F4F | Ed Young's Circus "Church"

Welcome to another installment of fighting for the faith here on YouTube. So if you've attended or currently attend a church where it's all about the production value about the entertainment because they believe that unless they you know make church relevant for you know pagans you which means you got to entertain them you know and you know so if you've been to that kind of church or attending one go ahead and hit the subscribe button.

You've bought into a false premise by the way. And we'll talk about that in this installment of fighting for the faith. Today we're heading over to Fellowship Church in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex one of the original attractional purpose-driven seeker driven churches.

Ed Young adopted this methodology almost two decades ago maybe more and he was one of the early innovators. And as a result of it he's kind of like one of the you know the lead this the elder statesman now of this whole movement and approach to quote-unquote doing church you know because he's selflessly selflessly making the church relevant for people who hate Jesus.

Yes it's weird anyway. So we're heading over to Fellowship Church and we're gonna be listening to a part of his message titled family circus the greatest show on earth. But before we get into that before we get into that I would like to remind everybody what the Bible says the job of a pastor is yep and no pastor gets to opt out of it.

And the reason I point that out is because well no scripture doesn't say there's exceptions but guys like Ed Young and Rick Warren and Joel Osteen and others they all seem to think that they're special because their vision casting leaders and the vision that God has given them for how to do church has kind of opted them opted them out of actually meaningfully and in-depth preaching and teaching God's Word.

It's weird but here's what Paul writes writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit this is scripture. So God is speaking here. And he says to young pastor Timothy who was a pastor of a congregation in the city of Ephesus at the time of this of this epistle was written by the Apostle Paul and says this I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who's to judge the living and the dead.

And by his appearing in his kingdom to preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming when people will not endorse sound doctrine or teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth.

And they will wander off into myths. So note that job of pastor preach the word. No pastor gets to opt out of this. Well you know why should we preach the word here that would drive away seekers. And we'll talk about that in a little bit.

But back to to Ed Young and his sermon family circus the greatest show on earth. And look at the stage value the production value of the stage there at fellowship. Wow I mean nothing says man you unbelievers you're in control here.

Then turning your church.

Into a circus. Here we go. The first time I ever went to a circus I was six years old. My mother took my brother and I to Greenville Memorial Auditorium. It smelled of stale popcorn we had great seats and we watched Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus.

The greatest show on earth. How many of you have ever seen or ever attended Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus. It truly is an amazing show. Now from there I experienced some other circuses in my life and Lisa and I have been out to Las Vegas several times.

We've seen Cirque de Soleil. You ever seen Cirque de Soleil. Amazing circus. Yeah yeah yeah. Circuses are cool. That's why we're doing this adventure week called the greatest show.

Wow look at this. Don't you look so. Circuses are neat. They're cool man. So that's the reason why Fellowship Church it has been turned into a circus so rather than feeding sheep he's entertaining goats.

Way to go and that's.

Just great these stickers. The greatest show. Did you see the movie the showman anyone see that. That was great that was great. I really like that. I like that too but there's nothing like the circus.

I remember the tightrope artists I remember the contortionists I remember the clowns I remember the elephants I remember the Tigers I remember all sorts of things when I lions and tigers and.

My you know I am. I've seen a couple of circuses in my life and yeah I I have no idea what this has to do with making disciples you know actually preaching the word the way pastors are told by God in his word to do you know it's weird.

First experience the circus. Yeah circus. You know since we're just having a conversation I thought I'd ask you a question. You're just you're just having.

A conversation that's called a monologue by the way because no one's talking to you dude. You should be actually preaching the word. You know sermon time is open the word time. You know you remember how this used to be.

You know when you were growing up and you first got into. You know in the ministry we'd open up the word and preach the word because you know let me remind you of what Jesus says that the church is to be about the business of doing in Matthew 28 that passage that we're all familiar with and it's come to be known as the Great Commission now.

Apparently it's like the Great Omission. Nobody nobody knows what the church is supposed to be doing you know. But Jesus in Matthew 28 18 says. All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me. Jesus is the one who has all the authority.

And so the guy who gets to call the shots here's what he says. The church is supposed to be doing already. Go therefore it's it. Go by the way is not the imperative as you are going it's a participle.

So as you are going therefore make disciples of all nations. Disciples are learners. What are they supposed to be learning. Well Jesus will get to that in a minute. Make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And here we go teaching. So disciples are learners teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And since Jesus is God in human flesh all that he's commanded is gonna be found in like all 66 books of the Bible.

