WEBVTT 00:00:05.154 --> 00:00:07.785 This is a good one to end with. 00:00:07.785 --> 00:00:09.826 James just sent me this one today. 00:00:09.826 --> 00:00:11.265 "What's the Bible say 00:00:11.265 --> 00:00:14.073 about all the new theme churches? 00:00:14.073 --> 00:00:18.825 Cowboy and biker?" 00:00:18.825 --> 00:00:23.374 The answer? Nothing. 00:00:23.374 --> 00:00:25.596 It says nothing about biker churches. 00:00:25.596 --> 00:00:30.426 It says nothing about cowboy churches. 00:00:30.426 --> 00:00:36.125 Now, yes, nothing specifically, 00:00:36.125 --> 00:00:38.973 but let's just think a little bit. 00:00:38.973 --> 00:00:41.695 One thing that does strike me 00:00:41.695 --> 00:00:44.974 from Scripture is this: 00:00:44.974 --> 00:00:50.144 The Bible never, never, never 00:00:50.144 --> 00:00:55.112 indicates that we should have 00:00:55.112 --> 00:01:02.404 more than one kind of local church, 00:01:02.404 --> 00:01:06.623 except for geographical reasons. 00:01:06.623 --> 00:01:08.544 You hear what I'm saying? 00:01:08.544 --> 00:01:11.123 There's nothing in Scripture - 00:01:11.123 --> 00:01:14.905 by the way, this doesn't just come down 00:01:14.905 --> 00:01:19.765 to cowboys and bikers. 00:01:19.765 --> 00:01:24.274 This comes down to denominations as a whole. 00:01:24.274 --> 00:01:28.723 The Bible gives us no platform 00:01:28.723 --> 00:01:31.224 for Methodist churches and Lutheran churches 00:01:31.224 --> 00:01:36.613 and Baptist churches, and etc. 00:01:36.613 --> 00:01:43.745 The only reason for different local churches 00:01:43.745 --> 00:01:48.254 is exactly that - locality. 00:01:48.254 --> 00:01:53.204 Geography. 00:01:53.204 --> 00:01:55.095 And that's interesting, 00:01:55.095 --> 00:01:57.334 because think with me here. 00:01:57.334 --> 00:01:58.755 You had some churches 00:01:58.755 --> 00:02:04.584 that had Jew and Gentile issues. 00:02:04.584 --> 00:02:08.074 What would be an example of that? 00:02:08.074 --> 00:02:09.556 (from the room): Galatians. 00:02:09.556 --> 00:02:11.945 Tim: Galatians had the Judaizers come in - 00:02:11.945 --> 00:02:13.796 very possibly. 00:02:13.796 --> 00:02:15.194 The Roman letter, 00:02:15.194 --> 00:02:17.854 he's very specifically speaking 00:02:17.854 --> 00:02:21.585 to Jew and to Gentile in different portions of it. 00:02:21.585 --> 00:02:23.054 But you know what's never said 00:02:23.054 --> 00:02:25.314 to any of those churches? 00:02:25.314 --> 00:02:26.515 You ought to divide up 00:02:26.515 --> 00:02:29.005 and have a Jewish church and a Gentile church. 00:02:29.005 --> 00:02:30.637 Let me tell you something else. 00:02:30.637 --> 00:02:32.244 The Corinthians were never told 00:02:32.244 --> 00:02:34.326 to divide up and have a rich church 00:02:34.326 --> 00:02:36.746 and a poor church. 00:02:36.746 --> 00:02:39.186 Do you know what else? 00:02:39.186 --> 00:02:42.355 Even in the book of Revelation, 00:02:42.355 --> 00:02:44.704 when you had five of the seven 00:02:44.704 --> 00:02:46.234 that are unhealthy, 00:02:46.234 --> 00:02:48.792 Jesus never told the people 00:02:48.792 --> 00:02:51.403 inside those churches 00:02:51.403 --> 00:02:53.815 to basically pack up and go start a new one 00:02:53.815 --> 00:02:57.474 or pack up and move to wherever. 00:02:57.474 --> 00:02:59.406 I find that very interesting. 00:02:59.406 --> 00:03:00.924 Very interesting. 00:03:00.924 --> 00:03:02.515 Now I know things have played out 00:03:02.515 --> 00:03:04.614 the way they've played out. 00:03:04.614 --> 00:03:06.435 I know we have different denominations 00:03:06.435 --> 00:03:09.223 because we have different ways of interpreting Scripture. 