Saturday Links

Links for your weekend reading:

The Most Damaging Attitude in Our Churches

Subtle cynicism, or the overly critical nature of our culture, is a toxin Satan uses against the Church. And it’s all the more damaging because we often don’t even realize it’s happening.

Fighting Against Mission Fatigue

We are susceptible to mission fatigue. The question is, what are we supposed to do about it?

The Reason Your Church Only Reaches Christians

The reason that your church is only reaching Christians could be as simple as this: You don’t know anyone who isn’t already a Christian.

Plant the Church that Is, not the Church to Come

These churches just started the sanctification process.

Don’t expect them to manifest a maturation level as a church that is ten, twenty, or fifty years old.

Four Occasions When You Should Not Respond to a Critic

1. When you have already repeatedly responded.
2. When the critic intends harm.
3. When the critic will not reason.
4. When the criticism becomes an ad hominem attack.

5 Reasons We Should Preach Expositional Messages

1. We preach expositionally because it is the only form of preaching that takes the Word of God as it is written.
2. We preach expositionally because it relies on the profitability of all Scripture.
3. We preach expositionally because it has a high view of preaching.
4. We preach expositionally because it forces us to be hard thinkers.
5. We preach expositionally because it limits itself to the author’s intent for maximum authority.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? Why We Should Choose Church Anyway

Here are three reasons I found for attending (and committing to) a local church and why I think you (and Don) should.

You see, the church is where you experience the love of God, support God’s people, and accomplish God’s mission.

Don Miller and the Culture of Contemporary Worship

So yes, I think Miller needs to be challenged and corrected. But I also think his comments reveal the tragic lack of spiritual formation in many of our churches today. They remind us that many Christians have no meaningful vision for why the church gathers; for why we sing, preach, and pray.

There are lots of great responses to Don Miller’s original post and follow-up post like these by Stephen Altrogge, Denny Burk, David Fitch, Jonathan Leeman, Todd Pruitt, and Derek Rishmawy.