We live in a world of fantasy. One can play in fantasy sports leagues – fantasy football, fantasy baseball, and fantasy basketball are among the most popular. One can even go on a fantasy vacation; and if a person enjoys taking a cruise for vacation, there is even a ship called Fantasy.
Fantasy sports are the rage, right now, and perhaps the most popular among them is Fantasy Football. The Fantasy Football League, The Bishops, held its 2007 draft on August 21, 2007. This is a league whose owners are made up primarily of ministers. It is a wonderful way to enjoy some pleasant competition and amusing bantering between friends.
The primary premise is that the team with the most points wins, and at the end of the season, the team with the most wins is the champion. Scoring is based on yards gained and points scored on the offensive side; fumbles, yards advanced and points scored on the defensive side. It is common for teams to score in the triple digits; and, of course, high scoring games and winning teams possess all bragging rights.
Considering this, it seems that another category of fantasy has emerged in our society: that of Fantasy Church.
In this Fantasy League, “points” are scored based on the number of members they claim, on the talents of the worship leader and his team, on the facilities, and on the marketability of the ministry staff. Of course, the greatest “scoring” factor here is the number of members claimed by a local assembly. The church with the largest number is crowned as champion and anything that pastor says or does must be copied should another desire to compete in the league.
The issue here is NOT large churches, not even mega-churches. Most men who are at the helm of these large congregations are incredible men of principle and conviction. They have used the talents God has given them to grow their churches into evangelism centers that offer hope for the hopeless and healing for the hurting. These churches are like an oasis in the desert of an unloving, uncaring and cruel world.
The focus of this article, rather, is on those select few churches, ranging in size from below 100 to over 20,000, who have foregone the teaching of sound doctrine for that of the more palatable pop-psychology. The leaders of these Fantasy Churches are the men of Colossians 2:8 who, “through philosophy and vain deceit,” take people captive, enslaving them with men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual. The congregations these men preach to are made up of those who “will not endure sound doctrine;” and, who, because of their itching ears and their lack of stomach for solid, biblical teaching, will gladly fill up on the spiritual junk food these men prolifically produce.
In these last days, where carnal people in the pew have rendered the pulpit powerless, and where unqualified men occupy positions of spiritual authority, sound doctrine has been traded for the pleasant sound of humanistic philosophy with just a dash of scriptural spice to give sermons the appearance biblical theology. The preachers who are at the helm of these Fantasy Churches have foregone the idea of changing lives through the power of the Holy Ghost and sound doctrine. Instead, they avoid preaching on doctrine, social issues, and sin altogether with the hope that people, regardless of their spiritual status, will be comfortable enough to support the local church with their attendance and finances.
It is the opinion of this writer that we cannot focus on numbers to the detriment of doctrine and call it church growth. Numbers are an indicator of growth and, to some degree, success. However, if those numbers come at the expense of teaching sound Christian doctrine and principles, all one is experiencing is Fantasy Church.
A sinner can never be forgiven of sins he or she has not repented of. And those sins can never be remitted unless and until the sinner has been buried with Christ in baptism (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-7). Having obeyed the command of Scripture by repenting and being baptized in Jesus’ name, that person will then receive or receive the Promise of Holy Spirit baptism, which, according to the incidents recorded in the Book of Acts, is evidenced by speaking in an unknown tongue (Acts 2; Acts 10; Acts 19, etc.).
The church ought to be a place where lives are changed, where hope is found, where healing takes place, and where spiritual direction is attained; and that’s the least of it.
Fantasy Football is a blast! I understand from those who play other fantasy sports that they are equally as much fun. That should be the sum total of our involvement in the fantasy realm, though. When it comes to church, we need the kind of church that “turns (our) world upside down” through sound doctrine, anointed preaching, and the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost.
Once again, thank you for sharing your time with me. I wish you the best.
Blessings,
Tim Kelley
