billiefan2000
April 11th, 2008, 06:00 PM
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=4879
Lititz Grace “Church” - “The Bar Is Open”
Published April 11th, 2008 by Editor in American "Christianity", Seeker Sensitive
Josh Rittenhouse of Truth Matters brings us an open letter to his former “church” where the “pastor” has recently stated:
(see) http://www.lgbc.org/about_us/distlersk/update-2008-04-10.pdf
“I am advocating that we hang a big neon sign in the windows of our church that proudly reads,
“The Bar is Open”!”
The “pastor” later said, “Wouldn’t you like to have a place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Wouldn’t you like to be where you can see our troubles are all the same?
Wouldn’t you like to go where everybody knows your name?”
He then went further to say,
“And where was that place?
It was a bar! Now I ask you, why can’t that place be the church?
In fact, why can’t it be Grace Church? Why can’t our church be the place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Why can’t our church be the place where you can see that our troubles are all the same?”
Josh finishes out the quotes from this “pastor” with
“I think Grace Church needs to become more like a bar!
It’s time to light the neon sign in the window that says, “The Bar is Open”.
After all, we serve the best drink in town…the living water of Jesus Christ!”
Josh responds to these seeker-sensitive ideas with an open letter and a clip from Jeff Noblit’s sermon about the idol of the milky way that the religion of Americanity seems to be so in love with.
You can read this open letter here below:
http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2008/04/lititz-grace-church-bar-is-open.html
here is the letter BTW
On April 10th, 2008, Pastor Scott Distler of Lititz Grace said here that,
"I am advocating that we hang a big neon sign in the windows of our church that proudly reads,
“The Bar is Open”!
The Bar is Open?
No, Scott.
If anything, "The Bar" has been lowered.
Scott states here that,
“Wouldn’t you like to have a place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Wouldn’t you like to be where you can see our troubles are all the same?
Wouldn’t you like to go where everybody knows your name?"
Then Scott asks:
"And where was that place?
It was a bar! Now I ask you, why can’t that place be the church?
In fact, why can’t it be Grace Church? Why can’t our church be the place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Why can’t our church be the place where you can see that our troubles are all the same?"
Since you asked:
Not only is the bar open, but the bar has been lowered!
Lititz Grace, do you not see what this article Scott wrote is all about?
It's all about "YOU". You are being elevated.
When that happens God is not glorified!
Church is not about "us", it is all about God!
We gather to worship, to praise, to fear, to adore, to lift up HIS NAME!
The most important thing in this life is not to know everybody's name.
The most important thing in life is not even if you know Jesus!
The most important thing in this life and the next life is if Jesus knows you.
As Paul Washer once said, "If I go to the White House and say I know George Bush, they will not let me in.
But, if George Bush comes out of the White House and says,
"I know Paul Washer", they will let me in.
Have you not read Matthew chapter 7? "Not everybody who says Lord, Lord, will enter My kingdom."
This verse is not stating to look at the world as a whole and that the visible church who professes Christ as Lord are the few. No.
Jesus is stating AMONG those of you who emphatically proclaim Me as Lord(Lord! Lord!)...AMONG THOSE in the "church"...Few of those will find it.
That is frightening!!!
We need to examine ourselves.
Ultimately all that matters is the glory of God (Psalm 57:5). And God has ordained that He will receive most glory through His bride, the church (Ephesians 3:21).
Restoring sound doctrine concerning the nature of conversion is foundational to being a church that brings God the glory He deserves!
Lastly, where is the discernment?
Where do we draw the line?
Let's look at a few statements...
Scott Distler said, "I think Grace Church needs to become more like a bar! It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says, "The Bar is Open".
After all, we serve the best drink in town…the living water of Jesus Christ!"
Does that cross the line?
Well, how about this statement?
"I think Grace Church needs to become more like a strip club!
It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says, "The Strip Club Is Open".
After all, we serve the best stripper in town…Jesus Christ strips us of all our unrighteousness!"
It made me sick to my stomach to write that but it makes the point.
When you compromise with the world once, you open the floodgates to all sorts of worldly things.
The church is to be holy, completely seperate from the world.
If you want to be "like" the world,
do it Biblically as is well explained here by my friend, Pastor Bob DeWaay.
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/1160/Bob_DeWaay
In the end, the most accurate statement would probably be:
"I think Grace Church needs to become more like a strip club!
It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says,
"The Strip Club Is Open". After all, we are stripping the Gospel of it's power."