00:03:09.223 --> 00:03:10.824 And I know it would be very hard 00:03:10.824 --> 00:03:13.815 for Baptists to church plant or whatever 00:03:13.815 --> 00:03:16.994 if you've got a Presbyterian over here. 00:03:16.994 --> 00:03:19.075 I recognize there may be issues 00:03:19.075 --> 00:03:21.164 that they would not be able to get past. 00:03:21.164 --> 00:03:22.833 I recognize that there needs to be 00:03:22.833 --> 00:03:25.076 a fight for doctrinal purity, 00:03:25.076 --> 00:03:26.754 and if we have to move away 00:03:26.754 --> 00:03:31.444 from something where that purity does not exist, 00:03:31.444 --> 00:03:32.546 I recognize that. 00:03:32.546 --> 00:03:35.064 But what you need to recognize is this: 00:03:35.064 --> 00:03:37.044 Jesus calls for unity. 00:03:37.044 --> 00:03:39.725 He prays for unity. 00:03:39.725 --> 00:03:44.254 And there is not a single example in Scripture 00:03:44.254 --> 00:03:48.924 where you had in one locale 00:03:48.924 --> 00:03:53.207 two different churches functioning side by side. 00:03:53.207 --> 00:03:54.554 Now somebody might say, 00:03:54.554 --> 00:03:56.725 well, didn't they have lots of churches 00:03:56.725 --> 00:03:58.855 that met in houses? 00:03:58.855 --> 00:04:01.043 Wasn't there a lot of that going on? 00:04:01.043 --> 00:04:02.334 Okay, there may have been. 00:04:02.334 --> 00:04:04.155 But nowhere are we called 00:04:04.155 --> 00:04:11.546 to basically divide these things up. 00:04:11.546 --> 00:04:13.625 The thing that comes to my mind 00:04:13.625 --> 00:04:16.824 was what Paul said concerning Corinth 00:04:16.824 --> 00:04:19.226 when you had some people following this guy 00:04:19.226 --> 00:04:21.702 and some people following this guy. 00:04:21.702 --> 00:04:23.154 And he said this: 00:04:23.154 --> 00:04:27.083 Is Christ divided? 00:04:27.083 --> 00:04:29.214 That's the question we need to ask. 00:04:29.214 --> 00:04:33.954 Is Christ divided? 00:04:33.954 --> 00:04:37.994 And we could say, okay, what's wrong 00:04:37.994 --> 00:04:41.855 with a cowboy wanting to start 00:04:41.855 --> 00:04:43.903 a cowboy church? 00:04:43.903 --> 00:04:45.856 Is there really anything wrong with it? 00:04:45.856 --> 00:04:48.234 I mean, come on, they're all going to wear their cowboy hats, 00:04:48.234 --> 00:04:50.125 and they're going to wear their boots, 00:04:50.125 --> 00:04:55.525 and they're going to sing country-western gospel. 00:04:55.525 --> 00:04:59.245 Is there really anything wrong with that? 00:04:59.245 --> 00:05:02.805 Or who cares if somebody wants to start a biker church? 00:05:02.805 --> 00:05:09.314 I mean, don't bikers need to be saved? 00:05:09.314 --> 00:05:12.205 And somebody might even quote: 00:05:12.205 --> 00:05:14.946 We need to become all things to all people. 00:05:14.946 --> 00:05:18.633 Right? 00:05:18.633 --> 00:05:22.305 What I find interesting about that text 00:05:22.305 --> 00:05:24.595 is Paul says to those who are under the law, 00:05:24.595 --> 00:05:26.095 I became as one under the law. 00:05:26.095 --> 00:05:27.835 To those that are not under the law, 00:05:27.835 --> 00:05:29.915 I became as one not under the law. 00:05:29.915 --> 00:05:32.704 (incomplete thought) 00:05:32.704 --> 00:05:34.284 But you know what's interesting? 00:05:34.284 --> 00:05:36.165 He's speaking to the Corinthian church 00:05:36.165 --> 00:05:38.124 and he didn't say, therefore Corinthians, 00:05:38.124 --> 00:05:40.564 divide up. 00:05:40.564 --> 00:05:42.325 He didn't say that. 00:05:42.325 --> 00:05:44.084 Somebody might say Hudson Taylor - 00:05:44.084 --> 00:05:45.885 Hudson Taylor grew his hair long 00:05:45.885 --> 00:05:49.093 and he dressed like the Chinese to win the Chinese. 