Comments on: Highway to Hell? http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/ Trying to be strategic. Wed, 23 May 2012 19:05:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: tony http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-13051 tony Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:47:25 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-13051 ok, that was fun. now we're done. you can continue the conversation on your own sites. tony ok, that was fun. now we’re done. you can continue the conversation on your own sites.

tony

]]> By: Mark E http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12999 Mark E Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:34:23 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12999 I have no doubt Newspring did not do this unthinkingly...and I celebrate all they do in reaching people for Christ. But some of the things I am sure they thought about were these... 1. all things should glorify God, not Satan 2. We should focus on pure and holy things, not evil ones 3. AC/DC are one of the most evil and demonically based groups ever, they did make great 'music'...but I personally believe a lot of their influence is spiritual 4. I hope those in Newspring are not grandiosing their freedom in Christ, to the detriment of the Body of Christ. 5. I personally, because of my background and love of ACDC music before I became a Christian, would find it hard to hear this song in church...because of all the connotations and feelings it would bring up in me. 6. I wonder if sometimes the non churched community think we are 'try hards' for emulating something AC/DC do far better. 7. Having said all that, our band did some U2 songs in our service over Easter... :) I have no doubt Newspring did not do this unthinkingly…and I celebrate all they do in reaching people for Christ.
But some of the things I am sure they thought about were these…
1. all things should glorify God, not Satan
2. We should focus on pure and holy things, not evil ones
3. AC/DC are one of the most evil and demonically based groups ever, they did make great ‘music’…but I personally believe a lot of their influence is spiritual
4. I hope those in Newspring are not grandiosing their freedom in Christ, to the detriment of the Body of Christ.
5. I personally, because of my background and love of ACDC music before I became a Christian, would find it hard to hear this song in church…because of all the connotations and feelings it would bring up in me.
6. I wonder if sometimes the non churched community think we are ‘try hards’ for emulating something AC/DC do far better.
7. Having said all that, our band did some U2 songs in our service over Easter… :)

]]> By: Paul T. http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12988 Paul T. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:25:27 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12988 Folks, as followers of Jesus we're all on the same team. While I would not choose to "worship" the way that NewSpring does, they're within the guidelines of Scripture and are following God's leading on their ministry. I applaud them for that and for their unabashed desire to be culturally relevant and unashamedly evangelistic. If we were more concerned with falling in love with Jesus and having him change us to be like him, we wouldn't have the energy to throw stones at others seeking to do the same thing. If God wants to change something about how NewSpring does ministry, I'm pretty sure He doesn't need us to make that happen. Right now, I'm too busy getting the "log" out of my own eye to be worried about anyone else. Folks, as followers of Jesus we’re all on the same team. While I would not choose to “worship” the way that NewSpring does, they’re within the guidelines of Scripture and are following God’s leading on their ministry. I applaud them for that and for their unabashed desire to be culturally relevant and unashamedly evangelistic.

If we were more concerned with falling in love with Jesus and having him change us to be like him, we wouldn’t have the energy to throw stones at others seeking to do the same thing.

If God wants to change something about how NewSpring does ministry, I’m pretty sure He doesn’t need us to make that happen. Right now, I’m too busy getting the “log” out of my own eye to be worried about anyone else.

]]> By: DJ http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12987 DJ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:23:16 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12987 Ron, I rarely involve myself in these debates online. I disagree with your definition of what the bottom line is here. Are we discussing the intention of worship? Or, is it the commission of the church? The vision of the leader here is to create worship and to reach those that do not have a relationship with Christ. Is it not possible that they could coincide? Ron,
I rarely involve myself in these debates online. I disagree with your definition of what the bottom line is here. Are we discussing the intention of worship? Or, is it the commission of the church? The vision of the leader here is to create worship and to reach those that do not have a relationship with Christ. Is it not possible that they could coincide?

]]> By: tony http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12981 tony Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:14:07 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12981 "where in the Bible?" read I Corinthians 14 if you're interested in one example of where the "unregenerate" (someone who isn't a Christ-follower, an unbeliever) were part of the worship gathering. Jesus also encouraged this in the parable in Luke 14. just thought i'd respond to your question. tony “where in the Bible?” read I Corinthians 14 if you’re interested in one example of where the “unregenerate” (someone who isn’t a Christ-follower, an unbeliever) were part of the worship gathering. Jesus also encouraged this in the parable in Luke 14.

just thought i’d respond to your question.

tony

]]> By: Ron http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12978 Ron Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:56:03 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12978 Sorry about some of the poor editing of the last somewhat rushed post...did not mean for that last line to be positioned where it is in the comment....hit 'post' too soon... ;-) Sorry about some of the poor editing of the last somewhat rushed post…did not mean for that last line to be positioned where it is in the comment….hit ‘post’ too soon… ;-)