Striving with you to build "true" churches for His glory,
Josh Rittenhouse
http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2008/04/lititz-grace-church-bar-is-open.html
Lititz Grace “Church” - “The Bar Is Open”
Published April 11th, 2008 by Editor in American "Christianity", Seeker Sensitive
Josh Rittenhouse of Truth Matters brings us an open letter to his former “church” where the “pastor” has recently stated:
(see) http://www.lgbc.org/about_us/distlersk/update-2008-04-10.pdf
“I am advocating that we hang a big neon sign in the windows of our church that proudly reads,
“The Bar is Open”!”
The “pastor” later said, “Wouldn’t you like to have a place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Wouldn’t you like to be where you can see our troubles are all the same?
Wouldn’t you like to go where everybody knows your name?”
He then went further to say,
“And where was that place?
It was a bar! Now I ask you, why can’t that place be the church?
In fact, why can’t it be Grace Church? Why can’t our church be the place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Why can’t our church be the place where you can see that our troubles are all the same?”
Josh finishes out the quotes from this “pastor” with
“I think Grace Church needs to become more like a bar!
It’s time to light the neon sign in the window that says, “The Bar is Open”.
After all, we serve the best drink in town…the living water of Jesus Christ!”
Josh responds to these seeker-sensitive ideas with an open letter and a clip from Jeff Noblit’s sermon about the idol of the milky way that the religion of Americanity seems to be so in love with.
You can read this open letter here below:
http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2008/04/lititz-grace-church-bar-is-open.html
here is the letter BTW
On April 10th, 2008, Pastor Scott Distler of Lititz Grace said here that,
"I am advocating that we hang a big neon sign in the windows of our church that proudly reads,
“The Bar is Open”!
The Bar is Open?
No, Scott.
If anything, "The Bar" has been lowered.
Scott states here that,
“Wouldn’t you like to have a place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Wouldn’t you like to be where you can see our troubles are all the same?
Wouldn’t you like to go where everybody knows your name?"
Then Scott asks:
"And where was that place?
It was a bar! Now I ask you, why can’t that place be the church?
In fact, why can’t it be Grace Church? Why can’t our church be the place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?
Why can’t our church be the place where you can see that our troubles are all the same?"
Since you asked:
Not only is the bar open, but the bar has been lowered!
Lititz Grace, do you not see what this article Scott wrote is all about?
It's all about "YOU". You are being elevated.
When that happens God is not glorified!
Church is not about "us", it is all about God!
We gather to worship, to praise, to fear, to adore, to lift up HIS NAME!
The most important thing in this life is not to know everybody's name.
The most important thing in life is not even if you know Jesus!
The most important thing in this life and the next life is if Jesus knows you.
As Paul Washer once said, "If I go to the White House and say I know George Bush, they will not let me in.
But, if George Bush comes out of the White House and says,
"I know Paul Washer", they will let me in.
Have you not read Matthew chapter 7? "Not everybody who says Lord, Lord, will enter My kingdom."
This verse is not stating to look at the world as a whole and that the visible church who professes Christ as Lord are the few. No.
Jesus is stating AMONG those of you who emphatically proclaim Me as Lord(Lord! Lord!)...AMONG THOSE in the "church"...Few of those will find it.
That is frightening!!!
We need to examine ourselves.
Ultimately all that matters is the glory of God (Psalm 57:5). And God has ordained that He will receive most glory through His bride, the church (Ephesians 3:21).
Restoring sound doctrine concerning the nature of conversion is foundational to being a church that brings God the glory He deserves!
Lastly, where is the discernment?
Where do we draw the line?
Let's look at a few statements...
Scott Distler said, "I think Grace Church needs to become more like a bar! It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says, "The Bar is Open".
After all, we serve the best drink in town…the living water of Jesus Christ!"
Does that cross the line?
Well, how about this statement?
"I think Grace Church needs to become more like a strip club!
It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says, "The Strip Club Is Open".
After all, we serve the best stripper in town…Jesus Christ strips us of all our unrighteousness!"
It made me sick to my stomach to write that but it makes the point.
When you compromise with the world once, you open the floodgates to all sorts of worldly things.
The church is to be holy, completely seperate from the world.
If you want to be "like" the world,
do it Biblically as is well explained here by my friend, Pastor Bob DeWaay.
http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/1160/Bob_DeWaay
In the end, the most accurate statement would probably be:
"I think Grace Church needs to become more like a strip club!
It's time to light the neon sign in the window that says,
"The Strip Club Is Open". After all, we are stripping the Gospel of it's power."
Striving with you to build "true" churches for His glory,
Josh Rittenhouse
http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2008/04/lititz-grace-church-bar-is-open.html