00:05:49.093 --> 00:05:50.834 So if I want to win bikers, 00:05:50.834 --> 00:05:52.884 I better get me a Harley. 00:05:52.884 --> 00:05:57.504 Right? 00:05:57.504 --> 00:06:01.034 Look, I would say this. 00:06:01.034 --> 00:06:08.976 That if I was formerly a Harley rider 00:06:08.976 --> 00:06:11.394 and God saved me, 00:06:11.394 --> 00:06:14.544 might I have a special place in my heart 00:06:14.544 --> 00:06:16.083 for those guys? 00:06:16.083 --> 00:06:18.784 Yeah, I might. 00:06:18.784 --> 00:06:23.005 Could I maybe feel a bit more comfortable among them? 00:06:23.005 --> 00:06:28.894 Yeah, I might. 00:06:28.894 --> 00:06:33.365 One thing I would just say is this: 00:06:33.365 --> 00:06:35.304 We don't want to get to the place 00:06:35.304 --> 00:06:38.635 where we wouldn't evangelize somebody 00:06:38.635 --> 00:06:42.424 because they're not a biker. 00:06:42.424 --> 00:06:45.213 And would we want to get to the place 00:06:45.213 --> 00:06:47.101 where if we started a biker church 00:06:47.101 --> 00:06:50.464 and somebody came in that didn't have a bike, 00:06:50.464 --> 00:06:53.404 that we're going to look down on them? 00:06:53.404 --> 00:06:55.904 You see, the thing that makes me uncomfortable 00:06:55.904 --> 00:06:59.144 about cowboy churches and biker churches 00:06:59.144 --> 00:07:05.824 is I think one of the dangers is idolatry. 00:07:05.824 --> 00:07:10.194 Look, you don't want 00:07:10.194 --> 00:07:13.915 your desire to have a Harley 00:07:13.915 --> 00:07:17.705 or your desire to have cowboy boots 00:07:17.705 --> 00:07:21.473 to somehow trump your willingness 00:07:21.473 --> 00:07:27.024 to love all Christians no matter what stripe they may be of. 00:07:27.024 --> 00:07:29.144 (incomplete thought) 00:07:29.144 --> 00:07:31.004 Look, the very same thing 00:07:31.004 --> 00:07:33.315 that causes me to cringe when I hear 00:07:33.315 --> 00:07:35.373 there's black churches and white churches, 00:07:35.373 --> 00:07:37.585 or I hear there's an Indian church 00:07:37.585 --> 00:07:38.672 over in Houston. 00:07:38.672 --> 00:07:40.315 We had people visit us one time 00:07:40.315 --> 00:07:41.794 when we were at Fatty's 00:07:41.794 --> 00:07:45.182 and they said they heard about us on I'll Be Honest 00:07:45.182 --> 00:07:46.353 and they came over here. 00:07:46.353 --> 00:07:48.075 I think they may have come over here 00:07:48.075 --> 00:07:49.074 maybe for business, 00:07:49.074 --> 00:07:51.026 maybe they came just to see the church. 00:07:51.026 --> 00:07:53.425 But I asked them about where they went to church 00:07:53.425 --> 00:07:56.105 and they went to an Indian church, 00:07:56.105 --> 00:07:58.752 like not red Indians like Apaches, 00:07:58.752 --> 00:08:01.404 but Indians from India kind of church. 00:08:01.404 --> 00:08:04.004 And I don't like that. 00:08:04.004 --> 00:08:05.575 And I remember Ryan Fullerton 00:08:05.575 --> 00:08:07.156 speaking out against the fact 00:08:07.156 --> 00:08:09.721 that there were Gypsy churches in Romania. 00:08:09.721 --> 00:08:11.564 And I think rightly so. 00:08:11.564 --> 00:08:18.367 It's like why are we dividing God's people up? 00:08:18.367 --> 00:08:20.375 I know this, 00:08:20.375 --> 00:08:21.947 that from the very get-go, 00:08:21.947 --> 00:08:25.813 I prayed for a racially diverse church in Grace. 00:08:25.813 --> 00:08:27.566 And you know what? 00:08:27.566 --> 00:08:30.213 It tests our love. 00:08:30.213 --> 00:08:32.745 There are times when you have to fight 00:08:32.745 --> 00:08:34.146 through difficulties 00:08:34.146 --> 00:08:37.856 and you have to fight through prejudices 00:08:37.856 --> 00:08:41.414 and seek to love each other. 00:08:41.414 --> 00:08:44.706 But this is what Jesus was praying for - 00:08:44.706 --> 00:08:47.393 unity among His people. 