Nasty Church Growth Practices

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the

Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.�

In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the

Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King. Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry. My name is Michael Lee Haferhorf. That was the funniest junk mail

I ever received, Mike Haferhorf. You know when people call you and solicit things on the phone and they can�t pronounce your name correctly?

It�s, you know, �click.� But if it�s that bad, I say let them keep talking.

I guess we�ll have a little fun during the day, right? Absolutely. You can write me, info at nocompromiseradio .com.

I have no idea how many people listen, but not that many write anymore. So, maybe you�ve all matured to the point where you�ve got your theological acumen buttons down properly.

We don�t have to go any further. That would be a good day. It�d be a good day if there didn�t have to be any more

No Compromise Radio because everybody was not compromising. That�d be good. But then I would compromise, and then

I�d have to do my own show against myself. But Jesus never compromised. That�s why we do the show.

We like to talk about Jesus, and at the cross, neither justice nor grace nor any of His other attributes were compromised, but all on display.

And in light of those first two things, I don�t want to compromise, hence the show. NoCo Radio.

Are you loco for NoCo? We�ll soon find out. Lord willing, I will be at the Shepherd�s Conference.

I don�t know if this show is going to play before the Shepherd�s Conference or not. We�ll have, we�ll like one of those, what�s that thing you have at the deli where you get the number and then you wait in line?

We got one of those things for the booth. You can just take a number and wait in line. Okay, I�ll say something positive.

The person that I�m most impressed with, or maybe, okay, if maybe

I shouldn�t say the most, then that�s going to call other people out. But as I watch other men in ministry and how they deal with folks that they can influence, the one person that I just think, you know what, that guy, he knows what, he�s got that right and I really commend him for this, is

Mark Deber, D -E -B -E -R, and what does Deber do? You know,

Deber�s a big shot, not, hopefully not in his own mind, but he, you know, together for the gospel and influence as many people, nine marks, writes books, trains up other men and is a, you know, keynote speaker when he goes someplace.

When he does go someplace, and I�ve seen him at the Shepherd�s Conference, you know, there are 4 ,000 men there, and he speaks and then instead of, maybe he gets whisked away to a lunch or something like that with the bodyguards that they have there, but then

I see him just out with people, talking with people, asking them about their churches, receiving questions, and when

I see that, I just think, that�s the way it should go. That is the way it should go. Now, I don�t speak as much as Mark Deber does in terms of outside speaking engagements.

My agents really cut back on that. I don�t even get, I don�t even see the requests anymore.

There are so many. They just say, �No.� Kidding. But I know if I go someplace, and I�m the speaker, and I�ve been a keynote speaker at certain places, you know, miniature kind of conferences,

I think I need to talk to people and I need to engage with them. When I have speakers here, and I�ve had speakers at Bethlehem Bible Church, bbcchurch .org,

a lot of them, and we haven�t done any for a while, but we used to do two big ones a year with names that you would know.

And some of those names, very pastoral, asking me questions, what about the church, what can I pray for, what�s going on with your leadership, how are the elders, what�s happening, talking to the other men.

I like that. That�s the way it should be, and I want to do that when I go someplace else. But I�ve also had people here, it�s just another gig to them.

It�s another, seems like to me, another check, another gig. They couldn�t be, and I mean gig like a venue, they couldn�t be bothered, they�ve got to have their list ahead of time of what they can eat and what they can�t eat, and where they can go and what they can�t do, and how many people they can see, and what their hours are, and what their format is for recording things, and who owns the rights to them.

I mean, the list can go on and on and on, really, but I like the ones who come and they want to serve and minister.

I mean, we could talk about what about the preached word at a local congregation, and the sacraments slash ordinances, if you prefer.

And the reason for, if any, big conferences, there�s nothing wrong with a conference.

Let�s say you�re a seminary, you�re putting on a special conference and you�ve got a theme and all the people speak.

Let�s say I bring someone in and he does the sovereign grace of God in the Gospel of John, but I�ve been teaching that for a long time.

Sometimes it�s just, you know, other people come out and they�ll hear it from someone else and they�re saying the same thing.

I understand that, but we�re probably conferenced out in America, and maybe some of it is

I can just watch every conference live stream and you don�t even have to go there. But all that is just my imaginations here at No Compromise Radio, my thinking.

This year, I will be speaking at a pastor�s conference in September in California.

And what else? I think there�s a conference in Philadelphia, I mean

Pennsylvania, that I�ll be at in October. During the summer, I�ll be in Portland for a camp where they have a message in the morning, message at night.

I don�t know, maybe Canada, maybe I go to Canada. Niagara Falls Conference, didn�t that start off as a wild, like,

Darby pre -trib conference, Niagara Falls? Wasn�t that the kind of beginning? Or was it Keswick and then it went to Niagara Falls like 1901 -ish or something, does that sound right?

Darby 1901? I think that could be, it could be. Well, what are we talking about today?

Obviously, a whole lot of nothing. Last time we talked a little bit about Easter postcards and how you can get more people at your church.

