3. They chase “glitter, gimmicks, and goofballs.” When God’s people do not know the Word, they go after everything that glitters, even when it’s a corruption of the Word. Example: Up the road is a flashy preacher living in a multi-million-dollar mansion preaching a prosperity gospel. Because so many of God’s people know so little about the Word, they fall all over themselves clamoring to crawl aboard his bandwagon.
4. They place unrealistic expectations upon the pulpit. When God’s people are starving spiritually, they turn all their focus on the pastor and are almost invariably frustrated because he is “not feeding us.” No pastor can be everything to the people that God intends to be.
5. They cannot find their way. Even when they do open the Bible, its truths are mysteries, its riches are lost to them, and its instructions go unheeded. They walk in darkness.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path…” (Psalm 119:105).
6. They remain carnal. Their wisdom is described in James 3:15 as “earthly, sensual, demonic.” Their lives are governed by the same principles as the unsaved. Listen to them discuss the things of God and you will hear, “It seems to me,” or “I feel.”
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Note: You may even hear someone admit, “I don’t know what the Bible teaches, but I know what I believe”—the very height of spiritual arrogance and ignorance.
7. The church lacks qualified leaders. When the people are not living in the Word, the church cannot find qualified deacons, teachers, and counselors because members remain as babies (Hebrews 5).
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The Result: The church compounds its problems by placing immature and carnal people in key positions. Pity the pastor assigned to work with leaders who do not understand faith, think the preacher is a hired hand, judge everything by appearance, and become divisive.
