Will Your Church Send You to Hell

I was sitting at a big church last year that was so crowded. People were crawling over each other's backs just to get in there. They had a million-dollar sound system and strobe lights in the sanctuary.

They had big screen monitors on the sides of the stage so you could watch the proceedings. During the worship time, they played an Aerosmith song. The pastor made crude jokes that were embarrassing as he began his message, which mentioned God from time to time, but which was void of any spiritual life.

I looked around, and the people beside me seemed to be having a good time and enjoying themselves, and I thought this is a good representation of the apostate church in America today that is hell-bent on giving you a good time, so you will come again next Sunday, bring a friend with you, so the whole bunch can go on to hell together. I have a burning question for you today, friend. Will your church send you to hell? My Bible declares in Amos 6.1, Woe to them that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria.

I believe, friends, this sums up the American church that slumbers on pills of conformity and compromise and is a self-reliant church, and I believe this generation of church folk that comprises the membership of most of the American church today is more ignorant of their Bibles than any preceding generation since the dark ages. Your typical baptized church member couldn't explain the way of salvation if they tried. All they can do is quote John 3.16 and tell you you need to accept Jesus so you can go to heaven too.

They can't tell you what regeneration is or what repentance means or what sanctification is because they don't understand a thing that they have not experienced themselves. Nobody reads their Bible anymore. They'd much rather be watching TV or be at a ball game or enjoying their sports and entertainments, and I'm talking about most pastors as well.

Many men in ministry today don't know their Bibles because they don't know their God. The prophet Amos speaks of a desperate time in the land as seen in chapter 8 and verses 11 through 12. I believe that's the day we're living in, friend.

Most folks don't notice or even seem to care. There is a minority who do hunger after righteousness and hunger after solid biblical preaching, but they can't find it in their town. I hear from folks all over the country all the time that have pretty much given up on finding a Bible-believing church in their community that preaches the unvarnished gospel of the Son of God.

There's so much mixture of the bad with the good that the whole thing is tainted. Smart pastors know how to grow a church by giving people what they want. If they want rock music, so be it.

If they want to hear crude humor, then give it to them. If they want to be entertained, then stand on your head and entertain them so long as they will come back again next week for more of the same. Will your church send you to hell? The odds are in their favor.