I think that should be a practical theology class at seminary. I think I missed that actually. What�s going on here with these volume controls?

I�m thinking about the sympathy and empathy, sympathy and empathy. I�m thinking about sympathy and empathy.

What�s the difference? Empathetic, both have the path in there, empathetic, sympathetic, pathetic, okay,

I thought it and I just said it, pathos, empathetic, sympathetic, in sympathy, in path, sympath with, in sympathy, path in.

What do you do if you wanted to write a sympathy card? I guess that�d be a good question. What would be your strategy?

Do you buy one? Do you write one on your own? Or you can do what I just did for this illustration.

I went to Ankeli Chase, C -H -A -C -E, wrote a little article about sympathy cards and even signing sympathy cards.

I don�t think she just meant sign your name. You know, you buy the sympathy card, sign your name, hand it to somebody.

Don�t do that. I guess it�s better than nothing, but I�m not too sure. She said, �You should know right up front that you won�t find the perfect thing to write.

However, you will find ideas from seasoned Hallmark writers for good, helpful, and hopeful things to write in a sympathy card.�

So they�ve got a way to help you write a sympathy card in case someone that you know might need that.

Now there�s the section here for condolences, and they talk about keeping the message pretty short.

Here are some examples that you could write in your sympathy card for condolences. �I�m sorry for your loss.

I�m going to miss her too. I hope you feel surrounded by much love, sharing in your sadness as you remember

Dan, sending healing prayers and comforting hugs. With deepest sympathy as you remember

Robert. I was saddened to hear that your grandfather passed away. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Remembering your wonderful mother and wishing you comfort. It was truly a pleasure working with your father for 17 years.

He will be deeply missed. Thinking of you all as you celebrate your grandmother�s remarkable life.

Thinking of you and wishing you moments of peace and comfort as you remember a friend who is close to you.

Holding you close in my thoughts and hoping you�re doing okay.�

Then it tells you how not to write a sympathy card. Still on homework. We�re thinking about sympathy and empathy, all leading up to a biblical principle.

�Biblical principle.� Ever talk with marbles in your mouth? Here�s what you should not say.

A few thoughts and phrases to avoid. Hashtag avoid.

I know how you feel. She was so young.

What a terrible loss. You should. You will.

Kind of a prediction about how grief will go. This happened for a reason. And homework says don�t do that.

So then they say, and this is surprisingly good, to offer help in the card, to express your assistance.

I know I can�t make your pain go away, but I want you to know I�m here with a shoulder or an ear or anything else you need.

Thinking of your family with love and wanting to help out in any way I can, I�ll call to see when would be a good night to bring over a meal.

You�ve got so much on your mind and on your heart right now. We hope it will make one less worry to know that Kevin and I will be taking care of the yard for as long as you need.

I know this must be a very difficult and demanding time for you all. We�re keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

If there�s anything we can do from walking Max to picking up your dry cleaning, please let us know. Now why did

I say those were surprisingly good? And the answer is this.

To sympathize with someone means that you not just feel their pain and not try to just understand what they�re feeling, that would be more empathy, is that you are so compassionate and maybe so empathetic that you then will help.

It�s the idea of helping, compassionate to the point of reaching out with assistance.

Listen to Hebrews 4 .15, �For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin.�

Jesus sympathizes. Not just, �I know how you feel ,� and think big picture here with the incarnation, but He sympathizes, which means

He helps. That�s the idea. And of course, Hebrews 4 .16

lends itself to that very idea, �Let us then therefore with confidence� or �Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.�

Help found in Jesus. Hebrews, this book, it starts off with the veritable bang that Jesus is appointed heir of all things, and He creates the world, and He�s the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God�s nature, and Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He makes purification for sins and sets down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

This God -man is sympathetic, not just empathetic, but sympathetic.

And this writer wants the readers, the audience and the readers, both in that day and in our day and in your day, to realize that they need to have a clear focus on who

Jesus is so that they walk by faith and not by sight. You need not simply a high priest.

You do not simply need an empathetic high priest. You need a high priest who is sympathetic, compassionate to the point of help.

That's what you need, and that's who Jesus is, giving help to those who need it, grace and mercy.

What's been going on in the book of Hebrews? Well, chapter 4, verses 11, 12, and 13 talk about striving to enter the rest, that is, belief and trust in Jesus�s work so that you don't work anymore, or else if you don't do that, you might fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Unbelief will lead to tragic results, and this is patently clear when you consider the next two verses, popular verses as we've talked about on the show, very often misunderstood contextually.

The Word of God talked about in verse 12, and then God talked about in verse 13, will scrutinize, will be like a polygraph that you cannot pass.

It will find you guilty, for the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two -edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Everything that you've done will be exposed. Your other option, trust in Christ.

All those sins forgiven, all those sins covered, all those sins not seen anymore because God is faithful to His promises, and then

He's also given you Christ Jesus' perfect righteousness by imputation. Verse 13, and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

God sees everything. You can't hide. You can't hide under a lead type of structure to prevent the x -rays from coming through.

