Feel Good Religion
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” Proverbs 23.7
Christianity, today, is suffering from a malady that has overtaken reason and sound doctrine. The modern contemporary philosophy within Christendom has removed many eager believers from having their feet planted firmly on solid ground. The church has devolved into a gathering around entertainment, coffee shops, and even hair salons – all driven by a great desire by the attendees for something to help them feel good about themselves.
The Apostle Paul warned us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (II Timothy 4.3, 4)
Compare, for example, modern worship services with those recorded in the Bible. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, gatherings were for the sake of learning the Scriptures. The meetings had relatively few frills and were saturated with the reading of God’s Word. On one occasion, when the disciples (believers) gathered on Sunday to share a meal, Paul preached so long that a young man, Eutycus, nodded off in sleep and fell from the third story loft – dying in the process. The sermon was delayed long enough for Paul to raise the dead, allowing the young man to eat, then continued until morning. (Acts 20)
Do you remember those old-fashioned, all-night prayer meetings when we gathered to pray for the lost? Do you remember those old-time evangelists who preached for hours rather than minutes? Do you remember attending Sunday School or Bible study when no one prepared coffee or donuts – when the major item of interest was learning God’s Word?
Early in my ministry, the church in which I served invited Dr. J. Harold Smith to come for a week of meetings. On Sunday morning, we combined Sunday School and church so he would have enough time to preach his famous sermon: “God’s Three Deadlines.” The service began normally with some congregational singing, offering, and announcements. He took the pulpit around 10:30 and preached until after 12:30. Some years later, I visited a church in Columbia, South Carolina to hear one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Dolphus Price. He preached for nearly two hours on the crucifixion of Christ. So real was his message that, when he finished, I checked my watch thinking he had only been preaching for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, the modern Christian often attends church in order to get a feel-good experience about themselves or to be entertained. While we all know that happy feelings are fleeting, those seeking these feelings are drawn to the church’s fellowships more for that than for learning the Word. Not convinced? Take away the coffee, donuts and worship leaders and see how many faithfully attend to only hear the preaching.
The word “feel” occurs only seven times in the Bible; however, only twice does it refer to something other than the sense of touch. (Job 20.20; Ecclesiastes 8.5) In those two verses, the Hebrew word is “yada” – a word that indicates “understanding, knowledge, and reason.” The word “thinketh” in our text is unique (sha’ar) – only appearing once in Scripture and indicating “reasoning, calculating or reckoning.”
Modern counseling has drifted along with the modern church from “What are you thinking” to “How are you feeling?” The result is devastating! At times we feel extreme grief; however, at other times we feel abundant elation. If our relationship with our Savior is based upon our feelings, our faith will flutter like a dry leaf in the wind.
The biblical imperative is to think the right thoughts. “Keep {guard, protect} thy heart {inner man, mind, thought process} with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4.23) Thinking the right thoughts protects us from being carried about by various winds of doctrine. (Ephesians 4.14-16)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4.8)
The Apostle Paul warned us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (II Timothy 4.3, 4)
Compare, for example, modern worship services with those recorded in the Bible. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, gatherings were for the sake of learning the Scriptures. The meetings had relatively few frills and were saturated with the reading of God’s Word. On one occasion, when the disciples (believers) gathered on Sunday to share a meal, Paul preached so long that a young man, Eutycus, nodded off in sleep and fell from the third story loft – dying in the process. The sermon was delayed long enough for Paul to raise the dead, allowing the young man to eat, then continued until morning. (Acts 20)
Do you remember those old-fashioned, all-night prayer meetings when we gathered to pray for the lost? Do you remember those old-time evangelists who preached for hours rather than minutes? Do you remember attending Sunday School or Bible study when no one prepared coffee or donuts – when the major item of interest was learning God’s Word?
Early in my ministry, the church in which I served invited Dr. J. Harold Smith to come for a week of meetings. On Sunday morning, we combined Sunday School and church so he would have enough time to preach his famous sermon: “God’s Three Deadlines.” The service began normally with some congregational singing, offering, and announcements. He took the pulpit around 10:30 and preached until after 12:30. Some years later, I visited a church in Columbia, South Carolina to hear one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Dolphus Price. He preached for nearly two hours on the crucifixion of Christ. So real was his message that, when he finished, I checked my watch thinking he had only been preaching for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, the modern Christian often attends church in order to get a feel-good experience about themselves or to be entertained. While we all know that happy feelings are fleeting, those seeking these feelings are drawn to the church’s fellowships more for that than for learning the Word. Not convinced? Take away the coffee, donuts and worship leaders and see how many faithfully attend to only hear the preaching.
The word “feel” occurs only seven times in the Bible; however, only twice does it refer to something other than the sense of touch. (Job 20.20; Ecclesiastes 8.5) In those two verses, the Hebrew word is “yada” – a word that indicates “understanding, knowledge, and reason.” The word “thinketh” in our text is unique (sha’ar) – only appearing once in Scripture and indicating “reasoning, calculating or reckoning.”
Modern counseling has drifted along with the modern church from “What are you thinking” to “How are you feeling?” The result is devastating! At times we feel extreme grief; however, at other times we feel abundant elation. If our relationship with our Savior is based upon our feelings, our faith will flutter like a dry leaf in the wind.
The biblical imperative is to think the right thoughts. “Keep {guard, protect} thy heart {inner man, mind, thought process} with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4.23) Thinking the right thoughts protects us from being carried about by various winds of doctrine. (Ephesians 4.14-16)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4.8)
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