You can't handle the truth!

Wouldn't it throw the whole industry of church marketing for a loop if our churches were truly defined by the cross? (Ch. 8)

Yesterday I spoke of how we tend to focus on words like "salvation," and sometimes this takes our eyes off of other words like "gospel" and 'power." I speak for myself, because this is something I am guilty of. But this quote takes it a step farther than just what I personally do.

Let me ask you, what drew you to your church? For many is it a program that met a personal need. While that is great, is that what we see in the Bible? Yes, there were times when Jesus healed someone, and that person's life was changed, and they followed Him. But there were also times when Jesus said hard things, and in doing so drove people away. Where does that fit in a church's marketing strategy?

So what if we threw out marketing strategies, and focused on living a gospel driven life? Could God handle it if instead of a kickin' band drawing in the younger crowd, we had some kickin' sermons that challenged people, were Bible centered (so we would have to talk about other subjects besides sex), and both lifted us up and cut our hearts? Yes, I think God could handle it, but could we?