00:08:47.393 --> 00:08:51.454 And I think we need to strive for that. 00:08:51.454 --> 00:08:53.655 I would just say this, 00:08:53.655 --> 00:08:57.665 that you know is there a place 00:08:57.665 --> 00:09:00.235 to dress like Hudson Taylor 00:09:00.235 --> 00:09:02.402 if you want to win the Chinese? 00:09:02.402 --> 00:09:04.344 I think there is. 00:09:04.344 --> 00:09:07.862 I think there is. 00:09:07.862 --> 00:09:12.464 But you know, he did not - 00:09:12.464 --> 00:09:14.706 you know how they had the bald front 00:09:14.706 --> 00:09:16.865 and the ponytail in back? 00:09:16.865 --> 00:09:21.184 If you read Hudson Taylor's biography, 00:09:21.184 --> 00:09:30.424 he was a shiny white guy from England. 00:09:30.424 --> 00:09:34.315 His head would get burned all the time in the sun. 00:09:34.315 --> 00:09:38.574 Wearing their shoes was extremely uncomfortable for him. 00:09:38.574 --> 00:09:41.846 He did this to win souls. 00:09:41.846 --> 00:09:46.035 He didn't do it because long hair in a ponytail 00:09:46.035 --> 00:09:47.847 was an idol to him. 00:09:47.847 --> 00:09:50.227 We just need to be honest. 00:09:50.227 --> 00:09:52.464 We need to be honest about our cowboy hats 00:09:52.464 --> 00:09:53.873 and our cowboy boots 00:09:53.873 --> 00:09:55.826 and about our Harley Davidsons, 00:09:55.826 --> 00:09:57.963 because if they become an idol 00:09:57.963 --> 00:09:59.533 and we basically are creating 00:09:59.533 --> 00:10:02.115 a church around that idol - 00:10:02.115 --> 00:10:03.615 see, that's different than him 00:10:03.615 --> 00:10:06.274 getting a hairstyle that he would not have gotten 00:10:06.274 --> 00:10:09.174 if it wasn't for the fact he wanted to win souls, 00:10:09.174 --> 00:10:11.645 and wear shoes that he would not have worn. 00:10:11.645 --> 00:10:15.923 They were almost like Dutch wooden shoes. 00:10:15.923 --> 00:10:17.736 They were super uncomfortable. 00:10:17.736 --> 00:10:21.603 They talked about how they hurt his feet. 00:10:21.603 --> 00:10:23.344 James: And it wasn't a subculture. 00:10:23.344 --> 00:10:25.473 It was the main Chinese culture. 00:10:25.473 --> 00:10:28.495 Tim: Right. 00:10:28.495 --> 00:10:35.042 So, yeah. 00:10:35.042 --> 00:10:42.939 Well, any other comments on this subject? 00:10:42.939 --> 00:10:46.975 Probably a good time to stop. 00:10:46.975 --> 00:10:52.674 Okay, well, let's pray. 00:10:52.674 --> 00:10:57.515 Father, I pray for these men and these women. 00:10:57.515 --> 00:11:00.804 Lord, make us discerning - 00:11:00.804 --> 00:11:02.322 truly discerning, 00:11:02.322 --> 00:11:05.065 biblically discerning. 00:11:05.065 --> 00:11:07.983 Help us to be able to separate. 00:11:07.983 --> 00:11:11.783 Help us to be able to tell one thing from another. 00:11:11.783 --> 00:11:14.374 Help us to be able to interpret things 00:11:14.374 --> 00:11:15.894 in light of Scripture 00:11:15.894 --> 00:11:17.425 and apply Scripture 00:11:17.425 --> 00:11:21.553 to all the practicalities of our everyday life. 00:11:21.553 --> 00:11:22.965 To know how they apply, 00:11:22.965 --> 00:11:26.275 to see, to discern. 00:11:26.275 --> 00:11:29.616 Lord, help us by constant regular use 00:11:29.616 --> 00:11:33.461 and exercise applying Scriptures 00:11:33.461 --> 00:11:36.534 to become very discerning people. 00:11:36.534 --> 00:11:41.343 Wash us with the water of the Word. 00:11:41.343 --> 00:11:45.044 Sanctify us by Thy truth 00:11:45.044 --> 00:11:47.884 into that image, 00:11:47.884 --> 00:11:49.216 that perfect image, 00:11:49.216 --> 00:11:52.865 that beautiful image of Christ. 00:11:52.865 --> 00:11:54.844 We pray in His name, amen.