. They need to hear the Bible preached, not condemnation for failing to meet some "Noble" standard.