]]> By: Ron http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12976 Ron Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:51:36 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12976 DJ.....In the New Testament, we read where people, crowds, would gather to Jesus to see miracles, to be healed, to be fed. Jesus often had difficult things to say about these crowds. It is recorded in the New Testament that He did not always trust them, these crowds, because He intimately knew the hearts of men. He acknowledged that many who claimed to follow Him were not true disciples. Too, He would sometimes say something hard, something difficult, and the crowd of thousands would drop to 12. I think you will find these things recorded in the Gospel of John, if memory serves. The bottom line and question is this....what is the nature and purpose of worship on Sunday? Have we, with the best of evangelical intentions, redefined the Biblical purpose the gathering of the saints on Sunday, a place and time where the saints are nourished, are to be fed substantively of grace from the Word so as to be enabled to go out into the world, to our places of work and play, to spread the Good News, to glorify God and enjoy God in all we do and say? Where in the Bible are we told to bring the unregenerate into church as an overarching methodology of proclaiming the Gospel to the world? That is your job, my job and calling, not necessarily the pastors. It is easy and to invite someone to church. It is much harder to share the Gospel personally. I know that to be true. And sadly, we sometimes get the message confused. We sometimes add to or remove things from the Gospel to make it more easily digestible...and we end up treating Jesus as a means to an end...of falling into the trap of selling a Gospel Lite to the unregenerate and a Law Lite to the church. Not that we always do that....but there is a real and present danger. Might be of some interest to read some of Michael Horton's books and articles on the contemporary church. I'm outta this dialog for now. Thanks for indulging me.... I would never doubt the good intentions of those who engage certain methodologies. DJ…..In the New Testament, we read where people, crowds, would gather to Jesus to see miracles, to be healed, to be fed. Jesus often had difficult things to say about these crowds. It is recorded in the New Testament that He did not always trust them, these crowds, because He intimately knew the hearts of men. He acknowledged that many who claimed to follow Him were not true disciples.

Too, He would sometimes say something hard, something difficult, and the crowd of thousands would drop to 12. I think you will find these things recorded in the Gospel of John, if memory serves.

The bottom line and question is this….what is the nature and purpose of worship on Sunday? Have we, with the best of evangelical intentions, redefined the Biblical purpose the gathering of the saints on Sunday, a place and time where the saints are nourished, are to be fed substantively of grace from the Word so as to be enabled to go out into the world, to our places of work and play, to spread the Good News, to glorify God and enjoy God in all we do and say?

Where in the Bible are we told to bring the unregenerate into church as an overarching methodology of proclaiming the Gospel to the world? That is your job, my job and calling, not necessarily the pastors. It is easy and to invite someone to church. It is much harder to share the Gospel personally. I know that to be true.

And sadly, we sometimes get the message confused. We sometimes add to or remove things from the Gospel to make it more easily digestible…and we end up treating Jesus as a means to an end…of falling into the trap of selling a Gospel Lite to the unregenerate and a Law Lite to the church. Not that we always do that….but there is a real and present danger.

Might be of some interest to read some of Michael Horton’s books and articles on the contemporary church.

I’m outta this dialog for now. Thanks for indulging me….

I would never doubt the good intentions of those who engage certain methodologies.

]]> By: Easter Message: Highway to Hell - blogan http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12974 Easter Message: Highway to Hell - blogan Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:34:10 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12974 [...] Hat tip: Tony Morgan. I must admit: I liked the Greenville campus’ performance better, which is why I embedded it [...] [...] Hat tip: Tony Morgan. I must admit: I liked the Greenville campus’ performance better, which is why I embedded it [...]

]]> By: DJ http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12966 DJ Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:53:40 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12966 Sam -"Though well intentioned it may be to draw the biggest crowd into a sunday service so that they may hear the gospel, that position is not biblically supported." I hate it when the bible tells us that we should try NOT to get large crowds in one place to talk about Jesus! What were they thinking over there at NewSpring? Thanks for your wonderful interpretation of God's word. Sam -”Though well intentioned it may be to draw the biggest crowd into a sunday service so that they may hear the gospel, that position is not biblically supported.”

I hate it when the bible tells us that we should try NOT to get large crowds in one place to talk about Jesus! What were they thinking over there at NewSpring? Thanks for your wonderful interpretation of God’s word.

]]> By: sam http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/13/highway-to-hell/#comment-12961 sam Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:47:49 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=3605#comment-12961 When the church gathers together for corporate "worship", everything we do should glorify God. This song does not glorify God nor does it promote worshiping and praising an almighty God. The primary weekly time of a church is intended to be a time for worshiping God and edifying the saints. Sunday services are not intended to function as the primary evangelical outreach. This song does not promote the biblical mission of a corporate weekly gathering of the church. Though well intentioned it may be to draw the biggest crowd into a sunday service so that they may hear the gospel, that position is not biblically supported. AND we have NO idea how many souls were added to the kingdom this weekend so let us not use that to support the unbiblical use of this song in a corporate worship service. When the church gathers together for corporate “worship”, everything we do should glorify God. This song does not glorify God nor does it promote worshiping and praising an almighty God. The primary weekly time of a church is intended to be a time for worshiping God and edifying the saints. Sunday services are not intended to function as the primary evangelical outreach. This song does not promote the biblical mission of a corporate weekly gathering of the church. Though well intentioned it may be to draw the biggest crowd into a sunday service so that they may hear the gospel, that position is not biblically supported.

AND we have NO idea how many souls were added to the kingdom this weekend so let us not use that to support the unbiblical use of this song in a corporate worship service.

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