There's a lot of stuff. We got to be covering his pastors you know. So we might want to get busy. You know preaching the word the way Paul said it. You know again he wrote that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

So you know you're just saying. But we come back to Ed and.

He tells us about the circus. Would you describe your life as a circus. No I mean it's just you and me talking. I mean it's just like a one-on-one conversation but.

What would you say. You know actually it's not. It's a total monologue. Why are you saying. It's like a one-on-one conversation if somebody were to actually speak up and answer your question and try to have a dialogue with.

You. I think security at fellowship would throw him out. I my life. That is a circus it's so crazy people would pay tickets to see it. Maybe you're like yeah my life.

Is a circus my family is a circus. Are you just trying to burn time here. I mean every Sunday when I preach I mean before I even hit the pulpit with the people there have already hit. Heard the by the biblical text I'm gonna be preaching from and so when I start preaching literally I remind them of what they heard and we go back through a text and work our way through it.

Are you familiar with this concept. These are the this is the way you preach. What what biblical text are you preaching on. Ed cuz it just seems to me like you're trying to figure out how to pass some time here.

You know you're just kind of chewing the fat I.

Understand that. Yeah there's a ringmaster. And everyone the three rings. I remember again watching Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus the greatest show on earth. The ringmaster. He would have everything synchronized and he would pace everything perfectly.

And ring one and ring two and ring three. Whoa maybe you're involved in a family circus. I mean after all all of us are members of a family. Ring one. You've got the marriage. How's that. How's that working.

I don't know I'm just asking but you're not expecting a real answer to. You've got the family the kids and all that. And ring three. Your career. What you do for a living. I would argue. I mean I'm not an attorney.

But to throw in like one of the favorite words attorneys use I would argue the family is a circus. You.

Spend a lot of time talking to attorneys and one of their favorite phrases is that the family is a circus. I barely don't know that many attorneys.

Some of you are laughing you're like going wow I. I am a tightrope artist. Right now I'm trying to balance life's demands. I'm a single parent. Ed. And you have no idea I don't but I'm just suggesting that maybe you're in a circus.

Others are like no I'm a clown I am a clown. If you saw my life you would just laugh. It's that funny. I'm a contortionist. I'm a trapeze artist. Going from one thing to the next thing. Yet if you saw my schedule for the next couple of weeks we start school these extracurricular activities is.

Unbelievable. My life's a circus. Now a little bit of a note here. Romans chapter 3. The whole premise behind the way Ed Young is doing church. Yeah this is it's known as the seeker driven approach. Or nowadays they've kind of lost the phrase driven.

And they talk about attractional churches about being attractional. But here's the in here's the important thing we've got to understand is that the entire premise behind this approach to doing church the whole the core assumption is totally wrong.

All right. So if I were to ask you why do pagans not to church what would the biblical answer be to this. The answer biblically is because they're pagans. Because they are actually dead in trespasses and sins.

There's not a single pagan who doesn't come to church because that the church sings hymns or has an organ or their pastor wears vestments or anything like that. Nothing like that at all. In fact scriptures very clear on this.

Listen to what it says in Romans chapter 3. So what then are we Jews. Any better off. Paul writing to the church in Rome. He says. Well not at all. For we have already charged that all. That's everybody.

By the way both Jews and Greeks that would be the whole world. They are under sin as it is written. None is righteous. No not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside together.

They have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feasts are swift to shed blood in their paths are ruin and misery. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Yeah. So the whole core assumption behind the secret driven movement that the reason why pagans don't come to church is because they don't.

They don't feel. It's not entertaining and relevant to them. No. The reason they don't come to church is because they're dead and trespasses and sins. And they hate God. That's literally what the scriptures are saying.

So Ed right here he thinks he's you know letting. He's real. He's just letting pagans know how much he cares for them by by basically making the church you know entertaining and relevant so that they can come.

But you'll note what's missing here. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like any meaningful in-depth preaching and teaching on what God's Word says. Yes. I'm a grandparent. And I'm keeping the.

Grandkids and I'm trying to do this starting a business over there my life.

Is is it just me or do you think that pagans would also find this whole thing that he's doing here to be just annoying a circus. That's true isn't it just be.

Honest life is a circus and when you talk about the family it's it's a circus.

And so you've made your church a circus and notice the way you're talking about circus now it's not necessarily positive. You know now you know you're talking about circus like it's something difficult and hard.

