What New Christians Lack in Knowledge, They Make Up For with Zeal

Outreach to the Multitudes

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

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Video link https://youtu.be/IbaOhGpyToQ

Before I begin my remarks, I wish to start by thanking everyone for taking time out to read this article. You are not here by accident. In some way, God has directed you here because you are probably searching for answers to life’s daily dilemmas. Whether we realize it or not, to one extent or another, we sense there has got to be more solutions to living better, if only we could locate the answers we seek. Our minds and thoughts need stimulus because we have this vision of something out there that’s far greater than ourselves. We can’t see it, but we know it’s there all the same. So we go out and begin looking everywhere we can think of. Invariably, we wind up in a church. But then we find out sooner or later that it’s God who we are searching for, and He’s not in any man-made churches.

Does Anybody Really Know Where God Lives?

I had arrived at that same conclusion by the mid-twenty-teens. So in 2015 I started my first on-line church. Since I’m a disabled retiree, launching the Blog, plus a website that I had at the time, is a natural fit. There is, however, one ongoing problem with this type of church. That problem is finances. I have no way to pass a collection basket around like regular churches do. So why do I spend money out of my own pocket and donate my time free of charge? The simple answer is to reach out to people who are hungry and thirsty for some real truth. My primary intent is to be able to help other people. Moreover, I have discovered that the Bible – minus all the religious interpretations – together with the internet, remain the best tools to use to accomplish such a goal. That’s why I’m out here.

Building an Audience the Right Way

The first group of people that I want to reach are those who are disenfranchised by traditional religion. I am one such person myself, having had some strongly negative experiences with churches in the past. Never mind the details, they’re no longer important. Perhaps you are a former Catholic who was molested by a priest, or you know someone who was. There are also numerous cases of people actually getting ripped off by other church members, and I have witnessed this behavior once or twice in the past. I have also seen churches where there was a lot of internal politics going on, churches with memberships divided up into cliques, and sometimes with much financial impropriety at the top. I can only tell you that, based on my own experiences, if you run into one of these churches or any members thereof, turn and run like crazy for the nearest exit.

Why People are Fed Up With Organized Religion

Due to examples such as these, organized religion in the early 21st century has a huge credibility problem. Is it any wonder that so many people have stopped going to church? The TV preachers, who are little more than well-dressed con artists, only exacerbate the problem. I hope to address this problem, plus reach out to those who no longer attend church, by launching this blog , and its video channel . There is a real God, and I'm writing this to confirm what you already suspect – which is that God is not usually found in brick-and-mortar churches. Mainstream churches today, by and large, have slid into apostasy.

If Everybody Else Is Wrong, Then Nobody’s Right

If I had to think up one phrase to describe this blog, it would nonreligious. I back away from organized religion because each denomination thinks that their interpretation of the Bible is the only correct one. Well, to that I say that if everybody else is wrong besides yourself or your church, then nobody’s right. Except, of course, for Jesus Christ, who is and who remains the Son of God.

On the other hand, there are so many moral and upright people who do not go to church due to their own lack of confidence in organized religion in general. But those who do so really try to practice their faith as best they can, and try to live by the golden rule, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The simple solution for me is to emulate Christ as He would have me to do. I will embrace all people of all denominations as the Bible commands me to do.

A Few Verses of Scripture

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I become like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I become like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I become like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but I am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I become weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all men (and women) so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the Gospel, that I might share in its blessings.” (I Cor. 9: 19-23)

I Have Found a Better Way

This exquisite quote is from the New Testament, composed by the apostle Paul, and it sums up what my own goal is with this new online faith-based community. I want to reach out to everyone and say, ‘That bad contact you had with that brick-and-mortar church did not represent the true Church. Why not meet online instead? You can come any time, it's always free, and I don't demand 10% of what you earn’.

The problem with church denominations is they all have a separate core of beliefs that all members are expected to pledge allegiance to. No two churches are alike. One denomination preaches against the other, and all insist that they are the only ones whose teachings are correct. Various churches openly compete against each other, and they do this because they have lost their focus, which is Christ Jesus crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. For me, these three things are the central focus of my faith, and it is a faith that I gladly share with others.

Why is Your Blog Called the “Social Gospel Blog”

The term “social gospel” is usually used to describe a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that first came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Those who adhere to the social gospel seek to apply Christian ethics to their faith and becoming part of the solution. We live our faith as a lifestyle to contribute towards the answers to social problems such as poverty, slums, poor nutrition and education, alcoholism, crime, and war. Advocates of our movement interpret the Kingdom of God as requiring social as well as individual salvation, seeking the betterment of society through application of the Biblical principles of charity and justice.

Today, the Social Gospel is especially promulgated among liberal Protestant ministers and nondenominational churches. It has been revived in the southeastern US and elsewhere across North America as something that can benefit a lot of sick and hurting people, as it paves a way forward to ending poverty and hunger while reestablishing social and economic equality. God doesn’t reside in structures of brick and mortar. God dwells in the hearts of every true believer. He is more than willing to come and live within your own heart too.

No More Brick and Mortar

This brings me to the second and equally good reason for founding this online faith-based community, and that is to make God available to casual Web surfers who have no church background at all. I want to tell each of them that God is real, and that Jesus is not a fairy-tale. He is the only sure thing in this temporal world we live in. Everything else is merely a distraction at best, or a fatal attraction at worst. That's why Jesus Christ is the one person we can all rely on in our times of need. Our lives are a free gift from God, and He wants us to be able to use this gift to the best of our abilities so we can have as good a life as possible while glorifying Him for the outcome.

What Isaiah Said

That's His will for our lives. The Bible tells us that God seeks people's hearts whether they realize it or not, as it is written: “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me” (Isaiah 65: 1) This verse is addressed to all who read it, regardless of who you are, what you've done (or not), or where you've been. Your past no longer matters, so simply let it all go. The founding of this community and this Christian blog have this same intent. It is my hope and my prayer that someone who reads this message will realize that God may be closer to them (and vice versa) than they thought.

One More Thing

In closing, this blog and the above links and its website are available 24x7 to anyone who wants to use them as a mentoring, life coaching, self-help or spiritual resource. The main point is that God is available 24x7 as well. He loves you whether you think so or not, and he cares about what happens to you. Trust God and He will prove himself trustworthy to you. Give your life to Him and He will give himself completely over to you. In the process, He will love you unconditionally and eternally. The key to life and successful living are summed up right here. Until next time then, keep Jesus in your heart and thank Him daily for the supreme Sacrifice He made for each of us. Each new day is a gift from God, so treat it as such. May the peace of Christ be with you all. Shalom....

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