What's Wrong With Candles, Incense and Icons?

thanks Gary you're listening to search the Scriptures daily a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God's truths to look at God's Word for all that is essential for salvation and living a life in a way that is pleasing to him our topic for this first segment of our program is the emerging church movement if you're not familiar with this very problematic movement within evangelical Christianity this is a good opportunity for you to become informed about it it's a relatively new phenomenon among evangelical churches that's attracting mostly young adults its state of objective is to reach our youth culture which is characterized by postmodern attitudes beliefs and practices it's claimed that these young people desire a spirituality that is more relevant to our society and one that creates a more authentic in their words a more authentic spiritual environment for their worship and David you know we've been receiving some objections to what we've written about and spoken about evaluating the emergent church movement and a common objection is that we've been describing what we've been describing is extreme within the movement and doesn't apply to the objecting individuals own emerging Church and on a national level there's emergent church leaders say that because the spectrum of their beliefs is so diverse it's impossible to make sweeping judgments well you know if part if the shoe fits a part of the shoe fits if some of these things that we're talking about apply I don't know why they would object they have to search it out don't you think Davis which I thought that Christianity comes from the Bible mm-hmm that's where we learned about Jesus from the Bible record the history his birth life miracles death and he is the one who said on this rock I will build my church no my understanding is I read Ephesians chapter 2 for example the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets that's in the Bible we get their teaching in the Bible and Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone now Tom you're the expert on this you've done I've hardly got any reading on this subject although I've gone through like Rogers book but I haven't gone into the depth that you have that's Roger Oakland's book faith undone which we highly recommend I mean it really points out some things that people need to know so if Jesus Christ is a chief Cornerstone it's built upon the foundation the apostles and prophets did they include in there some way that it might become relevant to our postmodern generation or that it might reach young people or is this something that young people and the postmodern generation need to adjust themselves to and is it really I'm asking several questions John is there really anything in the Bible that would describe these methodologies like candles icons and so forth so that we would know how to follow that so that we could well have the church that Jesus Christ established and wanted to continue I think right on and feel that the rapture those that that are objecting say well we're not into this we're not into that as I mentioned earlier but the question they need to ask themselves based on what you've said is this biblical is there because in the not only the teaching of the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit did he do it was this a practice that was common to him now for example some don't see any problems with or potential problems based on what you said earlier with putting candles or images icons and so on in their church to kind of dress it up now here's a quote from a pastor right here in the in the northwest and he's I would say he's probably the most conservatives isn't within the emergent church move and his name is Mark Driscoll but this is what he says everything in the service needs to preach architecture lighting songs prayers fellowship the smell it all preaches all five senses must be engaged to experience God welcome I have I have to object to that the Bible does not say anything about that in fact these would be distractions these would be things that you are looking to to help the messies now all I know Jesus said go into all the world preach the gospel to every creature a Paul writes to Timothy preach the word now what word is this well that's second Timothy chapter four chapter 3 says beginning at verse 15 16 17 all scripture as the word is given by inspiration of God it's profitable or it's useful for doctrine I don't think the candle preaches doctrine I don't think the smells and whatever else they have the architecture preaches doctrine doctrine reproof I don't think any of these things I don't think a candle is going to reprove you and or an icon or the architecture or the you know the atmosphere doctrine reproof correction instruction in righteousness to what end that the man the woman the boy the girl of God may be perfect that doesn't mean without sin it means mature complete thoroughly thoroughly furnished unto every good work now that tells me I mean this is the Bible this is the Holy Spirit telling us if I want to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work I want to live for Christ I want to be Christ like in my life I want to be fruitful for him and what I say and what I do I need to go to the Word of God and if I'm a man of God who is trying to encourage people in this then I have to do what Paul said to Timothy in the next chapter preach the word the instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine alright now I don't read anything in there about yeah but you really have to dress this up that's what the man said didn't he right you said you've got to have everything in the service needs to preach architecture lighting songs prayers fellowship the smell it all preaches all five senses must be engaged to experience God David these things are fleshly oriented and I thought the scripture said I know the scripture says the flesh profits nothing well I don't find anything like that this man is not teaching from the Bible he is using his own ideas and he says well I think in this quote he may do some other things they're wonderful yeah right right but as far as this quote is concerned there's not one ounce of Bible there's not one ounce of holy spirit there's not one ounce of the gospel but it's all about some methodologies which he says we must have that I don't find them in in the Bible now if these are essential why aren't they in the Bible and if they're not in the Bible then they must not be essential and if they're not essential and the Bible didn't give it to us then you are going astray right these things are just not only not essential as you're alluding to they're problematic for example major part of the emerging church movement is its affinity for mysticism and mystical and contemplative practices you know this is this is what they all seem to be drawn to and all of these things have really their spiritual they have spiritually dangerous ramifications now foundation to this is the emerging churches movement toward things Roman Catholic and this I want to get into this because the affinity there is as a former Roman Catholic for thirty years in my life I can see it I can see the handprints all over this movement I don't I can see it for what you just read yeah well you see in Catholicism the main main aspect were the sacraments the liturgies the sacramental of the rituals that's what Roman Catholicism is all about let me interrupt oh sure Roman Catholicism is not about truth it's not about preach the word it's about all kinds of other things that hold people to this church for more information about the berean call call us toll free at our order number or visit our website

Channel: The Berean Call

Views: 12,565

Rating: 3.9282296 out of 5

Keywords: What's, Wrong, With, Candles, Incense, and, Icons, Dave, Hunt, The, Berean, Call, Search, the, scriptures, daily, bible, commentary

Id: IT3cCTB37Hg

Length: 9min 50sec (590 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 09 2008