Christianity Fads

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:I wanted to share something I believe the Lord put on my heart today. I believe it is a thought or a question that the Holy Spirit presented to me. I would welcome any comments concerning this.Maybe someone has a different perspective. I am just sharing my heart with my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.I was outside today doing some things around the house and a thought came to me. The Lord brought the word "fad" to my mind. When I think of fads I usually think about the world and all the different fads that come and go. Then the Lord impressed on my heart all the fads in the church.There have been so many fads over the last couple of years in much of professing church. My wife and I were talking about this and we just started naming them. So many came to mind.- Left Behind series- Prayer of Jabez book and then more books- Purpose Driven Life- Purpose Driven Church- Passion MovieThat is just a short list, I'm sure we could come up with many more. My point of this is not to be critical or even add to the list but to stir our hearts. Why is the church so much like the world? Why are we so quick to embrace the latest craze and fad that hits the church and the local Religious Book Store? Why can't we just embrace and love the Lord our God and His word? Why can't men just preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified? I for one am not one to jump on the latest bandwagon but I am tired of the fads that keep capturing the hearts of Christians.My prayer is that God would help all of us to just love the simplicity of loving and serving Jesus Christ the Son of God. The simplicity of the faith. In last days many will fall away from the faith. Is it fads that many are falling away to?Lord please keep us from the fads, in Jesus name!Sincerely in Christ,Mike

Praise God, those are good insights.yes, the church is so much like the world, the worldly people invaded the church, finding Christians at church in the bible belt is looking for a needle in a haystack.You're right, so often people's attention span is so short and it's exciting to be trendy (for some). Just give me Jesus! I love the Lord! He's all I need!!! Nothing in this evil world is worth distracting me away from the truth- the bible.

Thank you for your post. I had not thought of that in that light before. I do agree there are a lot of fads and it is sometimes very, well, Im not sure of the word, but it it does bother my heart to always be hearing "Oh this book and that movie and this slogan," or whatever. Yes let's just love Jesus and let Him change us by the power of His word and His presence. He's all we need and ever have needed.Sometimes when things come out and you hear about them you just have to pray. Pray that God will be glorified through it all. I for one feel strongly that the movie The Passion of the Christ is not a fad however. Ive heard so many wonderful testimonies from it and my heart is glad. Yet I do see the point you are making and it is a very valid one.

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.It was good enough for Paul, it's good enough for me.

great post this! it really is sad just how much is spent on all these things when it could be used in mission work or even to fund hard pressed pastors in struggling church plants, What always jars on my nerves is when I hear a "christian" say O this book /cd/movie really changed my life or really opened up my past hurts etc. I think most of it stems from wanting to hear Jesus speak but not really knowing how or not being prepared to pay the price of getting into deep fellowship with Him. The Prayer of Jabesh has been reduced to a level of superstition by that book, chant this so many times each day and see what happens. Pastors and teachers need to begin speaking up on the pulpit and telling folk the folly of these fads.

I remember when the Prayer of Jabez came out and every body was 'doing it". There were bible studies on it and meetings about it. It was the mantra of many churches and many inntercessory prayer groups.At the time that the Lord gave me discernment about it and about the damage it might cause- I tried to tell other people and you would think that i had just threatened their whole belief system. They were angry and offended.My Dad was in a group of men who met once a week and they were all doing it. They had so many testimonies about what god was doing for them because of the prayer. I suggested to my Dad what I believed the Lord was showing me and he promptly replied 'how can all these people be wrong about it- and you are the only one who is right?"I wanted to crawl into the nearest ditch and die. Who was I? Who was I, this small girl who was a nobody, not any religious important person- saying that this book a "false doctrine" of sorts. Not that Jabez himself was wrong in any way- I mean the way people used it- and used God.So it goes on with other things- the Purpose Driven life, Wild At Heart, etc.... all the latest things that come out. If it's on the best seller list- I stay far away from it. Why isn't the "Surrender" book popular? hmmmmm.Satisfied in Him, Chanin