[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fget-serious":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fget-serious-surround":71},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":16,"columnName":54,"date":55,"description":22,"extension":56,"image":57,"meta":58,"minRead":59,"navigation":60,"path":61,"postType":62,"publication":63,"publicationUrl":57,"seo":64,"stem":65,"topics":66,"__hash__":70},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fget-serious.md","Get Serious",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13,14,15],"2 Timothy","Titus","Hebrews","Acts","1 Corinthians","Luke","John",{"type":17,"value":18,"toc":50},"minimark",[19,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47],[20,21,22],"p",{},"In most communities this weekend, more than half of the population won't go to church. Many of our neighbors have decided church isn't worth their time. But why? And how can we reach them?",[20,24,25],{},"Let's be honest. Most who stay away from church won't be attracted by silly programs and church-growth gimmicks, but they will pay attention if we wrestle with their questions, care about their hurts, and help them connect with God. Why should they give up an hour or two on Sunday to go through the motions? Why should they sing lyrics they don't understand, endure boring announcements that pertain only to the faithful few, and listen to poorly prepared messages that have nothing to do with their lives? Why should they take God seriously if we don't?",[20,27,28],{},"The world needs the church at its biblical best.",[20,30,31],{},"Acts chapter 5 says, \"Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events\" (v. 11). This took place right after the Ananias and Sapphira incident, so it's no surprise everyone was filled with fear. (I don't mean to criticize the way the Lord handled this, but when he strikes two givers dead during the offering, that's not very seeker-sensitive!)",[20,33,34],{},"Then Luke records, \"No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people\" (v. 13). The power of God was so evident in this church that many were scared to join! Can you imagine a preacher offering an invitation at the end of the worship service by saying, \"Do you dare to join us?\" The next verse says, \"Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number\" (v. 14). The church grew rapidly despite the fact that becoming a follower of Christ meant denying oneself and taking up a cross—even though joining this band of believers was frighteningly serious business.",[20,36,37],{},"The Most Important Seeker",[20,39,40],{},"I understand the need to be seeker-sensitive. God \"rewards those who earnestly seek him\" (Hebrews 11:6). But I believe we underestimate the spiritual capacity of earnest seekers. They aren't looking for entertainment; they're looking for God. They aren't looking for another club to join, but they are hungry for genuine friendship. They aren't interested in increasing our attendance counts, but they want to know that they count to the Lord and to us. They don't have time to waste on bewildering religious customs, but they are drawn to the mystery and wonder of encountering God. They're curious about the Bible, concerned about their families, anxious about our troubled world, interested in the power of prayer. We need to take them seriously.",[20,42,43],{},"And we need to take God seriously. Serious seekers aren't attracted to a church that has \"a form of godliness\" but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5), where people \"claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him\" (Titus 1:16). All who attend our church services deserve to hear thoughtful sermons that challenge the mind and touch the heart, balancing biblical depth with practical application. They deserve to find sincere, authentic community instead of Christians \"playing church.\" They need to see a church where everyone is \"filled with awe\" (Acts 2:43)—where God's Word is proclaimed so plainly that even if \"an unbeliever or someone who does not understand\" comes in \"he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'\" (1 Corinthians 14:24, 25).",[20,45,46],{},"Jesus \"came to seek and to save what was lost\" (Luke 19:10). He said \"the Father seeks\" people who will worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). The Lord himself is the most important seeker who will attend your church this week.",[20,48,49],{},"When we seek lost people as he did, we will find them. When we love like the Good Samaritan, preach like Paul, and encourage like Barnabas, the Most Important Seeker will be pleased. And our neighbors will find it hard to stay away.",{"title":51,"searchDepth":52,"depth":52,"links":53},"",2,[],"Another Look","2004-01-11","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fget-serious","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":22},"articles\u002Fget-serious",[67,68,69],"Church Leadership","Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","hD3f5mqsHqSt1c4VR6u_fg4ccocvkTPRyaueSEPrfBQ",[72,77],{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75,"description":76,"children":-1},"Get ready for the Zeroes","\u002Farticles\u002Fget-ready-for-the-zeroes","articles\u002Fget-ready-for-the-zeroes","Before you know it, one small step for our calendars will mean one giant leap for mankind. Three short years from now, it will be the year 2000.",{"title":78,"path":79,"stem":80,"description":81,"children":-1},"Getting to Know the Unknown God","\u002Farticles\u002Fgetting-to-know-the-unknown-god","articles\u002Fgetting-to-know-the-unknown-god","Ancient Athens was a center of classic art and philosophy, but by the first century its people were bored, skeptical, and confused. Infatuated with fads, they “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21)."]