Are we church?

Found this on the web. Interesting to ponder. Especially in light of our Confessions. Article VII of the Augsburg Confession states beautifully: The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctyl administered. With all that being written, here is something to think about as you view Christianity in America and what the churches confess about Jesus Christ.

Your Church May Not be A Church If . . .

You rarely, if ever, hear the word “sin” there.

When you do hear the word “sin,” it is only only briefly mentioned, or redefined as “mistakes.”

You can’t remember when you last heard the name of Jesus in a message.

The Easter message isn’t about the resurrection but “new opportunities” in your life or turning over a new leaf.

On patriotic holiday weekends, the message is about how great America is.

On the other weekends, the message is about how great you are.

People don’t sing during “worship,” but watch.

The pastors’ chief responsibilities are things foreign to Scripture.

Church membership just appears to be a recruiting system for volunteers.

You only see other church people on Sunday mornings at church.

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WARNING: If your church meets one or more of these, it might be a spiritual pep rally, a religious performance center, a Christian social club, or something else entirely, but it is probably not, biblically speaking, a gathering of the Church.