And you've made your church into that Jesus all right. First mention of Jesus four minutes 54 seconds into the sermon. But don't worry there's there's no Bible to go along with this.

One I would argue is the ultimate ringmaster. He's our righteous ring.

Master. I know we know in the list of things that Jesus is you know Alpha and Omega King of Kings Lord of Lords Emmanuel which means God with us you know Savior Redeemer you know a friend of sinners. I have yet to see a biblical passage that even remotely refers to Jesus like a ringmaster.

Because you know what a ringmaster is right. He's the master of ceremonies in a big show that's meant to entertain you so calling him our righteous ringmaster doesn't.

Make any sense wants to be and he has an amazing agenda for the family. I'm talking.

About the Son of God I'm talking about so the ringmaster he has an agenda for the so he Jesus wants to be the ringmaster of the chaos that is your.

Family circus you know the Lord. I'm talking about the whole tenor and tone of Scripture God desires for the family. Yeah why don't you spend some time.

Working through the entire tenor and tone of Scripture. You know Sunday after Sunday there at fellowship. Oh I know why you wouldn't do that. Because if you did.

That you drive all the pagans away circus your family circus in mind to hit on all cylinders to be synchronized supernaturally to be paced perfectly Jesus is wired he he is he is the one who needs to hold the microphone to wear the top hat and the red blazer and to to run the show just picturing Jesus in a.

Top hat and a circus red blazer is doing violence to my mind there dude. So he has.

The best in store for every single family here. I love to kind of play mind games with myself and I want you to play a mind game. Have you ever have you ever.

Just kind of thought about mind games are not a good thing. What if your family.

Was just like almost perfect. Let's just play that game. Okay. Just think about your family for a second. Okay. What if it was just this utopic vibe. Everything was hitting on all cylinders and and Jesus was the ringmaster then there.

Would be no sin in the world. What if what is this.

Durin. And act one act two act three. You got the marriage and the kids in the career and God as the audience. Whoa it was perfect. I mean nearly perfect you know. Okay close to being perfect. But let's just think about that.

Have you thought about that before I have. Have you ever thought about to like. What if we lived in a perfect environment. Let me do a kind of sidebar thing. What if we didn't pay any taxes but we made the politicians pay all the taxes that would.

Be like the ultimate wouldn't it. I mean he's not even 60 years old yet and he's kind of rambling in such a way it makes me think maybe it's time for like mandatory retirement and put Ed in an old folks home.

I just what is going on.

Here. What if I could do one push-up and look like the rock the ultimate you know. What if. What if fruit loops like made you ripped. What if every fish was a 10 pound bass. What if every time I play golf I I've heard it every oh it's.

Utopic. He's lost his mind he's lost his marbles what on earth.

Culture. Oh the utopic family this family that's so amazing again we're just.

Playing games. Right right yeah I. I've failed to implement the mind game portion of the sermon. When I preach have you seen the marriage. It's almost.

Perfect. In this family circus you've got husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church. That's what the Bible says what to do and that's what the.

Ringman yeah that is what the Bible says to do. I'd like to learn a little bit.

More about how Jesus loved the church their desires. The husband is loving his wife selflessly and sacrificially and steadfastly. I did that alliteration for all the preachers who were here. See only four or five people laughed.

And that's.

About how many preachers that we have. Yeah I am a preacher and I don't find.

That even remotely funny no one else got that joke. And you know when you're at my age 57 many times I'll do jokes just for one person. I don't really care if you laugh or not but those who understand preaching were on the ground.

That was.

Hilarious too. Yeah. I understand a lot about preaching. Mm-hmm. Do it every week. And I can tell you something that ain't preaching and it's not even entertaining. It's actually kind of creepy and annoying and really weird.

What happened to all the promises we received from men like Rick Warren and Ed Young and others who brought these innovations into evangelicalism. That they would still that they were. They were just changing the method but they were not changing the message.

I don't even hear the message of Christianity anymore from these churches. Not even close. Yeah. But they spend a lot of money though. I mean how much do you think it cost to deck the stage out like that.

Yeah. So there you go. If you found this helpful please share it. Found it awkward. Please share it. That's kind of the point of this video and in you know of course all the information and how you can support us so that we can continue bringing resources like this to you into the world.

All that information is down below in the description of this video. So until next time may God richly bless you in the grace and mercy won by Jesus Christ and his vicarious death on the cross for all of your sins.

Amen.