The Social Gospel

I. Jesus refused those who followed him for bread.

A. Jesus had been teaching in Galilee and the multitudes followed Him.

B. Jesus fed them miraculously one time.

C. Mark 6:33-36 – It was late and the disciples urged Jesus to dismiss the people so they could go to the city and buy food for themselves. There was a young man who had five barley loaves and two fish that Jesus used to feed the multitude.

D. When Jesus departed from the multitude that night, they sought Him.

E. Jesus rebuked them for following Him for the wrong reason, John 6:24-27.

F. When He challenged them, some departed for good, John 6:66.

G. However, Jesus knew that those who stayed desired something more than bread to fill their stomachs, John 6:67-69.

II. The religious world is offering bread and more to draw people in

A. They are using social “lures” to fish for men.

B. Family Life Centers, which are church built and run community centers with athletic facilities and social activities. Fellowship Halls, kitchens and dining areas to entice people to worship so they can eat together afterwards in the fellowship hall. Money or candy for children who come to Bible class.

C. ABC News did a story on the mega churches, giant houses of worship that draw up to 20,000 to weekend services.

D. Charts on Mega-churches

E. Why are they doing this?

F. Feel that the gospel message is not enough

G. The Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, which has led the mega-church phenomena, did surveys to find what “unchurched” people wanted and tailored their church to fit them.

H. So you find people who are not interested in God in the first place and design a church to fit their worldly tastes. One member said, “It some ways you can maintain a sense of anonymity if you want to, it’s very non-threatening.” Of course it is non-threatening, you do not have to change. Jesus message to those who sought Him for the bread was threatening, they would have to change their attitudes and their lives. Many people do not want this. Chart on Feel good sermons.

I. Change with society

J. Some churches are changing their worship to appeal to the tastes of modern man. Appeal to pleasure chartA Palatable gospel chart

K. That was Jesus’ problem in John 6, He didn’t package the gospel message so the multitude would accept it.

L. Those who didn’t really care left Him. Those who desired to serve Him stayed. That was Isaiah’s problem, he did not make his message palatable to his materialistic and self serving generation, Isaiah 6:8-10.

M. What else does the Bible say about making the gospel palatable to the multitudes?

N. 2 Timothy 3:4-52 Timothy 4:3-4 – Preach the word to those who will listen. Jewish comment

O. Those who build fellowship halls, kitchens, and recreational facilities to draw people have misplaced the emphasis.

P. Chart on church building1 Corinthians 11:22 – “Do you not have houses…?” Barnes: “Do you know that the church of God is not designed to be a place of feasting and revelry; nor even a place where you partake of your ordinary meals?”

Q. Some lost their faith and made the church a place of social change

R. The gospel does indeed change lives, but it does so individually. When individuals change, the world changes.

S. However, these change agents use the church to effect social and political changes.

T. The church has a higher mission than social revolution. We are not prohibited from personal action in the social and political realm, but it has no place in the church. Sociologist quote (2 charts) Baptist quote (2 charts) Christ did not die for a social club or a political action committee, He did not die so you could be on a church ball team, He died to cleanse and purchase His church, a soul-saving, life-changing, spiritual body.

III. We must draw people in with the gospel

A. John 12:32 – Jesus would draw men to himself by His sacrifice.

B. If we think this is insufficient, we make a mockery of His death. If men will be drawn by Christ’s love for their souls and His atoning sacrifice, no amount of ice cream and softball will change them.

C. 1 Corinthians 2:2 – Paul came only with the gospel

D. Don’t be embarrassed when that is all you have to offer!

E. This simple gospel preached without gimmicks overturned the world!

F. Acts 17:6 – These men have turned the world upside down! Acts 19:26 – Upset Ephesian craftsmen Acts 13:12 – Astonished at the teaching The gospel’s power hasn’t changed, could it be that we are not preaching it the way that these first century Christians did?

IV. The Roman Caesars used “bread and circuses” to appeal to the masses. We should not stoop to such fleshly techniques to lead people to the Lord. The old preachers used to say that a church that relies on ice cream suppers, tea parties, and chicken dinners for its growth is as cold as the ice cream, weak as the tea, and as dead as the chicken.