Why? Because God is sovereign over all these things, and He's omniscient, and here it says that everything's laid open.

You're naked before the discerning gaze of God, and you're also, in addition, laid bare.

Your neck is open as you are like a sacrifice, a sacrificial animal.

Second Chronicles 6, you know, for you alone know the hearts of the sons of men.

Job 34, for His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all the steps.

There's no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. Psalm 7, oh, let the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, for the righteous

God tries the hearts and mind. Verse 4 of Psalm 11, the

Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

And there will be a day of reckoning for those who won't trust in Christ, and you will give an account, and your destiny is one heartbeat closer than it was a second ago.

There'll be no defense there, there'll be no hung juries or anything else. King James renders this,

Him with whom we have to do. One of the

Bible translations, first edition, it's no longer out anymore, but it's translated this way, this is the

God to whom we must explain all that we have done. Can you imagine that?

Explaining everything you've done. And we'll even see the things that we didn't have good motives.

I mean, that's gonna wreck everything. Without faith it's impossible to please

God. See, I'm not even doing it for the right reasons. Psalm 44, 21, would not

God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

I mean, for God to know the heart, here you can tell this is not just emotion. This is the mind, like a mission control center for the heart, the love, the lave.

And here He doesn't just know the heart, He knows the secrets of the heart. Jeremiah 17, 9, we quote all the time.

But start adding verse 10, would you? The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.

Who can understand it? Let's keep reading. I, the Lord, search the heart.

I test the mind even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.

Later in Jeremiah, chapter 23, can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him, declares the

Lord? Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? If you have any sin that's uncovered, any sin that's unforgiven, any sin that hasn't been credited to the work of Christ and He bore it on the cross at Calvary, you don't want to go into God's presence.

You can't just saunter in. You need a priest. You need an advocate. You need someone to take you.

You need someone who can be a priest.

Then it says in verse 14, since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the

Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. That's what we're after. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time.

So the writer, I almost said Paul, maybe it is Paul, I doubt it, but let us hold fast Let us then with confidence draw near.

That's what's going on here. These are the exhortations. Instead of, you know what,

I'm going to have the Word examine me, then come to Christ. And if you have come to Christ, keep believing, right?

Persevere in your faith. And He gives these admonitions. He gives these entreaties tied back to the idea, don't forget, there are tough times, difficult times.

So keep believing. Don't say to yourself, things are so bad, how could God still love me? And we said, hold fast the confession.

And of course, that's obviously the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Okay. It's the

Westminster Confession of Faith. It's the Savoy Confession. It's the Heidelberg Catechism.

It's the... What am

I...I'm thinking...Belgic. That's what I was after? Come on. How can that be?

Belgic Confession. It's the Canons of Dort, Senate of Dort, right?

That's what it is. Confession is homologeo, the same thing. Homologia, same word.

It's the same word. We all have the same word. The Greek is not, let us hold fast our confession. It's let us hold fast the confession.

And that's, of course, what the writer's been talking about in chapter 1, how he's a son.

This is the high priestly Christ. This is the Christology that we have proclaimed and that you've been taught and I've been talking about in chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 up to this point.

Hold on to it. Commit to it. Bear down on it. The hold tight in English comes from a

Dutch word that means to grip the ship's rigging.

It's a nautical term, how we got our English word. And it is to hold fast.

And the Greek has...it's the idea that it's similar, to attach or fasten or unite or cement, to rivet.

There's all kinds of words like that, to glue. I looked up glue the other day.

What's the strongest glue in the world? And you need to know what you're gluing to properly answer the question because some glues are better than other glues for certain things.

Most of us think superglue, right? They think, you know, okay, it's superglue and that is a strong glue.

Did you know the main ingredient in superglue is cyanoacrylate, C5H5NO2.

And it's got this resin that cures pretty fast. And since the air has water in it, humidity, this glue, superglue, it bonds and is triggered by hydroxyl ions.

Those are the things in water. And that's why if you put it on your finger, it sticks. That's one of my all -time pet peeves is superglue on the finger.

And the second it touches that, you know, with all the cracks and crevices in your finger, it just zooms in there.

If you get Elmer's glue, it bonds by solvent evaporation. There's a lot of water in Elmer's glue.

And then when that evaporates, it gives you the bond. Either way, when you think about glue, you should think about holding fast and sticking.

That's the idea. Hold fast to confession. And what the writer has been doing is the entire time he says, take heed lest there be an evil heart of unbelief in you in departing from the living

God. He'll go on to say in chapter 6, if you've been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and turned your back, you cannot renew yourself to repentance again.

He's going to say the same thing in Hebrews chapter 10. Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

So trust, so hold the line, so hold fast. That's the idea. Because there's a priest that not only feels for you, he feels to the point of help, compassion to the point of help.

And that's real sympathy. We're going to talk about sympathy more next time on No Compromise Radio.

This is Mike Abendroth, info at nocompromiseradio .com. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of God's Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston.

You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.