CHURCH GROWTH METHODS

The following comments are taken from Archibald Brown's, sermon, "The Devil's Mission of Amusement: The Church's Task-Entertainment or Evangelization?  Brown was the successor to Charles Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.  We don't have to agree with all that Brown wrote to appreciate his concern that the church's mission of proclaiming the gospel would be weakened by making the church a place of entertainment. Brown wrote:

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Holy Scripture as one of the functions of the church.  What her duties are will come under our notice later on.  At present it is the negative side of the question that we are dealing with.  Now, surely, it our Lord had intended His Church to be the caterer of entertainment, and so counteract the god of this world, He would hardly have left so important a branch of service unmentioned.  If it is Christian work, why did not Christ at least hint it?  "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," is clear enough.  So would it have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the Gospel." No such addendum, however, is to be found, nor even an equivalent for such, in any one of our Lords utterances.  This style of work did not seem to occur to His mind.  Then again, Christ, as an ascended Lord, gives to His Church specially qualified men for the carrying on of His work, but no mention of any gift for this branch of service occurs in the list.  "He gave some, apostles;. and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers - for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Where do the "public entertainers" come in?  The Holy Ghost is silent concerning them, and his silence is eloquence.

Pastor Tom

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity,