Okay there are a good number of things off about this particular demonstration (I’m not going to call it a sermon). Watch it until the end because I want to key in on something that he says:
(HT: Scotteriology)
Notice that he said “I’m not talking about joining the church, I’m talking about becoming a Christian”. This is a pretty popular saying with many television preachers, and it is picked up by many other well-meaning preachers. It sounds so pious doesn’t it.
“Don’t worry we aren’t trying to get you to join our church, we aren’t trying to increase our numbers, we just want you to have a relationship with Jesus”.
“Oh, whew! I thought that maybe you were calling me to dedicate my life to unity with a local expression of the body of Christ. That was close. Yeah, I’ll take me some DNA-changing-Jesus but please don’t call me to be united to other believers that will hold me accountable, rub me the wrong way, and continually—often painfully—sharpen my relationship with Jesus”.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus IS calling you to more than just a relationship with Him. Yeah, the gospel isn’t about joining a church like you would join a Blockbuster or Sam’s Club. But it is about uniting yourself to Christ and in turn uniting yourself to other blood-bought believers in Christ.
I leave you with these words from Mark Dever:
If you have no interest in actually committing yourself to an actual group of gospel-believing, Bible-teaching Christians, you might question whether you belong to the body of Christ at all! (Dever, What is a Healthy Church, 27)
Dever continues:
We demonstrate to the world that we have been changed, not primarily because we memorize Bible verses, pray before meals, tithe a portion of our income, and listen to Christian radio stations, but because we increasingly show a willingness to put up with, to forgive, and even to love a bunch of fellow sinners. (28)
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