It is very likely that you have heard the term emerging or emergent church. However, you may not know what that means. Emerging churches value feelings and emotions over truth. The problem with this value system is the Bible teaches that truth is more important than feelings and emotions.
Watch the video to learn more or scroll down to read the transcript.
Transcript:
It is very likely that you have heard the term emerging or emergent church. However, you may not know what that means. Here is a sentence from gotquestions.org that explains what the emerging Church is all about.
The emerging / emergent church movement falls into line with basic post-modernist thinking—it is about experience over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, spirituality over religion, images over words, outward over inward, feelings over truth.
Emerging churches value feelings and emotions over truth. Unfortunately, it’s not just churches that identify as emerging or emergent who are falling into this mindset. Many churches who would not consider themselves to be emerging or emergent have also fallen into this way of thinking. Furthermore, many churches that have long been considered to be gospel-preaching churches have adopted the mentality that emotions are more important than truth.
The problem with this value system is the Bible teaches that truth is more important than feelings and emotions. 2 Thessalonians actually gives us a couple clear warnings about what will happen to people who fail to value truth. Let’s look at some verses throughout the New Testament that talk about truth, then I’ll go to 2 Thessalonians to learn what warnings Paul gave us about ignoring truth.
Let’s start in John chapter four, verse 23. Jesus said the following.
John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Clearly, Jesus taught that in order to worship, one has to worship in truth. Truth is vital.
Let’s go to John 8:31.
John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Jesus did not say emotions will make you free. He did not say feelings will make you free. He said truth will make you free.
Let’s go to John 14:6.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Jesus did not say, “I am feelings.” Jesus did not say, “I am emotions.” Jesus said, “I am the truth.” Truth is important.
In John chapter 17, we see a prayer of Jesus. Jesus prayed to the Father.
John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
Jesus did not ask the Father to sanctify us in feelings or emotions. He did not say the Father’s word is feelings or emotions. He said the Father’s word is truth. Jesus asked the Father to sanctify Christians in truth.
We also see the importance of truth in the book of Romans, chapter one. Let’s read verse 18.
Rom. 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
And now let’s read verses 24-25.
Rom. 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Romans contains a warning against those who suppress the truth and who exchange the truth of God for a lie. Again, we see that truth is important.
As I said earlier, 2 Thessalonians chapter two talks about truth and the importance of truth by giving us a warning about what happens if we don’t love and pursue truth. Let’s read from chapter two. The verses we want to look at are verses 10 and 12, but I’ll start reading at verse one for some context.
2Th. 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
In verse 9 Paul wrote about one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan. In verse 10 Paul wrote that this coming will be in accord with deception for those who perish. The reason people will perish is because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. There’s a warning here that if someone doesn’t receive the love of the truth, then that person is not going to be saved. If that person is not saved, then he is going to perish. This teaches us that truth is very important.
Now look at what Paul wrote in verse 11.
2Th. 2:11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
Do you want to receive a deluding influence from God? Do you want to be deluded? Paul went on to write that if you receive this deluding influence, then you’re going to believe what is false. Do you want to believe what is false?
Look at verse 12.
2Th. 2:12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
Those who do not believe the truth are going to be judged.
We see throughout all these verses that truth is very important. Salvation is based on truth. God’s Word is truth. Jesus is truth.
In 2 Thessalonians we see specifically that we need to love the truth. We have to believe the truth. If we don’t, there are consequences.
The description of the emerging church from gotquestions.org says the emerging or emergent church movement is about experience over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, and feelings over truth. These ideas are all wrong. That’s the opposite of what we should believe. Reason is more important than experience. Objectivity is more important than subjectivity. Truth is more important than feelings and emotions.
As we look to the future and ponder what we want our churches to be, and how we’re going to go about being a positive influence on the world, we have to value truth over feelings. We have to desire truth more than feelings and emotions. Feelings and emotion will lead us astray. Truth will not lead us astray.
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