Comparison -- Today's Church vs Early Church

Paul gloried in his sufferings for the gospel - arrested numerous times, nearly lynched numerous times, beaten, humiliated in public, mobbed, had several assasination attempts on his life... and this is what the apostle Paul identified as the "proofs" of his apostleship, along with the changed lives and established churches he was used to plant.

I don't know any modern day evangelists (still living) who could compare. Perhaps there are some.

I haven't heard of them, however.

Originally Posted by Eliseus

Paul gloried in his sufferings for the gospel - arrested numerous times, nearly lynched numerous times, beaten, humiliated in public, mobbed, had several assasination attempts on his life... and this is what the apostle Paul identified as the "proofs" of his apostleship, along with the changed lives and established churches he was used to plant.

I don't know any modern day evangelists (still living) who could compare. Perhaps there are some.

I haven't heard of them, however.

Comparing this last day church with the early church is like comparing apples and oranges- they are both fruit, but that's the extent of their parallels.

[Malvaro]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

I think the early church made very little distinction between teaching and preaching. From what I can see they focused on the Gospel message and what it should do in a believers life.

Yes we have too many shallow screamers, and we are most definitely lazy listeners at times. We need a real return to the Word - nothing more, nothing less.

very good consideration... i had not thought of that before....

I suppose to them it was all so new that they didn't bother to classify the presentation style into categories.... when I was at JCM, imo there was a MASSIVE unspoken pressure to adapt into the screamer preaching style.... I told my classmates that it was my prayer that years down the road that I would be known more as a teacher than a preacher....

I may get rowdy at times now, but I have definately developed a deeper love for teaching the Word of God.... there is definately a place for preaching the Word, but I feel that teaching in general is lacking in today's Church.... and it is to that area that I feel most drawn to....

[Nahum]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

very good consideration... i had not thought of that before....

I suppose to them it was all so new that they didn't bother to classify the presentation style into categories.... when I was at JCM, imo there was a MASSIVE unspoken pressure to adapt into the screamer preaching style.... I told my classmates that it was my prayer that years down the road that I would be known more as a teacher than a preacher....

I may get rowdy at times now, but I have definately developed a deeper love for teaching the Word of God.... there is definately a place for preaching the Word, but I feel that teaching in general is lacking in today's Church.... and it is to that area that I feel most drawn to....

I totally agree. Preaching is a simple telling of the good news.

I really can't imagine Jesus on the hillside, screaming at the top of his lungs.
I don't think Peter did at Pentecost either. I think there was passion and conviction, but the real power lay in WHAT WAS BEING SAID.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

very good consideration... i had not thought of that before....

I suppose to them it was all so new that they didn't bother to classify the presentation style into categories.... when I was at JCM, imo there was a MASSIVE unspoken pressure to adapt into the screamer preaching style.... I told my classmates that it was my prayer that years down the road that I would be known more as a teacher than a preacher....

I may get rowdy at times now, but I have definately developed a deeper love for teaching the Word of God.... there is definately a place for preaching the Word, but I feel that teaching in general is lacking in today's Church.... and it is to that area that I feel most drawn to....

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

I totally agree. Preaching is a simple telling of the good news.

I really can't imagine Jesus on the hillside, screaming at the top of his lungs.
I don't think Peter did at Pentecost either. I think there was passion and conviction, but the real power lay in WHAT WAS BEING SAID.

Both very good posts.
While I love good anointed preaching like any other, I don't have to be screamed at to get the message.

There was a message preached by the late EL Holley former DS of the Texas District at GC in 85.
He didn't scream but there was a lot of meat to his message.

Originally Posted by Ron

Both very good posts.
While I love good anointed preaching like any other, I don't have to be screamed at to get the message.

There was a message preached by the late EL Holley former DS of the Texas District at GC in 85.
He didn't scream but there was a lot of meat to his message.

Frankly, I am getting weary of being yelled at. It must be my age. LOL We were just talking about this last week with some friends. Why is it that most people feel that the anointing is only falling if the preacher is yelling and his veins popping out on his neck? I love to HEAR what God is saying. Most times when preachers are yelling, my instinct is to tune them out, so-to-speak. I feel like my head is being assaulted. I don't think a person has to yelled, in order to be HEARD.

Originally Posted by Malvaro

Just a question for folks....

do you see today's church as excelling beyond any of the benchmarks set by the early church in any particular area (communication, organization, passion, etc)???

No.

What do you feel are the strengths and/or weaknesses of the two church ages in comparison???

The early church had it right, today's church doesn't.

[Malvaro]

Originally Posted by Chan

No.

The early church had it right, today's church doesn't.

Chance, I don't necessarily disagree with you on that statement....

in reference to the "latter rain" spoken on in the book of Joel.... in your opinion, what is going to have to happen to the "US" Church for that to be fulfilled here on domestic soil???

Jesus on the hillside, screaming his lungs out...

Hmmm, I wonder then how did THOUSANDS of people hear him - with no PA system... in the open?

There is of course a difference between "screaming your lungs out" and speaking with appropriate volume to be heard.

Oh, and Jesus did "cry out with a loud voice" while in the Temple one day... I wonder if He would be called a "screamer" by today's critics?

Originally Posted by Malvaro

Chance, I don't necessarily disagree with you on that statement....

in reference to the "latter rain" spoken on in the book of Joel.... in your opinion, what is going to have to happen to the "US" Church for that to be fulfilled here on domestic soil???

There is no one on AFF named "Chance."

But since you were actually responding to my post, what's going to need to happen is for the Church to give up all of the modern trappings of "organized religion" (buildings, tax exempt status, church boards, fighting the so-called "culture war," etc.) and to follow the example of the churches in the New Testament (not necessarily the Jerusalem church, since the commune thing they did didn't seem to work out very well). I also think that in those areas where there is a certain amount of religious "freedom," God is going to have to send along a wave of persecution to separate the sheep from the goats and to drive those who are truly His closer to Him.