THE CULT OF SELF

Men shall be lovers of their own selves… —2 Timothy 3:2

There is a “cult” that is growing amongst many churches today. It is a cult that humanizes God… deifies man… and minimizes sin. Its favorite doctrine is the doctrine of self-esteem. These churches cater to a generation of self-absorbed individuals who demand, “What can your church do for ME?” They believe church should be all about them. You see it in church ads: “Come to our church. We will give you the “red carpet” treatment when you arrive. Your comfort will be our #1 priority. Our sermons are designed not to upset you or make you feel uncomfortable. We want you to know how important you are. You are reason we exist.”

While guests should be welcomed at church, we must remember we gather to worship, and all is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down. Consider following church ad: “Come to Bible Baptist Church. We cannot promise you’ll always be comfortable. We cannot promise you that you will never feel uneasy because our pastor preaches the whole counsel of God. Therefore, he may preach about sin, or judgment, or even hell. We cannot promise that you will never be ‘put on the spot,’ because we offer an invitation to urge people to get right with God and commit themselves to God. We cannot guarantee that you will always leave feeling good about yourself, because we don’t want you to feel good when you live in defiance against the will of God. We do however promise when you visit us, you will hear the truth of God direct from the Word of God. We promise you when you visit, we will love you, and welcome you… but we will not worship you. We worship God alone, therefore our services will be about Him, and not about you. We welcome you to join us in worshipping and learning more about God.”

Do you want a church that revolves around you… or revolves around God?